The Covid-19 lockdown measures resulted in an increase pting many to take to two wheels for the first time in many years.  It was a surge that encouraged officials to try and make cycling a more common sight on urban roads.in exercise around the world, with the heavily reduced traffic prom

One of the arguments against such developments is that increased numbers of cyclists on the roads slows traffic down, but it’s an argument that new research from Portland State University suggests is not warranted.  The study shows that cyclists on low volume urban roads without bike lanes didn’t noticeably reduce car travel speeds.

The research was conducted across six roads in the Portland area across various times of the day, including rush hour.  They conducted an analysis of the travel speed of vehicles on each road, and found that even without a cycle lane, overall speed fell by just 1 mph, which was largely insufficient to cause any kind of congestion.  What’s more, when the road tilted downhill, and therefore cyclists traveled faster, less overtaking took place, which further lessened any impact.  It’s a finding the researchers believe has implications with the rise of e-bikes, which can often travel faster than regular bikes.

“[Those on] e-bikes are not as affected by uphills, and have better travel performance regarding speed and acceleration. In a low volume and low-speed street, motorists are less likely to overtake e-bikes because the speed differential is smaller or maybe zero,” the researchers say.

The researchers plan to expand their research to include a wider range of roads, with a greater range of characteristics, including speed limits, gradients, and traffic volumes.  They also want to test how oncoming traffic speed and volume affects the opportunities for motorists to overtake cyclists.  Nonetheless, they believe that their findings should prompt policymakers to think again about shared roadways, and any suggestions that they are not viable.

“The hope is that our study dissuades policymakers from tossing out shared roadways as a viable option because of the perception that bicyclists will impede the mobility and speed of drivers,” the researchers say. “While the preference is to separate modes through separated, protected bike lanes – that’s not always possible in every urban setting. ‘Bike boulevards’, or ‘neighborhood greenways’ as we call them here in Portland, are great alternatives on low-volume, low-speed roads to build out a safe, well-connected bicycle network.”