2021 Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages A_236-A_245
The bicycle environment has been improved on roadways in Japan as “A guideline for creating a safe and pleasant cycling environment” was enacted in 2012. In these cycling environments such as "Bicycle lane" and "Mixed-carriageway road", there is no physical separation between bicycles and vehicles, therefore it is necessary to pay more attention to the safety and smoothness of these cycling environments.
We conducted biking experiments on various roads in 2019, and this study examined the influence of differences in width composition such as shoulder width and lane width on the vehicle behavior, road safety, and smoothness related to overtaking bicycles. The results show that the overtaking behavior differs depending on the width composition and that the composition effects on the vehicle speed, acceleration/deceleration, and avoidance distance. Based on the results, the safety and smoothness of each road are examined and integrated assessments of the safety and smoothness are conducted.
