Observations of cyclists’ and drivers’ behaviour at cycle path crossings

To investigate whether cyclists and drivers behave in accordance with priority rules at crossings between cycle paths and ordinary roads, 446 cyclists were observed at three different crossings. In 74 cases there was conflicting car traffic, and in 70% of these situations the car yielded, despite having the right-of-way in all cases. The results indicate that formal priority rules have little influence on road-user behaviour in cycle path crossings. Behaviour seems to be governed more by signals from other road users (speed changes, visual contact, etc), by intersection layout (sight distances, signs and road markings), as well as by general care and safety considerations.