5Cycling events#

5.1Types#

In comparison to walking or running events, participants in any cycling event are likely to be travelling at a faster pace. Cycling events are often designed to pass through a range of road environments, with varying road cross sections, speeds and property access arrangements. Some cycling events may have marshals, volunteers, spectators and support vehicles along the length of the route. The start and end of cycling events usually have the largest concentration of both cyclists and spectators, with a thinner spread of people in-between. As a result, risks may potentially be higher at the start and end as exposure to hazards is increased at those locations. For the purposes of these guidelines, cycling events have been broadly categorised as either road races or rides and tours.

5.1.1Road races#

Road races are typically held on sealed roads, with riders competing either as individuals or in teams. These types of events require cyclists to be given priority over general traffic (so as not to influence race outcomes) and riders competing in road races require the space to be able to overtake other cyclists. This may require special permission, and roads are sometimes temporarily closed for such events. In most cases, these events operate with rolling closures and traffic management at conflict points is provided to maintain unimpeded movement by competitors. Team-based events also require space to allow riders to travel in groups. Example types of road races include:

  • single-day races
  • time trials
  • stage races, and
  • triathlons.

5.1.2Rides and touring#

Organised bicycle rides and tours do not typically involve competition, but are held for recreational awareness or fundraising purposes. Courses for these events are likely to be held over a mixture of sealed roads and pathway facilities. Participants in these events can have a wide range of experience levels, from novice to competent. While some participants may be used to riding bicycles around traffic, they may be less experienced in riding with large groups of cyclists which, in some cases, can be a much higher risk than riding in general traffic conditions.

Examples of rides and tours held in Queensland include:

  • cycle challenges
  • fundraising rides, and
  • adventure tours.

5.2Risks#

While all forms of cycling (even on high quality off-road facilities) involve a degree of risk, cycling events introduce additional risks (or elevate existing risks) for riders. Specific risks associated with cycling events that may need to be considered include:

  • rider behaviour
  • inexperienced cyclists
  • compliance with road rules / risk taking when racing or in a group riding mindset
  • interaction with pedestrians on shared use paths
  • driver behaviour
  • courses with low driver expectation / awareness of cyclists
  • overtaking / impatience
  • environmental factors
  • vehicle speeds, dusk / dawn visibility, vehicle mix, shoulder conditions
  • pavement condition (including potholes, and edge breaks)
  • pinch points, crossing locations, verge and refuge space, and
  • street lighting, and
  • design factors
  • course routes that do not reflect normal demand / priority; for example, trying to cross from a side street.

Known and identified risks should be conveyed to participants in a timely manner prior to the event commencing. While the TMD would identify and mitigate the risks in preparing the TMP and TGS and pass this information onto the event organiser, the event organiser would be responsible for communicating these risks to the participants prior to the event.

5.3Specific considerations#

5.3.1Width#

Consideration should be given to the amount of space / width required to accommodate participants at cycling events. The space required may be greater in some parts of the event course, due to higher concentrations of participants (for example, at event start and finish) and due to terrain (for example, uphill sections, where inexperienced cyclists may struggle to keep their bicycle moving in a straight line). The minimum cyclist operating widths adopted for the design of cycling infrastructure may provide a starting point for the determination of space requirements (see Austroads' Guide to Road Design Part 6A Section 3.2.2). Cyclists travelling at higher speeds (in events with higher concentrations of participants) may require additional space as they may naturally tend to maintain a greater separation from adjacent or slower moving riders. Ride-style events are likely to attract participants with a wide range of abilities and speeds, which will require sufficient room for passing and to accommodate riders who walk their bikes up any steeper sections of the course.

5.3.2Temporary restrictions#

On-road cycling events may require the closure of roads or temporary changes to roadway operating conditions, such as:

  • temporary speed limits
  • delineation of roadway space for use by event participants
  • use of traffic control to provide priority to riders over general traffic at conflict points.

A process for reinstating general traffic conditions may be required (for example, by using UHF radio communications to relay information about the position of the last riders). For events where roads must be reopened, arrangements for sweep vehicles (also known as ‘broom wagons’) to pick up riders who fail meet cut-off times may be required.

Source: Event TM Design Guidelines · pages 49–51 Open PDF at this page Search this document