Abstract

The mixed traffic (the traffic made up of bicycles and automobiles) is widely spread in Chinese cities. It is also greatly responsible for major traffic problems, such as the conflicts, low efficiency and safety problems. These problems are most evident at street intersections. However, they have never been investigated in Chinese cities. Therefore, it is the mixed traffic at intersections that requires detailed study. To predict types of transportation mode in Chinese cities, an investigation in Shanghai was performed. It is found that within a certain distance range, cycling is more efficient than other modes and it will still remain in future urban traffic system of China. Then, mixed traffic would require a new strategy of management. The mixed traffic conflict situation was studied in two major intersections of Chinese cities by analyzing digital video. The research showed that for constant number of automobile, the crossing time for mixed traffic increases with number of bicycles following a logarithmic equation. The crossing time of the mixed traffics with constant number of bicycle increases with number of automobiles following an exponential equation. The suggestions of traffic management strategies and intersection design are presented. It is anticipated that the new management strategies that consider severely the bicycle component can decrease the traffic impact on environment.