How GIS can help to promote safe cycling

Geographical information systems (GIS) offer an integrated platform for relating, modeling and analyzing multiple perspectives on the road space. They can thus be employed in all stages of better understanding bicycle safety from an explicitly spatial perspective and provide the basis for informed decisions in the context of cycling promotion. In the following it is briefly sketched why safety issues need to be addressed in all cycling promotion initiatives. It is further shown how GIS can be employed in accident analysis and integrated safety risk models and how these single steps can be consolidated in a single workflow. The benefit of employing GIS in this context is demonstrated in a case study where a GIS modeling approach forms the basis of a routing application which recommends safe routes for bicyclists. Based on experiences from the case study and findings from literature a brief outlook describes the road ahead. 1. The bicycle as sustainable mode of transport Numerous negative impacts of motorized traffic – from air pollution [1] to economic externalities [2] and social inequities [3] – have led to a growing demand for sustainable modes of transport; especially in densely populated, urban environments. This development has increasingly brought the bicycle, as sustainable and cost-efficient mode, into the focus of researchers, planers and decision makers [4]. Masterplans for bicycle traffic and numerous bicycle promotion initiatives from local to transnational levels are indicators for this (re-) discovery of the bicycle [5]. 1.1. Bicycle traffic and safety concerns Due to extensive bicycle promotion initiatives, many cities in Europe have successfully built or extended their bicycle infrastructure. This has significantly contributed to a constantly rising number of bicyclists on the roads [6]. But still, there are some influential factors which keep people from using the bicycle for their everyday mobility needs, above all safety concerns [7]. Although sound exposure data are rare [8], there are indications from literature and official statistics, that cycling is healthy, but dangerous related to the travelled distance [9, 10]. These findings are in line with a recent report by the European Commission on road safety. There, the EC points to the fact, that contrary to the overall trend, the number of killed bicyclists has been increasing during the last couple of years [11]. Thus, it can be stated, that safety is a key issue in the context of promoting the bicycle as sustainable mode of transport [12]. 1.2. Improving bicycle safety In order to improve safety for bicyclists, at least three issues (“safety pillars”, adapted from [13]), which are interrelated, need to be addressed:  First of all, the infrastructure and regulative interventions need to be designed in a way that potential risks for bicyclists are minimized [14]. This can be done, for example, by separated bike lanes, controlled intersections or actions to reduce motor vehicle traffic and speed [15].  Secondly, the bicyclist’s physical condition, experience, compliance with road traffic rules and the technical condition of the vehicle must be taken into account. Although “individual” factors 1 University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria, [email protected], Department of Geoinformatics Copyright 2014 BIS-Verlag, Oldenburg, ISBN: 978-3-8142-2317-9