Infrastructure plays a vital role in the encouragement of cycling. The provision and design of bicycles lanes and paths have a significant effect on the safety of cyclists as well as other road users.
The following documents are intended to inform planners and engineers on the necessary design requirements related to bicycle infrastructure and use.
09th Apr 2013
This Wiki, titled Bicycle Facilities in Holland, provides a useful case study and provides insights into infrastructure planning and traffic engineering to support cycling in the Netherlands. This wiki was created by students at Northeastern University and Portland State University based on a summer program to investigate the urban environment of the Netherlands in 2011.
25th Mar 2013
This study, published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention investigated the behavioural, attitudinal and traffic factors contributing to red light infringement (running a red light) between February to May 2010. 2061 people who cycled completed the survey of which 37.3% reported that they had ridden through a red light.The study found that gender (males) age (older >29 yrs) and previous bicycle-vehicle crash can characterise groups of people cycling that may run red lights and discusses cyclist inclusive infrastructure and enforcement.
08th Feb 2013
This report describes a before and after study of the application of shared lane markings for cyclists (“sharrows”) to three relatively slow speed streets in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. Sharrows appear to have a significant effect on cyclist lane positioning on roads where it is feasible for cyclists to ‘claim the lane’. The report, prepared for VicRoads by CDM Research, was published in February 2013.
09th Jan 2013
In December 2012 the European Transport Safety Council released a report detailing best practices for facilitating cycling on roadways in a variety of European Union cities. It investigates policy, infrastructure, vehicle design and road user behaviour interventions and makes a series of recommendations to the EU and its members states.
19th Dec 2012
This research report by the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research was published in November 2012. The study evaluated the effects of counter flow cycling in one way streets on the behaviour, comfort, perceptions of safety and ease of access of pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers. The study also considered the safety consequences of this measure.
26th Nov 2012
This research was published in the journal Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice in December 2012. To better understand bicyclists’ preferences for facility types, GPS units were used to observe the behaviour of 164 cyclists in Portland, Oregon, USA for several days each. The research found that cyclists are sensitive to distance, turn frequency, slope, intersection control, and traffic volumes. Cyclists place relatively high value on off-street bike paths, bicycle boulevards, and bridge facilities. Route preferences differ between commute and non-commute trips.
26th Oct 2012
This University of British Columbia Cycling in Cities study examined the association between bicyclists’ injuries and the cycling environment (e.g., route types, intersection types). It found that the lower risks on quiet streets and on busy streets with bike-specific infrastructure support the route-design approach used in many northern European countries. Transportation infrastructure with lower bicycling injury risks merits public health support to reduce injuries and promote cycling.
20th Sep 2012
In 2009 the Ministry of Transport and Fietsberaad published this overview of bicycle use and bicycle policy in the Netherlands. It was produced in English and translated into French, German and Spanish. It includes case studies relating to cycling to work, school and the shops, spatial planning, end of trip facilities and infrastructure treatments.
11th Sep 2012
This video, produced in August 2012, provides an overview of some of the challenges that went into building the Ermington shared cycle path in Sydney's west. The raised boardwalk was constructed by Parramatta City Council to provide an important link for commuter and recreational riders but also needed to protect a fragile natural environment.
28th Aug 2012
The Austroads Guide to Road Design – Part 3: Geometric Design contains guidance that provides road designers and other practitioners with information that is common to the geometric design of road alignments. Part 3 covers topics that are common to geometric design such as operating speed, sight distance, horizontal and vertical geometry, including the coordination of those two elements and consideration of cross-section element. It also provides relevant information relating to the design of on-road cyclist and parking facilities. It was published in 2009.
28th Aug 2012
The Austroads Guide to Road Design – Part 6A: Pedestrian and Cyclist Paths provides guidance for road designers and other practitioners on the design of paths for safe and efficient walking and cycling. The main focus of Part 6A is the geometric design of paths and related facilities such as intersections between paths, and terminal treatments. The Guide was published in 2009.
27th Aug 2012
Bicycle boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimised for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming and traffic reduction, signage and pavement markings, and intersection crossing treatments. These videos, from Streetfilms, demonstrate how bicycle boulevards are used in American cities.
23rd Aug 2012
The Cycling Aspects of Austroads Guides were released by Austroads in 2011. The publication brings together cycling related information found in various Austroads guides, primarily the Guide to Road Design and the Guide to Traffic Management.
