'Corona-safe' Measures for Cyclists at Intersections

TL;DR

This paper proposes and evaluates 'Corona-safe' intersection control measures for cyclists, focusing on detection and timing adjustments to improve safety and acceptance during pandemic-related distancing requirements.

Contribution

It introduces specific measures for adapting intersection control for cyclists during COVID-19, analyzing their effects, advantages, disadvantages, and public reception.

Findings

Longer green phases for cyclists are well-received.

Detection methods face resistance due to costs and throughput issues.

Public reactions are mixed, with some positive and some negative.

Abstract

During the Corona crisis measures were taken to avoid the spread of the virus, and one of the most important was to 'keep sufficient distance'. In this period cyclists were facilitated in distancing by the widening of cycle paths, or the use of car lanes. The Corona measures also affected intersection control, since one of the principles of signalizing is based on clustering of traffic. The settings of the control take into account the way cyclists tend to cluster close together at the stop line, so for optimal control, if the clustering changes, the control should be adapted as well. This paper presents measures for 'Corona-safe' intersection control for cyclists, and discusses the effect of the measures and their (dis)advantages. Further it was investigated how some municipalities used these measures and conveyed about it in the media and how these measures were received by the public. The measures can be divided in two groups: detection and timing. For the municipalities considered, the least popular measures concerned the detection methods, such as adaptations in use, or type, of push button, since the negative aspects can be large (effect on throughput and costs). More popular were changes in the timing of the control, the most conveyed measures being more frequent and longer green for cyclists. The acceptance of the measures by the public (determined via reactions on social media) is mixed, some are positive about the improved control, others negative (effect on car traffic or costs). The most common reactions are general complaints about intersection control, and about cyclists behaviour. For future use the measure 'more frequent green' is most suitable, permitted cyclists are detected to support the acceptance of the control. Also bicycle apps can be applied, since these results in more comfort and have limited negative effects.