Characteristics of bicycle travel in Japan and the basic concept of the Bicycle Travel Space Development Guideline

In 2012, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the National Police Agency (NPA) issued the “Guideline for the Creation of Safe and Comfortable Bicycle Use Environments in Japan” to road managers and to prefectural police in charge of road traffic administration in their respective jurisdiction. The Guideline was prepared jointly by MLIT and NPA based on the results of surveys and research by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM), and presented concepts to guide the creation of environments for using bicycles throughout Japan in the future. This paper explains the characteristics of bicycle travel in Japan and presents an outline and the concepts of Japanese bicycle guidelines, which state principles for the provision of road space to allow bicycles to travel safely and comfortably on roads. The Guideline is divided into four chapters: Planning, Design, Compliance with Rules, and Overall Initiatives, and the concepts and points of the Guideline especially “Planning” are outlined in this paper. The “Planning” chapter presents planning and preparation procedures, and detailed methods for studying the creation of a bicycle network plan, in order to effectively create efficient spaces for traveling by bicycle. The “Design” chapter outlines precautions when designing bicycle traveling spaces for uninterrupted roads and for intersections.