Understanding Factors Affecting Frequency of Traffic Conflicts between Electric Bicycles and Motorized Vehicles at Signalized Intersections

The primary objective of this study was to identify factors influencing traffic conflicts between electric bicycles and motorized vehicles at signalized intersections. Data were collected at 20 sites in the Kunming area in China. Three predominant types of traffic conflicts, which accounted for more than 75% of the total conflicts at the selected sites, were identified. Conflict models were developed to relate the frequency of traffic conflicts to various explanatory variables. Three types of models were compared: the fixed-effect, the random-effect, and the random-parameter generalized linear regression models. It was found that the random-parameter models provided the best goodness of fit to field data. With analysis of the elasticity of the explanatory variables, it was concluded that motorized vehicles played a more important role in conflict occurrences at signalized intersections than did two-wheeled vehicles. The presence of scooter-style electric bicycles had a considerably negative influence on the safety of signalized intersections, whereas the presence of bicycle-style electric bicycles had a minor effect. The current traffic channelization and barrier between motorized vehicles and bicycle lanes significantly reduce traffic conflicts between two-wheeled and motorized vehicles at signalized intersections.