Bicycle road lighting – requirements and recommendations

Cycling transport in Poland is in the phase of dynamic development. Many cities in Poland realize investments connected with the construction of new and the modernization of existing cycling infrastructure. Road lighting is an element ensuring the safety and comfort of cyclists, particularly during the realization of journeys after dark and in difficult weather conditions. A correctly designed, constructed, and maintained lighting installation contributes to extending the time of use of the infrastructure by cyclists and supports sustainable mobility. To improve traffic safety, infrastructure managers are making investments in spot or linear lighting for bike roads. Cycling traffic may be carried out both together and separately from the carriageway of a road designed for vehicles. Therefore, lighting requirements are formulated in different ways. The article reviews the current lighting requirements, considering the locations of cycling traffic. The lighting classes were used, and their purpose is indicated. The general and specific recommendations of the current guidelines for lighting roads, bicycle roads and pedestrian and bicycle roads are described. The individual stages of the design process of lighting installations are indicated and attention is drawn to the problem of the realization of field measurements.