# Analysis of Solutions Improving Safety of Cyclists in the Road Traffic
## 1 Introduction  
The popularity of the bicycle as a mode of transport has grown rapidly in the recent years, mainly in urban areas. This is undoubtedly a very positive trend towards the goal of sustainable mobility, as well as from the point of view of environmental protection and the increase of the air pollution (especially in urban areas) caused by other vehicles, congestion and limited access to parking spaces [1, 2]. Changing the way people travel--including the increasing shift from cars to bicycles--can also contribute to improving the overall health of the population [3]. Attention is also paid to the sociological aspect of using a bicycle, as the ease of travelling by this mode of transport and free interaction, which it facilitates, such as visiting shops or meeting other people, strengthens the sense of community, which is an important element influencing the integration of local communities [4]. It is pointed out, that one of the key factors stimulating cycling is the availability of cycle-friendly infrastructure, meaning such infrastructure which enables comfortable cycling in a safe and attractive traffic environment [1]. The available research shows that cyclists choose their route on the basis of certain preferences--cyclists avoid places perceived as highly dangerous, while they choose cycle paths if available [5]. In Poland, cyclists constitute a small group (2%) of the road traffic users as compared to, e.g., drivers of passenger cars, but their number is growing every year [6]. The infrastructure in the cities--constantly developed and adapted to the requirements of cycling--encourages more and more people to use bicycles. Due to the growing popularity of this mode of transport and the limitations in access to the public transport, which have recently been experienced in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the measuresto increase the safety of cyclists are becoming particularly important, as bicycle traffic is also threatened by possible accidents. When there is a road traffic incident involving cyclists, they are usually the most seriously injured. This is due to the fact that--like pedestrians, mopeds, and motorcyclists--they are not protected by the body of the vehicle. Most often, cyclists do not have additional elements of personal protection, e.g., a helmet or gloves that could save them from certain injuries or reduce their effects. The same applies to additional equipment to increase visibility--such as lights--which are most important outside of built-up areas after dark. Sometimes the infrastructure poses a hazard to cyclists--too high curbs, the lack of marked crossings for cyclists represents real traps. A completely new challenge for the safety of cyclists is also taking into account the occurrence of autonomous vehicles in the road traffic. Future automated vehicles will have to face the challenge of anticipating the intentions of other road users in order to plan their own behavior without compromising the safety and efficiency of the surrounding traffic [7]. It is connected with the necessity of appropriate programming of reactions of such vehicles to the presence of cyclists in terms of correct perception of cyclists' intentions on the road, as it happens in case of pedestrians [8]. It seems more justified to separate the cycling traffic from the car traffic and to transfer it to the infrastructure dedicated to this group of road users. In order to offer appropriate infrastructure to cyclists taking into account their route preferences, to carry out a systematic assessment of potential and existing routes and to provide cyclists with relevant information for route planning, data generated and collected by mobile phones, especially smart-phones, can now be used [9]. The large volume of available data and the technological tools to collect and analyze them can significantly help to assess the existing infrastructure dedicated to cyclists and to develop an action plan to extend and improve it.