This week for #CyclingScienceSunday, we're going to answer everyone's favourite question: why do those darn cyclists keep biking on the sidewalk?

TL;DR: It's mostly so we don't get killed.

https://rsa.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17450101.2020.1857533

#LdnOnt #CycleWR #BikeTO

The authors conducted two field studies in Stockholm. In the first, participants rode their bikes with a front-facing camera while narrating what they were doing. In the second, participants rode and drove along a route, and were shown a video of their travel and interviewed.

An online questionnaire study was also done, asking about people's confidence riding a bike and their preferred routes given different infrastructure.

30% of cyclists used the sidewalk for at least some portion of the trip where they would otherwise have been in mixed traffic (i.e., alongside cars). Slower cyclists were more likely to use the sidewalk.

Interestingly, people who rated themselves as confident cyclists were more likely to use the sidewalk than less confident cyclists. The authors speculate that less confident cyclists might be less confident breaking the rules, so they stay on the road.

Finally, the authors note that there were three main reasons given for using the sidewalk: Safety, efficiency, and unclear infrastructure design. Unsurprisingly, avoiding cars was the most pronounced reason given.

This research fits with previous studies showing that cyclists break the law to stay safe (as a lawyer I'm always interested in this topic). Poor or non-existent infrastructure makes cyclists choose between obeying the law and getting home safely.