Review of Road User Rules for people walking and cycling
Where presented / published:
Transport Agency website ( Feb 2017)
The NZ Transport Agency engaged MWH and ViaStrada to investigate options for amendments to several give-way related road user rules.
Around half of all urban cycling injuries occur at intersections. Providing safe and convenient cycling infrastructure through intersections can be challenging. The Transport Agency commissioned research into several rules affecting cycling and pedestrian flow through intersections. The research, which will be used to inform policy advice regarding potential rule changes, investigated the likely impacts of:
- giving pedestrians precedence over turning traffic when crossing side roads
- giving cyclists precedence over turning traffic where separated cycling facilities cross side roads
- allowing cyclists to use a turning lane while riding straight ahead
- allowing cyclists to undertake slow-moving traffic
- allowing cyclists to "lane split" when filtering to the front of a queue of traffic
- allowing cyclists to turn left (and/or ride across the top of a T intersection) despite being faced with a red light.
Our report was published on the Transport Agency website in February 2017 (look for the heading "Investigating road user rules for people walking and cycling"). Follow-up work with regards to drafting some of the Road User Rule amendments for implementation is underway.