23rd Aug 2012
This series of Cycle Notes, by Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in Queensland is designed to assist planners and engineers provide for cycling in their local area.
20th Aug 2012
This comprehensive guidebook was published in July 2009 by Portland State University. Bicycle boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimised for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming and traffic reduction, signage and pavement markings, and intersection crossing treatments. These treatments allow through movements for cyclists while discouraging similar through trips by non-local motorized traffic. Motor vehicle access to properties along the route is maintained.
20th Aug 2012
This fact sheet, published by the Chicago Department of Transport and City of Chicago in July 2012, provides an outline of the advantages and performance of protected bike lanes. Protected bike lanes (cycle tracks) provide bicyclists exclusive space in the roadway by separating bicyclists from motor vehicle traffic with on-street parking, flexposts, and/or raised medians.
15th Aug 2012
In July 2012 the NSW Government published a Shared Zone policy and fact sheet. A Shared Zone is a road or network of roads where the road space is shared by vehicles and pedestrians. These documents aim to assist road safety practitioners in the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and in local councils to assess, design and implement Shared Zone schemes on NSW roads.
09th Aug 2012
In July 2012 the Australian Bicycle Council and Austroads published the report 'Cycling on Higher Speed Roads'. The report investigates the provision of facilities for bicycles on sealed roads with speed limits of 70 km/h or more. It outlines how to improve these roads for cyclists where off-road alternatives or on-road, lower speed, direct options are not available.
08th Aug 2012
In July 2012 the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida released a report investigating the design and operation of shared bicycle/bus lanes in municipalities in the United States and other countries.
20th Jul 2012
This research used video surveillance of 1245 cyclists in New Zealand at pinch points to determine the relationship between the remaining lane or shoulder width and the likelihood of cyclists traversing the edge line into the motorised vehicle stream. Results established that at 0.4m most cyclists could retain a course inside the edge line and navigate the pinch point without needing to enter the motorised vehicle stream. The results were published in June 2012 by the NZ Transport Agency.
20th Jul 2012
In April 2012 the first of 26 cycle superhighways opened in Copenhagen designed to encouarge longer distance bicycle commuting to reduce CO2 emission and improve commuters health. This video, produced by the New York Times, looks at bicycle use in Copenhagen and plans to roll out a network of superhighways.
14th Jun 2012
This report, published in the American Journal of Public Health in June 2012, evaluated the effects of on-street bicycle lanes installed prior to 2007 on different categories of crashes occurring on roadway segments and at intersections in New York City. The research found that the installation of bicycle lanes did not lead to an increase in crashes, despite the probable increase in the number of bicyclists. The most likely explanations for the lack of increase in crashes are reduced vehicular speeds and fewer conflicts between vehicles and bicyclists after installation of these lanes.
11th May 2012
The first edition of Collection of Cycle Concepts was published in 2000 and enjoyed a wide circulation. This second edition, Collection of Cycle Concepts 2012, updates the field, featuring new challenges and the latest knowledge. Collection of Cycle Concepts 2012 is not intended to be a summary of Danish road standards, but to provide inspiration and motivation for creating more and safer bicycle traffic – in Denmark as well as the rest of the world. It is published in English.
18th Apr 2012
This report, published by the Mineta Transportation Institute in April 2012, examines the policies and strategies governing the design and, especially, operations of bus lanes in major congested urban centers. It provides detailed case studies in seven cities that currently have shared-use bus priority lanes: Los Angeles, London, New York City, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, and Sydney. Bicycle riders are allowed in bus lanes in London, Paris and Sydney.
10th Apr 2012
The paper summarises the innovative approach that the City of Yarra has been undertaking in the last decade to implement non-standard facilities in order to improve conditions for cyclists. This has been done by calming traffic, reallocating roadspace, implementing 40km/hr speed limits on 90% of local roads and various other non-standard treatments. Together, these measures aim to provide a more conducive environment for cycling. The paper was published in 2012 in the Proceedings of the Fourth Australian Cycling Conference.
10th Apr 2012
In 2009, Adelaide City Council began the trial of a separated bicycle lane in Sturt Street, Adelaide. The trial was deemed a failure and the separated bicycle lane abandoned after less than 9 months of the 12-month trial period. This paper, published in 2012 in the Proceedings of the Fourth Australian Cycling Conference, looks at publicly available evidence to critically examine the Sturt Street separated bicycle lane experience. This review indicates systemic failure in the trial process and provides pointers to avoiding the headwinds that were encountered by the Sturt Street trial.
