Analysis of cyclists being overtaken on rural roads - pilot project

Problem definition: Since Oct. 2022, motor vehicles travelling at over 30 km/h must keep a distance of at least 2 m to the side when overtaking cyclists outside built-up areas. For cars or especially lorries or buses, overtaking in compliance with the law on the thousands of kilometres of rather narrow country roads largely requires the entire width of the carriageway. There is only rudimentary data available on compliance with or non-compliance with the side distance rule. There is also no technical enforcement option in Austria to date, although the police would be very interested in this. Objective: The project pursues two main objectives: (i) Using objective, well-founded data on the course of cycling overtaking manoeuvres on narrow country roads, the aim is to answer the actual extent of the motor vehicle side distance, which factors influence it (e.g. oncoming traffic, vehicle type and speed) and what psycho-physical effect it has on the cyclists involved. (ii) Recommendations should be drawn up on the extent to which the survey methods (see solution approach) appear suitable as a starting point for a technical enforcement option. Solution approach: On-site measurements are carried out simultaneously using two different methods: An automated lateral distance measurement with a measuring bike and a location-based video observation. This allows the data volumes of overtaking manoeuvres (uninfluenced and generated by test cyclists) required to achieve the target to be collected and analysed.