Rural road safety research

[Ron]

Interesting research In Catalonia regarding protection for rural cyclists.
https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/catal ... road-10893

[Jdsk]

Thanks for that: I don't think that I've seen this approach before.

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

We have similar things here on motorways. Large overhead things stating lane closures and a maximum speed. Whenever I’ve seen them in use it would appear a large number of drivers don’t see them or can’t read them.

[Bmblbzzz]

Vorpal will be along in a minute to tell us about the one in the Norwegian tunnel.

[Ron]

The article doesn't mention pedestrians who are at as much risk as cyclists on rural roads with blind corners and ever decreasing roadside verge widths.
Bring back the sheep I say,they kept drivers alert

[drossall]

Interesting, although cyclists have the ability to start and stop pretty-much anywhere. Stop for lunch half way along, for example, and the signs may detect you as gone. Start off again (or emerge from a farm track), and the signs will still be in "no cyclists" mode.

So it rather depends how it's implemented, and whether some drivers start to regard the showing of higher limits as a certain indication that they need take less care.

[jois]

Interesting, although cyclists have the ability to start and stop pretty-much anywhere. Stop for lunch half way along, for example, and the signs may detect you as gone. Start off again (or emerge from a farm track), and the signs will still be in "no cyclists" mode.

So it rather depends how it's implemented, and whether some drivers start to regard the showing of higher limits as a certain indication that they need take less care.

I tend to agree

[Dingdong]

Interesting, although cyclists have the ability to start and stop pretty-much anywhere. Stop for lunch half way along, for example, and the signs may detect you as gone. Start off again (or emerge from a farm track), and the signs will still be in "no cyclists" mode.

So it rather depends how it's implemented, and whether some drivers start to regard the showing of higher limits as a certain indication that they need take less care.

I tend to agree

As do i

[Mike Sales]

Interesting, although cyclists have the ability to start and stop pretty-much anywhere. Stop for lunch half way along, for example, and the signs may detect you as gone. Start off again (or emerge from a farm track), and the signs will still be in "no cyclists" mode.

So it rather depends how it's implemented, and whether some drivers start to regard the showing of higher limits as a certain indication that they need take less care.

I tend to agree

As do i

"Safety benefits are absorbed as performance benefits."
Frequently observed phenomenon.

[VinceLedge]

Interesting approach.
We have just been cycling in a bit of Catalonia and drivers seem pretty OK, much like where we live in the Borders. There are lots of new cycle routes and tracks, the area seems to be making a big effort to encourage cycling.

[Debs]

These signs could condition many drivers to only expect a cyclist if the signs tells them so.

When they drive in a different location on roads that don't have these signs, they may drive with the expectation there will not be any cyclists because there isn't any signs to tell them how to drive.

These signs are not very well though out, and would seem to be yet more roadside clutter at tax payers expense.

Regardless of silly sign postage it is the drivers responsibility to be always be alert and aware of cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders, etc...

[Thehairs1970]

We have similar things here on motorways. Large overhead things stating lane closures and a maximum speed. Whenever I’ve seen them in use it would appear a large number of drivers don’t see them or can’t read them.

They get ignored because they are so rarely correct. As said above, they often relate to incidents long gone. Hence, drivers don’t believe them. It’s human nature.

[squeaker]

The electronic signs will change the speed limit on the road when they detect that a cyclist is in the vicinity so that vehicle drivers will slow down.

Wildly optimistic assumption, IME

[Ron]

We don't know the full scale of the research, but I would hope it would confirm my own view that many vehicles are driven at excessive speed for the conditions on our rural roads and getting some data might result in an effort to reduce speeds on blind bends and other danger points.

[Bmblbzzz]

The "rural" is slightly misleading. It implies, to an English mind, a country lane. But in this case it seems to refer to main roads in non-built up areas.