Bicycle food delivery riders: An emerging road and work safety issue

The aims of this research project are:

1. to better understand factors influencing the safety of bicycle food delivery riders (BFDRs) and other road users they interact with.
2. to provide guidance to road safety agencies and industry for programs to improve BFDR-related safety.

Bicycle food delivery riders (BFDRs) are one of the newest and fastest growing cohorts of riders. App-based home delivery of meals was already growing but has boomed under COVID-19 conditions and this trend is expected to continue beyond the current crisis. The total number of bicycle food delivery riders is not known, but Deliveroo Australia alone reported over 6,500 riders in February 2019, an increase of more than 50% from the previous 12 months. There has been little research focused on the riding patterns of Australian BFDRs and the road safety risk to them, pedestrians and other riders. This project aims to contribute to reducing road trauma by conducting cutting-edge research in this new niche area.