12th Mar 2012
This video, released in March 2012 by Streetfilms, joins city leaders from Chicago, Washington, DC and Miami on a study tour of the Netherlands. The video takes you on a tour of the street designs in the Netherlands. The study tour was organised through the Bikes Belong Foundation's Bicycling Design Best Practices Program. The program shows American transportation professionals and policy makers real life examples of what it looks like to invest in cost-effective bicycle facilities.
27th Feb 2012
This research paper, by Tim Jones, was published in the journal Transport Policy in February 2012. The paper presents research which aimed to identify the contribution of a typical section of the UK's National Cycle Network urban traffic-free path in encouraging cycling for everyday travel amongst a community living adjacent to this type of intervention. The paper concludes that provision of urban traffic-free cycle paths alone may be insufficient in encouraging a shift from car to cycling for everyday travel purposes.
06th Feb 2012
This research report was published in the journal Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board in December 2011. Shared lane markings (sharrows) convey the message that motorists and cyclists must share the travel way on which they are operating.Overall, safety effects appeared to be associated with the installation of the sharrows placed 10 ft (3.05 m) from the curb.
01st Feb 2012
This research report was published in the journal Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board in December 2011. Characteristics of the road infrastructure affect both the popularity of bicycling and its safety, but comparisons of the safety performance of infrastructure may be confounded by differences in the profiles of cyclists who use them. Data from a survey of 2,532 adult bicycle riders in Queensland, Australia, demonstrated that many riders rode reluctantly in particular locations and that preference for riding location was influenced by degree of experience and riding purpose.
22nd Dec 2011
This brief report, written in December 2011 by the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, examines the construction of the first cycle street in Denmark. Cycle Streets have been developed in Germany and Holland. The idea is that all road users can use the street – but on the cyclists’ terms – and the road will be optimised in order to cater for cyclists and pedestrians, instead of the cars.
29th Aug 2011
In mid 2011 VicRoads Metropolitan North West Region commissioned Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) to monitor the effectiveness of the improvements implemented along St Kilda Road and Royal Parade in Melbourne. Three treatments were evaluated: green coloured surface treatments within advanced storage boxes for cyclists; green surface treatments for bicycle lanes at conflict points; and audio-tactile line marking to reinforce bicycle lanes at mid-block locations. The research found an improvement in perceived safety for cyclists and suggest there are real safety benefits from the chosen treatments.
02nd Aug 2011
This report, released by Bicycle Victoria in August 2011, investigates the evidence for determining traffic lane widths. Current Australian guidelines recommend traffic lane widths of 3.5m as standard. This report finds that lanes below 3.5 metres can operate successfully provided that attention is paid to the local circumstances.
29th Apr 2011
This document, published by the Victorian Department of Transport in 2010, outlines criteria that must be considered by those planning and designing transport projects to determine whether to include bicycle facilities and the application process. This policy direction will ensure that those who are planning and designing a broad range of transport projects consider the needs of cyclists early in the scoping of a transport project.
09th Mar 2011
This report, published by Portland State University in 2011, explores the impact of two bike lane configurations: a cycle track (a seven-foot bike lane separated from motor vehicle traffic by a row of parked cars and a painted three-foot pedestrian buffer) and a couplet of buffered bike lanes (six-foot bike lanes with a two-foot painted buffer on either side separating them from motor vehicle traffic).
17th Feb 2011
This study tests the hypothesis that marking narrower parking lanes can create additional operating space for bicyclists by inducing motorists to park closer to the curb. The results, published in 2011, imply that in cities that display this level of response to parking lane width, additional operating space for bicycling can be gained by marking narrower parking lanes.
12th Jan 2011
Research has shown that road lane width impacts on driver behaviour. This literature review provides guidelines to assist in the design, construction and retrofitting of urban roads to accommodate road users' safety requirements. It focuses on the impacts of lane widths on cyclists and motor vehicle safety behaviour. It was published in 2009.
27th Oct 2010
Brochure and map for V1 - Brisbane first dedicated veloway
23rd Sep 2010
This video shows the first bicycle lift in the world in operation. The lift was designed to encourage cycling and operates on a very steep hill in Trondheim, Norway. It was installed in 1993.
23rd Sep 2010
In 2008-09 P-06 Atelier, a communication and environmental design studio, based in Lisbon, Portugal was contracted by Lisbon City Council to develop a series of path markings for the city's main bicycle path. The markings incorporate directional, positioning and distance information with poetry and graphics.
