Road design and red-light violations of bicycle lane users in the Netherlands.

Safety and keeping order are one of the main tasks policymakers have in municipalities. These tasks can refer to the crime level, city aesthetics, cleanliness, and traffic behavior. Bicyclists and moped drivers have a reputation of having risky driving behavior which they put themselves as well as others in danger as a cause of their actions. One of the reasons an individual could exercise risky behavior is the traffic circumstances it is situated in. Ignoring a red-light is a common violation made by bicyclists and moped drivers which deteriorates the traffic safety. This paper investigates the risk behavior of bicyclists and moped riders and their relationship with the features of an intersection. Risk behavior is measured by the decision of committing a red-light violation. Limited researches investigated the relationship between risk-taking behavior of bicyclists and moped drivers and infrastructural road designs. The available literature suggested that there is a relationship between both factors. Previous literature also investigated the behavior of bicyclists and moped drivers in relation to physical and environmental factors. They acknowledged that factors as age, gender and weather conditions have an association with risk-taking behavior. Data is collected through observation. Four intersections are investigated with each distinguishable by the number of car lanes and the inclusion of a mid-section. The results show that 23,4 percent of the vehicles committed a red-light violation. To determine whether road designs have a significant relationship with red-light violation a regression analysis is conducted. The generated logit model suggested a significant positive effect of mid-section on red-light violations. An interaction effect with crossing an additional lane and mid-section had a significant negative effect. Furthermore, males were positively associated with red-light violations. Altogether, we can conclude that this research provides evince that road designs influence the behavior of bicyclists and moped drivers. Policymakers should consider how they design future intersections. Based on our results, we suggest that the inclusion of a mid 3 section is associated with riskier behaviour. Future research could elaborate even further on infrastructural factors influencing the risk behavior of bicyclists and moped drivers.