The idea of 'safety in numbers' for cyclists has been questioned since it was first mooted two decades ago.
Now a three-year study of cycling safety in the city of Oslo, Norway, confirms it is not simply an attractive theory but is actually true – more cyclists equals safer cycling.
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"Cycling advocates have long believed in safety in numbers but the important thing has been to understand what is really going on," Dr Aslak Fyhri, senior research psychologist and lead author of the 72-page report, tells BikeRadar.
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Dr. Fyhri's team surveyed road users and analysed hours of traffic video from Oslo. They wanted to see if the number of dangerous events changed when the numbers of cyclists increased significantly between April and September.
Fewer near-misses and more bike awareness in the summer months
The results are convincing, he says. Car drivers say they become more aware of cyclists and, as the summer months pass, so do pedestrians. Near-misses fall from April to June and video analysis shows conflicts between cars and bicycles decrease between June and September.
… but also an influx of inexperienced cyclists
Infrastructure issues also very important
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