Keeping your head on a swivel: Understanding cyclist visual attention demands at intersections

In North America, cyclists often share infrastructure with motor vehicles and encounter frequent conflicts with them at intersections. Past research, which usually assumes that cyclists' experiences mirror those of drivers, mostly focus on roadway segment. Intersection scenarios, which present many safety concerns for cyclists, are rarely investigated.

This study addresses that gap by examining cyclists' visual attention demand at intersections using head movement data.

Leveraging on-road experimental data, our findings suggest that cyclists experience the highest visual attention demands when performing unprotected left turns (e.g., two-way stop signs). In contrast, the visual demand is relatively lower with the presence of traffic signals or when cyclists perform right turns.

Based on these findings, we recommend that transportation professionals further examine the visual attention demand experienced by cyclists during turning movements and interactions with specific intersection designs. Among different measures of head movements, our findings indicate that lateral head movement is superior (compared to vertical movement) in addressing the visual attention demands of cyclists at intersections.