Safety effects of blue cycle crossings: a before-after study

This paper presents a before-after accident study of marking blue cycle crossings in 65 signalised junctions. Corrections factors for changes in traffic volumes and accident/injury trends are included using a general comparison group in this non-experimental observational study. Analysis of long-term accident trends point towards no overall abnormal accident counts in the before period. The safety effect depends on the number of blue cycle crossings at the junction. One blue cycle crossing reduces the number of junction accidents by 10%, whereas marking of two and four blue cycle crossings increases the number of accidents by 23% and 60%, respectively. Larger reduction and increases are found for injuries. Safety gains at junctions with one blue cycle crossing arise because the number of accidents with cyclists and moped riders that may have used the blue cycle crossing in the after period and pedestrians in the pedestrian crossing parallel and just next to the blue marking was statistically significant reduced. Two or four blue cycle crossings especially increase the number of rear-end collisions only with motor vehicles involved and right-angle collisions with passenger cars driving on red traffic lights.