20th Sep 2010
This article, published in World Transport Policy and Practice in 2007, provides detailed case studies of cycling in six cities: two in the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Groningen), two in Denmark (Copenhagen and Odense), and two in Germany (Berlin and Muenster). It includes information about travel trends, lanes, intersection treatments, bicycle parking, public transport integration, safety and bicycle promotion.
17th Sep 2010
In this 2009 video officials from New York City's Department of Transportation explain the thinking behind various types of new bike lanes in the city.
17th Sep 2010
This undated document produced by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the US Department of Transportation provides bicycle riders with a checklist to use to rate the rideablity of their neighbourhood and suggests tools and organisations for improving that rideabiltiy. It serves as a practical guide to evaluate bicycle friendliness in particular localities.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this 1999 edition of Cycle Notes is to encourage a consistent approach to the development of bicycle lanes, including signs, line marking and pavement symbols.
17th Sep 2010
This 1999 Cycle Note discusses clearway bicycle lanes. Bicycle lanes are a very effective way to provide for cyclists on the roads. However, when a road has more than one operational layout, such as a Clearway which is in force only during certain times of the day, design issues are not always straightforward.
17th Sep 2010
This 1999 editiion of Cycle Notes addresses four design issues effecting shared paths: path widths, clearances to obstacles, path curvature and sight distances.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this 2000 edition of Cycle Notes is to provide guidence on how to provide for cyclists on arterial bicycle routes and to select bicycle facilities that best match the needs of cyclists.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this May 2001 edition of Vic Roads' Cycle Notes is to provide guidance on the selection and use of methods that create space for cyclists on existing roads.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this 2006 edition of VicRoads' Cycle Notes is to provide guidance on the standards which are required for on-road bicycle lanes and off-road bicycle paths.
17th Sep 2010
This 2005 VicRoads Cycle Note provides guidence on the use of green coloured surface treatments for bicycle lanes.
17th Sep 2010
his 2004 VicRoads Cycle Note is to outline the standards and guidelines for the use of wide kerbside lane markings in Victoria.
17th Sep 2010
This 2005 VicRoads Cycle Note addresses safety issues for off-road path users at road crossing points.
17th Sep 2010
This 2005 VicRoads Cycle Note outlines the purpose and design provision of terminal treatments for off-road and shared pathways.
17th Sep 2010
This 2006 VicRoads Cycle Note Cycle Notes outlines the importance of providing cycle routes free of surface imperfections, such as potholes and drainage grates.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this 2006 edition of VicRoads' Cycle Notes is to provide guidance on providing for cyclists within bus lanes.
17th Sep 2010
The purpose of this May 2010 edition of Vic Roads' Cycle Notes is to provide guidance on the width of off-road shared use paths. In particular, it relates the widths of paths to the volume of cyclists and pedestrians who use the path. Guidance is also provided on the circumstances underwhich consideration should be given to separating cyclistsfrom pedestrians.
17th Sep 2010
This series of notes is designed to assist planners and engineers provide for cycling in their local area. Topics covered in these notes include: Planning for Cycling, Design and Engineering, Operation and Management and Bicycle Singage Guidelines.
17th Sep 2010
This 2003 report prodcued by ARRB Transport Research provides performance-based standards for rail trail surfaces, based on users' opinions of what constituted acceptable levels of ride quality on paths built on soils similar to expansive clays.
16th Sep 2010
Launched in 2002, the GBCA is a national, not-for-profit organisation that is committed to developing a sustainable property industry for Australia by encouraging the adoption of green building practices. It is uniquely supported by both industry and governments across the country.
16th Sep 2010
This Austroads 2001 paper begins by reviewing the literature on safety and mobility issues for pedestrians and cyclists. An investigation of traffic models is then undertaken, with particular attention given to pedestrians and cyclists.
16th Sep 2010
The Road Safety Engineering Toolkit is a reference tool for road engineering practitioners in state and local governments. It outlines best-practice, low cost, high return road environment measures to achieve a reduction in road trauma.
15th Sep 2010
This 2006 report published by Austroads investigates actual and potential conflict between cyclists and pedestrians. It outlines best practice solutions to minimise the potential for conflict between these modes of travel. These solutions cover engineering, traffic management and urban design concepts, as well as education and awareness strategies.
15th Sep 2010
This 2010 report prepared by Thomas Melbdrum for the Australian Bicycle Council reviews Australian practice on implementing coloured surfaces for bicycle lanes.
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