Is Safety Incorporated into the Flow of the ‘Bicycle Sanctuary’?—Insights from Cycle Ship Demonstration, Electric Bicycle Tourism, and the Shimanami Incident Involving Four Casualties

When the Flow Increases, Design Comes into Question

Bicycles crossing the Seto Inland Sea, weaving through islands, and touring castle towns—this autumn, a movement to expand bicycle tourism routes has emerged along the Seto Inland Sea coast, known as the ‘Bicycle Sanctuary.’ The demonstration operation of the Cycle Ship, which revives the Imabari-Onomichi route, and an electric bicycle tourism project developed in collaboration with high school students in Iwakuni City are both expected to enhance regional mobility and increase options for visitors.

However, during the same period, an accident occurred on the Shimanami Kaido, resulting in four casualties and leading to the prosecution of a man for dangerous driving causing death or injury. As the flow of routes expands vibrantly, who is designing the safety of those traversing them, and at what stage? By juxtaposing these three events, we can see the behind-the-scenes support that upholds the ‘sanctuary’ sign—specifically, the current state of safety mechanisms.

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Cycle Ship Demonstration—The Flow of the Sea Opens Up Mobility and What Should Be Embedded There

In the autumn of 2023, a demonstration operation of the Cycle Ship connecting Imabari City and Onomichi City began. This ship, which can carry bicycles directly, connects the two cities in about an hour and is scheduled to operate for a total of 16 days, primarily on weekends. The Shimanami Kaido stretches approximately 70 km. For cyclists limited by physical stamina or time who can only ride one way, the option to return by ship is significant. A ferry route once existed between Imabari and Onomichi but was discontinued in the 2000s. This demonstration aims to revive that route in the new context of ‘bicycle tourism.’

What is noteworthy is that this initiative goes beyond merely providing a means of transportation. The ports where the ships depart and arrive are surrounded by restaurants and accommodations, creating opportunities for visitors to spend time before and after boarding. In other words, the Cycle Ship is not only a means of ‘movement’ but also a device designed for ‘staying.’ This is why there are expectations for its ripple effects on the local economy.

However, an increase in flow means that the points where people and bicycles intersect also increase. The separation of pedestrian flows around the port, the handling of bicycles during boarding and disembarking, and route guidance for first-time visitors—how thoroughly these ‘connection points’ are designed will be questioned during the demonstration phase. The success of the demonstration project is often measured by the number of passengers and their satisfaction, but the most important data for full-scale operation should be the number of near-misses and records of congestion points along the routes.

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Iwakuni Electric Bicycle Tourism—The Subtle Yet Important Aspects of the Routes Designed by High School Students

In Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a collaboration between the city and local high school students is underway to develop a tourism route utilizing electric assist bicycles. The course, which takes visitors from around the Kintai Bridge to sites associated with Chiyo Uno, allows cyclists to overcome the hilly terrain of Iwakuni with electric assistance, enabling access to areas that were previously difficult to reach on foot or by bus.

The participation of high school students in tourism planning is meaningful for the community. They possess both the perspective of ‘outsiders’ and the local knowledge of ‘insiders.’ They know which roads are easy to ride and which intersections are dangerous. Information that may not be included in tourist brochures could be reflected in route design.

On the other hand, electric assist bicycles come with unique risks. Due to their ease of acceleration compared to regular bicycles, cases of inexperienced users riding at unexpectedly high speeds have been reported in various locations. According to a survey by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the number of accidents involving electric assist bicycles has been on the rise from 2018 to 2022, particularly highlighting a higher accident rate during rental use in tourist areas.

In the Iwakuni project, how much time and density are devoted to briefings during the rental process—covering brake responsiveness, assist level switching, and strict adherence to riding on the left—are crucial design elements that may not be immediately visible but are fundamentally important. Whether it is possible to incorporate ‘a moment to pause’ at the entrance of enjoyment will influence the sustainability of this project.

