This paper introduces a framework for modelling the cyclist's comfort zone. Unlike the driver's comfort zone, little is known about the cyclist's. The framework draws on existing literature in cognitive science about driver behaviour to explain experimental results from cycling field trials, and the modelling of these results. We modelled braking and steering manoeuvres from field data of cyclists’ obstacle avoidance within their comfort zone. Results show that when cyclists avoided obstacles by braking, they kept a constant deceleration; as speed increased, they started to brake earlier, farther from the obstacle, maintaining an almost constant time to collision. When cyclists avoided obstacles by steering, they maintained a constant distance from the object, independent of speed. Overall, the higher the speed, the more the steering manoeuvres were temporally delayed compared to braking manoeuvres. We discuss these results and other similarities between cyclist and driver behaviour during obstacle avoidance. Implications for the design of acceptable active safety and infrastructure design are also addressed.@en

Recent years have seen an increase in cycling as a transport mode in urban centers. This has spurred an interest in the use of bicycle simulators to study cyclist behavior [1, 2, 3, 4]. However, few implement a model based approach that couples the bicycle roll and steer in a realistic manner [5]. Balancing is a key task in cycling and we aimed to develop a simulator that allows us to study the effect of balance on the rider’s higher level cognitive decisions.@en