Addressing Bicyclist Safety Through the Development of Crash Modification Factors for Bikeways

US Transportation Collection2022PDFTech ReportDadashova, BaharDixon, KarenHudson, JoanBenz, RobertDai, BoyaLi, XiaoSener, IpekTurner, ShawnSarda, SohamTexas A&M Transportation InstituteTexas Department of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation OfficeUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationTexas A&M Transportation InstituteTexasUnited StatesCrash modification factorsBicycle crashesBicycle lanesCrash dataBenefit cost analysisHighway safetyBuffered bicycle laneSeparated bicycle lanesBicycle exposureCrowdsourced dataHighway Safety Improvement ProgramFHWA/TX-22/0-7043-R10-7043September 1, 2021\u2013April 30, 2022According to the Texas Department of Transportation Crash Record Information System database, there have been 26,148 crashes involving bicyclists (pedal cyclists) from 2010 to 2018 in Texas, resulting in 2,885 fatalities and suspected serious injuries and 22,937 non-incapacitating and possible injuries. Overall, bicycle crashes, as well as fatal and suspected serious injury crashes involving bicyclists, have been on the rise. Bicyclist safety concerns exist not only in cities and metropolitan areas but for the overall state highway network as well. In this project, the research team developed crash reduction factors for bikeway facilities implemented on Texas roadways to assess their safety and economic effectiveness. This research addressed the development of crash reduction factors for target crash types where sufficient bicycle facility information and crash information are available. To enable future cost-benefit assessments, the research included an estimate of the service life, installation, and maintenance costs of such facilities. The findings of this project indicate that installation of bikeway facilities can significantly improve safety for bicyclists. Implementing conventional bicycle lanes can help reduce total, fatal and injury, and property-damage-only crashes by 41\u201349 percent. Buffered bicycle lanes can improve safety by 20\u201365 percent, and separated bicycle lanes can improve safety by 41\u201353 percent. The economic benefits of these treatments were also found to be significantly higher than the estimated cost of installing them.143