286 — Cyclist’ safety perceptions of cycling infrastructure at un-signalised intersections: Cross-sectional survey of Queensland cyclists

Bicycling through a city is a pretty treacherous experience, and it’s even more treacherous at unsignalized intersections — intersections at which there is no formal indication of who is supposed to be stopping and who is supposed to be going.

There are two main classes of bike-infrastructure intersections: those at which cyclists must cede the right of way to cars traveling on the road, and intersections at which cyclists are given the right of way.

Cyclists in Queensland, Australia were polled on different types of intersections and different interactions with cars, and were asked to rate them on a scale of horribleness. They were also interviewed about near-misses, getting ‘doored,’ and other vehicle-bike interactions in their biking history.

The results: Cyclists paradoxically preferred when they did not have the right-of-way on a road lacking bike lanes: This, according to the authors, made them feel like it was more clear how motorists would act. Furthermore, the safe-seeming off-road bike paths were deemed to feel least safe, because they required the cyclist to re-enter the road at intersections, with less warning to motorists than other methods.