Cyclist safety at road works

About 200 cyclists are injured each year at road works in Great Britain, including some 40 serious or fatal injuries, although the road works are not necessarily a contributory factor in all cases. The objective of this project is to investigate the extent of the accident problem and, if appropriate, to see if ways can be found to improve safety. The methodology comprises three main elements: an analysis of accidents involving cyclists at road works for the five years 1992-1996 using STATS19 road accident data for Great Britain; video filming of five road works sites to obtain information on driver and cyclist behaviour; and a survey by local authority highway inspectors of local road works routinely inspected, to provide information on aspects of the layout of road works that might affect cyclists. The main conclusion from the research is that the primary safety problem at road works is drivers attempting to overtake cyclists with inadequate clearance. This should be addressed by more use of lower temporary speed limits and revised guidelines on lane widths, backed by driver education and changes to the Highway Code. (A)