Mobility software provider PTV Group is working with expert partners internationally on a new project to analyse the safety of cycling infrastructure.
The firm is working with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the non-profit institution Fundación Mapfre and the Union Cyclist Internationale to run pilots of the new CycleRAP risk assessment model in five cities.
CycleRAP is an evidence-based infrastructure risk evaluation model that aims to improve safety specifically for cyclists and other light mobility users by identifying high risk locations without the need for crash data.
The model uses data about the features of a road, street or path to evaluate the risk of crashes for cyclists and light mobility users, pinpointing where crashes are likely to occur, and offering suggestions for treatments to reduce this risk.
The application of this model will now be tested across five pilot cities: Madrid (pictured) and Barcelona in Spain; Bogota, Colombia; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Fayetteville, Arkansas in the US.
The project works with local partners to identify network risks and produce maps showing how safe the infrastructure is for cyclists and users of other types of mobility vehicles. It is the first application of the model in Spain and outside Europe.
PTV said it will work with one of the pilot cities on the visualization of the CycleRAP model results and evaluate infrastructure improvements.
Based on the latest technology of PTV Model2Go, a supply model of the city will be generated using OpenStreetMap data for a detailed urban bicycle network configuration.
The CycleRAP analysis will then be applied in 'multimodal network and analysis platform' PTV Visum, which PTV said is well suited for managing, calculating, and visualizing bicycling corridor safety analysis.
Sofia Salek de Braun, road safety ambassador at PTV Group, said: ‘Unfortunately, cyclists are exposed to high risks, which is holding people back from using it as an alternative means of transport.
‘The infrastructure must change, because we will not succeed in changing mobility behaviours if streets continue to be dangerous, and people are killed or seriously injured.’
PTV said the project results, due in October 2023, will give cities a clear understanding of how safe their infrastructure is, and provide key safety recommendations to help reduce risks.
The project also aims to create a knowledge base to help cities replicate the approaches and improve the safety of their cycling infrastructure.
