Research on Road Space Layout for Coexisting Bicycle Traffic and Autonomous Vehicle

Abstract

Bicycles are expected to play a significant role on urban transportation for their various advantages, such as reducing environmental load and improving users’ health. However, road space for cycling in Japan is still insufficient and needs to be improved urgently. In addition, it will be essential for cycling to coexist with automated vehicles, which are expected to be realized in the future. Particularly, efficient curbside management is required to meet the demand for on-street parking. In this study, we focused on the space for picking up and dropping off from automated vehicles and the space for bicycles in an automated society and examined the road space where they can coexist. Traffic simulations were conducted for the organized road design patterns by changing the amount of vehicle traffic and stopping frequency. the smoothness and safety of traffic flow were evaluated to propose road spaces which are sufficient to various road characteristics based on quantitative evidence.