An exploration of drivers’ lane position after adding buffered cycling lanes in Guelph, Ontario

Dedicated cycling infrastructure, such as a buffered cycling lane, is implemented more frequently with the goal of improving cyclist safety by decreasing cyclist-vehicle interactions. While previous research has focused on evaluating driver lane position through passing events (when drivers overtake slower cyclists), little research has evaluated how drivers interact with novel cycling infrastructure in the absence of cyclists. Through an analysis of instrumented vehicle data from an on-road study in Guelph, Ontario, this study compares driver behaviors before-and-after modifying an existing cycling lane into a cycling lane with a painted buffer. It was found that drivers were significantly further from the marking of the cycling lane by an average of 31.6 cm when there was a traditional painted cycling lane, as opposed to a buffered cycling lane. This difference was greater than the change in vehicle lane width (narrowed on average by 22.7 cm). However, this may not change overall distance from cyclists when accounting for additional space from the buffer. Drivers did not differ in the standard deviation of their lane position, or in their speeds, between the two types of cycling lane. Findings from this research have implications for decisions regarding infrastructure and the development of automated driving systems.