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Shimanami Kaido Incident Involving Four Casualties—What the ‘Sanctuary’ Sign Conceals

The accident on the Shimanami Kaido, which resulted in four casualties, led to the prosecution of a man for dangerous driving causing death or injury. According to reports, the accident occurred in a section where cars, pedestrians, and bicycles coexist.

The Shimanami Kaido is known both domestically and internationally as a ‘sanctuary for cyclists,’ having been selected as one of CNN’s ‘7 Most Amazing Cycling Routes in the World.’ The annual number of cycling users reaches approximately 300,000 (as of 2019, according to estimates from Hiroshima and Ehime Prefectures), and recovery post-COVID-19 has been swift. However, there is not a complete separation of bicycle lanes throughout the entire route. There are shared sections with motorbike lanes on bridge parts, and there are still areas on the islands where mixed traffic with cars cannot be avoided.

The term ‘sanctuary’ has the power to attract more visitors. However, if the design of the flow does not keep pace, that power can lead to concentrated risks. How many sections of the road that 300,000 people traverse each year have incomplete separation from cars? Are data on traffic volume and road width at the accident site publicly available? While the individual responsibility of the prosecuted person is questioned by the judiciary, the environment that led that individual to dangerous driving—poor visibility, road designs that encourage speeding, and lack of warning signs—must be examined as a structural issue.

Every time an accident occurs, the phrase ‘we need to improve safety awareness’ is repeated. However, safety that relies on awareness cannot be called a structure. Where, how much, and by when will we establish a structure that maintains safety without relying on awareness—physical separation barriers, chicanes to reduce speed, and highly visible road markings? That is the behind-the-scenes work that is commensurate with the ‘sanctuary’ sign.

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What Becomes Visible by Overlapping Three Movements—Can ‘Fun Flow’ and ‘Safety Flow’ Be Drawn Simultaneously?

The Cycle Ship opens up the flow of the sea, electric bicycles flatten the flow of hills, and the Shimanami Kaido connects islands with lines. The commonality among these three initiatives is the direction of ‘expanding the range that can be traversed by bicycle.’ This itself holds great potential for the region and hints at a future where the Seto Inland Sea becomes a tourist area as a ‘surface.’

However, as the flow expands, the responsibility for safety design becomes dispersed. The operators of the Cycle Ship, the rental businesses for electric bicycles, and the municipalities and national government managing the roads—all may be considering safety in their respective areas, but the user experience connects them as a single line. Disembarking from the ship, getting on a bicycle, crossing a bridge, riding on island roads, and entering the town. If the design is interrupted at any one point along that line, an accident can occur.

Here, the question should be whether those drawing the ‘fun flow’ and those drawing the ‘safety flow’ are sitting at the same table. Are traffic management officials present at tourism planning meetings? Are safety-related data included in the evaluation criteria for demonstration projects? When high school students design routes, do they receive feedback from road managers?

A structure is one that does not rely on individual attention. And that structure is created in places not highlighted in glamorous press releases.

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Future Points of Interest

• Evaluation Criteria for Cycle Ship Demonstration: Beyond just the number of passengers, how much data on pedestrian and bicycle interactions around the port and near-miss reports are collected and made public.
• Iwakuni Electric Bicycle Project’s Rental Process: The content and duration of briefings, and the response flow in case of accidents or troubles. To what extent can high school students be involved in safety design?
• Safety Data by Section on Shimanami Kaido: Identification of mixed traffic sections with cars and whether there are plans and budget measures for physical separation strategies. Are the results of investigations regarding the road environment at accident sites made public?
• Framework for Regional Collaboration: In the Seto Inland Sea bicycle tourism area that crosses prefectural borders, is there an entity responsible for sharing safety standards and accident data?

Drawing the flow is a hopeful task. However, ensuring that someone can safely traverse that line is a design task, built on a series of subtle arrangements. —I hope that the behind-the-scenes efforts continue so that the term ‘sanctuary’ remains beautiful in the memories of those who visit.