Sharing Road Space (Granville et al., 2001)

• “…whilst cyclists generally regard themselves as equal to other road users, this status is not assigned to them by others” Cyclists are generally not considered to deserve priority on the road by most other road users. The exception was drivers who also cycled who showed more tolerance and sympathy towards the rights of cyclists. For non-cyclists, however, one bad experience of poor cycling behaviour often served to create a negative impression that extended towards all cyclists.
• While all respondents regard cyclists as the most vulnerable type of road user, criticism is widely levelled at cyclists for not consistently adhering to the law in terms of courteous and acceptable road behaviour. There are a number of factors cited by drivers which have impacted upon the prioritisation accorded to cyclists as road users. These factors include :
  • A lack of regard for other road users,
  • A failure to adhere to basic road safety guidelines,
  • Poor cycling behaviour,
  • Not paying road tax,
  • Not being able to keep up with other traffic and
  • Not showing courtesy to others.
• …drivers who do not cycle tended to view cyclists as a minority group, commanding too much by way of resources but who were clearly benefiting from significant additional provision in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh…Drivers who do cycle do not hold these views and are much more tolerant and supportive of cyclists…non-cycling road users expect cyclists to be the ones to learn how to deal with other road users and so the emphasis is placed upon cyclists obtaining the relevant information to act properly, rather than drivers doing so.
• Drivers are less supportive of cycle lane provision and other aspects of provision specific to cyclists such as advanced stop lines and filter lanes…A number of factors underlie this, including the perceived dearth of cyclists in both the study cities, a lack of understanding of the rationale behind this type of provision…
• Some drivers who attempted to show cyclists greater consideration reported being harassed by other drivers.
• Drivers very rarely altered their overtaking behaviour at road narrowings to take account of the decrease in road width…between 67% and 100% of cars overtook a cyclist where the road was narrow. The percentage of cars overtaking did not vary according to the width of the running lane or the presence of a cycle lane.
• When a cyclist and a vehicle approached a pinch point from opposite directions, with no cycle bypass and no obvious priority, only one vehicle in the fifty-one cases observed waited for the cycle to pass. A cyclist holding his/her speed and line in this case faces obvious dangers.
• Many motorists have a superior attitude towards cyclists and feel that they have more right to the road, or that perhaps, due to the increased size and robustness of their vehicles, they can bully cyclists into getting their own way.

(Räsänen & Summala, 1998)

• The most frequent accident type among collisions between cyclists and cars at bicycle crossings was a driver turning right and a bicycle coming from the driver’s right along a cycle track.
• Cyclists’ behavior was in marked contrast to that of drivers. In these cases, 68%of cyclists noticed the driver before the accident, and 92%of those who noticed believed the driver would give way as required by law.

(Komanoff, 1999) –Killed by Automobile – Death in the Streets in NYC 1994-1997

• 97 percent of cyclist-killers were men strongly suggests that driver aggression (and not just cyclist impulsiveness) plays a significant role in killing bicycle-riders in New York City.
• In three police precincts most afflicted by deadly drivers, outrage over traffic danger has long been directed against cyclists rather than drivers

(Hurt, Ouellet, & Thom, 1981) – The Hurt Report

• 6. In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.
• 7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents.