Evaluating the Perception Index for Cyclists' Safety Using Structural Equation Modelling

Transportation authorities across the globe are encouraging people to take up cycling for their daily activities. Even though individuals are aware about the advantages of cycling, there are a few barriers, which restrict them to use bicycles for their everyday commute. One of them, is the risk of getting hit from the rear by a motor vehicle travelling in the same direction. This study proposes a measure called Perception Index towards Cyclist Safety (PICS), to represent the level of insecurity among individual road users travelling on a corridor. A structural equation modeling framework is applied to express the perception index towards cyclist safety in terms of observed variables like road, road user, and environmental characteristics. This value is further used to predict an individual specific behavior and a preferred minimum overtaking distance. The contribution of this study is towards providing traffic planners, with a tool to forecast the reasonable minimum overtaking distance, based on the observed data that serves both safe cycling and smooth traffic conditions.