Bike paths not always safe for bicyclists

Many may assume that walking, running, biking or skating on multi-use bike paths instead of areas closer to road traffic means they face little risk to their safety.

However, a study by the Connecticut Transportation Institute (CTI) at the University of Connecticut’s School of Engineering shows that even though bike paths are free of vehicular traffic, they can still pose significant safety risks for the people who use them.

“Despite the logical assumption that removal of bicycles and pedestrians from proximity to motorized traffic should improve their safety, this research shows otherwise,” said Lisa AultmanHall, the author of the study, director of CTI and an associate professor of engineering at UConn. “Bike paths are a tremendous resource for communities and I certainly hope they continue to grow in popularity, but most of us assume, incorrectly, that the safety issues on shared-use paths are minor and certainly far less serious than the safety issues on roads. Unfortunately, these areas can present significant safety risks that many do not understand.”

The findings of the study, which was completed in 2004, will be published in an upcoming issue of Transportation Research Record, the journal of the Transportation Research Board.

In previous research, Aultman-Hall found that sidewalks and off-road shared-use paths have incident and injury rates significantly higher than those for on-road cycling.

“Given the preference of many people for cycling on paths including rail trails, and out of concern for the safety of the walkers, joggers and runners, it is timely to study what is dangerous about shared-use paths, and how they can be operated more safely for all users,” she said.

The researchers surveyed 684 shared-use path users during the course of a year on the three shared-use path facilities in Connecticut: the Farmington River Trail in Canton, the Farmington River Trail in Farmington, and the Farmington Heritage Canal Greenway in Cheshire.

Among the key findings were the following:

Fifty-one collisions or falls were reported, 37 on the specific sections of shared-use paths being studied.

Of those 51 events, 35 resulted in injuries, two of which were considered major.

The results showed that fall and collision rates for skaters were highest, followed by bicyclists and then pedestrians.

The bicycle fall or collision rate was three times that of pedestrians, while the rate for skaters was more than six times that of pedestrians.

Falls were the more frequently reported events when compared to collisions and they were more often associated with an injury.

The overall incident rates were highest on the trail with the largest traffic volume and largest number of intersections and lowest on the trail with the fewest intersections and lowest percentage of skaters and bicyclists.

“Finding that the highest incident rate is on the highest volume path is particularly concerning as the demand for shared-use paths and their popularity increases,” said Aultman-Hall. “Given that this study indicates that frequent collisions and falls occur on shared-use paths and that they often result in some injury, there is a need for safety countermeasures.

“These study results combined with comments from the survey respondents suggest that countermeasures should include several actions: speed control; clear communication of path operating rules; and the consideration that different user types be separated when high volumes warrant. The continuation of high design standards is clearly a safety countermeasure, and the nature of these results suggests that older facilities with lower standards may require upgrading in the future. Finally, due to the high incidence of falls, education, perhaps in the form of signs, could be implemented so that users are aware of this risk.”