Cycle track

A cycle track is a special path made just for bicycles. Cars and other motor vehicles are not allowed on these paths. This helps people ride their bikes safely without worrying about cars. Sometimes, cycle tracks are next to regular roads, but they are separated by things like small walls, posts, or plants to keep bikes and cars apart.

Cycle tracks can be used only by cyclists, or sometimes they are shared with pedestrians or people riding horses. They can be at the same level as the road, at the level of the sidewalk, or in between. In many cities, planners build cycle tracks to encourage more people to bike. This helps reduce traffic and pollution.

In places like the United Kingdom, a cycle track is a road meant only for cyclists. These tracks can run beside regular roads or have their own separate path. The goal is to make cycling safer and more comfortable for everyone.

Impact

Levels of bicycle traffic

In the United States, a study showed that eight cycle tracks helped more people ride bikes. Within one year, the number of bike riders on the street went up by 75 percent. Surveys found that some bike riders would have chosen other ways to travel without the cycle track, and some said they ride bikes more often because of it. But different groups of cyclists have different preferences, so planners need to think about these preferences when making new bike paths.

A 2015 study in Toronto, Canada, looked at a street where cycle tracks replaced painted bike lanes. Surveys showed that many cyclists would have used other ways to travel before the change, mainly because they felt safer riding on the cycle track.

Safety

Main article: Bikeway safety

Recent studies show that cycle tracks usually help cyclists stay safer between intersections than riding with traffic on major roads. The increase in cycling because of cycle tracks may help improve safety overall. But older studies sometimes found issues with safety on cycle tracks away from intersections.

How cycle tracks affect safety at intersections is still being talked about. Studies often show more collisions at these points, especially when cyclists travel against the direction of traffic. Using protected intersection designs can help make these points safer.

Specifications

In the Netherlands, rules for bike paths say that one-way paths should be at least 2 metres wide.

In the United Kingdom, different rules apply. In England and Northern Ireland, one-way bike tracks should be between 1.5 and 2.5 metres wide, while two-way tracks should be between 2 and 4 metres wide. In Scotland, similar widths are recommended.