(upbeat music)
- [Reporter] With an estimated 600 deaths
and 14,000 injuries of bicyclists in Texas
over the last decade,
researchers with the Texas A and M Transportation Institute
developed database strategies for bicycle crash reductions.
- So nationally there was a lack of information
on how effective bicycle lanes were
in reducing the numbers of crashes.
The study itself developed crash modification factors
that estimate the amount of reduction in crashes
that can be expected from implementing bike lanes.
- There is a need for research
to see whether this facilities improve the bicyclist safety,
and when we're talking about designs,
we mean like bicycle lanes,
separated by lanes and et cetera
that are designed for the bicyclist
to share the road with the vehicles.
In our research, we were mainly focusing on the facilities
that are installed on the roadway where the bicyclist
is sharing the road with vehicle,
because that's where most of the safety concerns are.
One of the limitations in this type of research
is the limited availability of data
which makes it difficult for us
to conduct data driven analysis
and see the impacts of this facilities on bicyclist crashes.
Our significant result was that indeed bicyclist lanes
they actually significantly reduced the bicyclist crashes
from between like 44 to 65% depending on the facility type.
I mean we could see that the separated by lane
or buffered by lane that leave some sort of an offset
between bicyclist and vehicles
or like some sort of a vertical separation.
They have a lot more positive impacts on bicycle safety.
We could see over, I mean almost like six to 5% reduction.
- By having these crash modification factors,
entities such as TxDOT can better quantify
or better justify making investments in bicycle facilities
and the results are consistent
with the recent updates to TxDOT's guidance
on providing bicycle accommodations.
So it just goes to further support
the work that we are doing.
- [Reporter] For more information
and to find the publications for this project,
please visit the TxDOT Research Library
at the link shown below.