Creating a Safe Environment for Older Cyclists: Lessons Learnt from a Review of Worlds Best Practice Measures

Cycling is a major mode of transport in many European and developing countries, however, cyclist crashes are severe in nature and represent a major road safety problem. Furthermore, older cyclists are especially vulnerable to injuries. This paper discusses the contributing factors to increased crash and injury risk for older cyclists including behavioural, vehicle and environmental factors. The growing complexity of the road environment, particularly the dominance of vehicles, high speed and traffic volumes on many roads used by cyclists, place high demands on an older person’s adaptability, whilst ageing can diminish the capacity to cope with many traffic situations. Older adults, therefore, experience many problems using the transport system, largely because it does not adequately accommodate their special needs and capabilities. Further, the design features of frontal structures of vehicles can greatly affect cyclist injury outcome. World best-practice strategies and initiatives for managing the safe mobility of older cyclists are identified and described. These include programs that promote safe cycling practices, improvements to vehicle frontal design to optimise the protective capabilities of vehicles, and innovative treatments that aim to improve the crashworthiness of the road transport system and be more forgiving of vulnerable road users. Several examples are described including measures to moderate vehicle speeds in high cyclist activity areas, measures to separate or restrict vehicular and non-vehicular traffic, and measures to reduce the complexity of the road environment. Recommendations for a system-wide approach for the management of older cyclist safe mobility are provided.