Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines

Many studies have explored the impact of macro and meso attributes of the built environment – such as population density, land use, proximity to services, and cycle infrastructure – on cycling. Less attention has been paid to micro attributes of the built environment. This paper reviews the academic...

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Main Authors: Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa, Robin Lovelace
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950105923000086
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author Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa
Robin Lovelace
author_facet Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa
Robin Lovelace
author_sort Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa
collection DOAJ
description Many studies have explored the impact of macro and meso attributes of the built environment – such as population density, land use, proximity to services, and cycle infrastructure – on cycling. Less attention has been paid to micro attributes of the built environment. This paper reviews the academic literature on the relationship between road lighting and cycling, and identifies gaps to provide direction to future work. It also reviews policy guidelines on lighting and cycling infrastructure. Findings from the review of academic research show a clear positive effect of road lighting on cycling. The effect seems stronger among potential and less experienced cyclists. This suggests that investment in road lighting may be a cost-effective intervention to increase cycling and make it more inclusive. More empirical work is needed, including on the impact that lighting may have on different types of cyclists and cycling, the optimal lighting for cyclists, the cost-effectiveness of lighting interventions, and in developing countries and countries at extreme latitudes. There is also a need for research with higher geographic and temporal resolution, “before/after” approaches to explore changes over time, and accounting for other factors associated with cycling. Findings from the review of policy guidelines reveal that lighting in cycling infrastructure is increasingly being considered, not only for the safety of cyclists, but also to make utility cycling more appealing and accessible in the dark.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-272615ffb3d4430bbff0c3b1f7cd03332024-11-29T06:26:40ZengElsevierJournal of Cycling and Micromobility Research2950-10592024-12-012100008Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelinesEugeni Vidal-Tortosa0Robin Lovelace1Corresponding author.; Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, 34-40 University Road, Leeds, LS2 9JT, West Yorkshire, United KingdomInstitute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, 34-40 University Road, Leeds, LS2 9JT, West Yorkshire, United KingdomMany studies have explored the impact of macro and meso attributes of the built environment – such as population density, land use, proximity to services, and cycle infrastructure – on cycling. Less attention has been paid to micro attributes of the built environment. This paper reviews the academic literature on the relationship between road lighting and cycling, and identifies gaps to provide direction to future work. It also reviews policy guidelines on lighting and cycling infrastructure. Findings from the review of academic research show a clear positive effect of road lighting on cycling. The effect seems stronger among potential and less experienced cyclists. This suggests that investment in road lighting may be a cost-effective intervention to increase cycling and make it more inclusive. More empirical work is needed, including on the impact that lighting may have on different types of cyclists and cycling, the optimal lighting for cyclists, the cost-effectiveness of lighting interventions, and in developing countries and countries at extreme latitudes. There is also a need for research with higher geographic and temporal resolution, “before/after” approaches to explore changes over time, and accounting for other factors associated with cycling. Findings from the review of policy guidelines reveal that lighting in cycling infrastructure is increasingly being considered, not only for the safety of cyclists, but also to make utility cycling more appealing and accessible in the dark.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950105923000086CyclingBuilt environmentRoad lightingRoad safetyCrimeInclusivity
spellingShingle Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa
Robin Lovelace
Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research
Cycling
Built environment
Road lighting
Road safety
Crime
Inclusivity
title Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
title_full Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
title_fullStr Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
title_full_unstemmed Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
title_short Road lighting and cycling: A review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
title_sort road lighting and cycling a review of the academic literature and policy guidelines
topic Cycling
Built environment
Road lighting
Road safety
Crime
Inclusivity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950105923000086
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AT robinlovelace roadlightingandcyclingareviewoftheacademicliteratureandpolicyguidelines