Caracterización y análisis de los biciusuarios y su comportamiento en intersecciones viales de la ciudad de Bogotá

Abstract

The increasing popularity of bicycles as a sustainable mode of transportation in Bogotá, supported by an extensive network of bike lanes, contrasts with the alarming accident rates involving cyclists. According to the 2022 Bogotá Road Accident Annual Report, prepared by the Bogotá District Mobility Secretariat, the Colombian capital leads the national rankings in traffic accidents, and cyclists account for a significant proportion of the victims. The high frequency of accidents, with an average of one accident every 3 hours and 47 minutes, and an average of 6 cyclists injured daily, highlights the urgent need to address this problem. The Annual Report data reveals that 40% of accidents involving cyclists occur at signalized intersections, and that the human factor, such as lack of attention or non-compliance with traffic signs, is present in 60% of cases. This research is justified by the need to deeply understand the factors that may affect the safety of road users at intersections with bike lanes. By characterizing the behavior of cyclists at 5 strategically selected bike lane intersections in Bogotá, aiming to study the northern zone of the city where the intersection of KR 98 B with CL 145 was chosen, the central zone with the intersections of KR 7 with CL 39, KR 7 with CL 45, and KR 7 with CL 92, and the southern zone with the intersection of CL 51 SUR with CR 89 B, and taking into account that these are areas where the District Mobility Secretariat reported high accident rates, the objective is to identify and understand those elements and behaviors that generate conflicts and endanger road safety. Fieldwork was carried out at the study sites with the support of video recording tools and surveys in order to record information about bike lane users, quantifying and characterizing the behaviors of cyclists that may in some way affect the normal movement of other people who interact at a given moment at the intersection (pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles, electric scooter users, among others). Some of the observed behaviors were running red lights, passing at intersections, invading pedestrian crossings, and prohibited turns made by cyclists. The data found was analyzed statistically, and the PTV Vissim 2024 software was used for the graphical representation of the elements of each intersection.