Desirable bikeways from the perspective of perceived safety using the ‘Hiyari Hatto Map’ in Japan

Infrastructure for cyclists has been globally developed to reduce carbon footprints. However, though the total number of traffic accident records has decreased annually, the number of bicycle accidents has not decreased as much, and there is a need to develop safer bikeways. This study aimed to propose the desirable bikeway by comparing the perceived safety towards each type of bikeway, such as bike lanes, cycle tracks, shared bikeways with pedestrians and motor vehicles, using near-accident data, known as the “Hiyari Hatto Map”, made in 2021 in Japan. This study also analysed the likelihood and the severity of perceived safety from cyclists’ and pedestrians’ perspectives. In conclusion, regarding perceived safety, cycle tracks were superior to bike lanes for wide roads with high traffic volume and fast traffic speed. As conversion from bike lanes to cycle tracks is possible but needs time and budget, strengthening enforcement of on-street parking and preventing cyclists from encroaching on the sidewalk would be required for bike lanes with a high frequency of near-accidents in the short term. For shared bikeways on narrow roads, a noticeable design to separate cyclists and motor traffic is desirable regardless of the road class