Assessing cycling skills in Switzerland

Abstract

For many people, safety concerns are a major barrier to ride a bicycle. Indeed, cyclists bear a higher risk than most other types of road users. Improving cycling infrastructure is the most obvious and effective way to increase cycling safety. This paper sets out to identify skills required by cyclists to navigate safely through an urban environment in Switzerland. We set out to identify situations that might result in accidents and require specific competences. This research has shown that there is potential to further develop cyclists’ skills. Rather than focusing on motoric skills or presenting simple situations, we advise that skills should be trained based on more complex situations. These situations include turning, branching, maintaining distance from parked cars and recognising right of way in residential areas.