Abstract

Australasian researchers, practitioners, policy makers and community members are engaged in a global discussion on the role of cycling in addressing these concerns. Contributors to this book report on and extend this discussion as they explore the insights generated locally and internationally on the past, present and future of cycling. The focus of the first half of the book is largely on the current engagement with cycling, challenges faced by existing and would-be cyclists and the issues cycling might address. The second half of the book is concerned with strategies and processes of change. Contributors working from different ontological positions reflect on changing socio-spatial relations to enable the broadest possible participation in cycling.' Document type: Book

Abstract

Australasian researchers, practitioners, policy makers and community members are engaged in a global discussion on the role of cycling in addressing these concerns. Contributors to this book report on and extend this discussion as they explore the insights generated locally and internationally on the past, present and future of cycling. The focus of the first half of the book is largely on the current engagement with cycling, challenges faced by existing and would-be cyclists and the issues cycling might address. The second half of the book is concerned with strategies and processes of change. Contributors working from different ontological positions reflect on changing socio-spatial relations to enable the broadest possible participation in cycling.'

Abstract

Veränderungen auf Deutschlands Straßen sind überfällig, doch die Entwicklung stagniert: Die Zahl der privaten Autos mit Verbrennungsmotoren wächst, die Luftqualität leidet, öffentliche Plätze sind primär Verkehrsflächen – von einer Verkehrswende keine Spur. In den großen Städten aber bahnt sich ein Wechsel in der Einstellung und im Verhalten an: Immer mehr Menschen nutzen nicht mehr nur das Auto, sondern kombinieren das Rad mit Bussen und Bahnen oder nutzen Bike- oder Carsharing. Unterstützt wird diese Tendenz durch digitale Plattformen, die das Kombinieren unterschiedlicher Verkehrsmittel so einfach machen wie die Nutzung eines eigenen Pkw. Mit dem Smartphone in der Hand werden die städtischen Verkehrsmittel zu einem riesigen Fuhrpark, bei immer mehr Menschen lösen sich damit die Bindungen an ein privates Verkehrsmittel langsam auf. Damit könnte auch die Zahl der Fahrzeuge drastisch sinken, das wiederum lässt die flächendeckende Einführung von Elektrofahrzeugen zu. Werden diese darüber hinaus – wie es selbstverständlich sein sollte – mit erneuerbaren Energien betrieben, wäre die Energie- und Verkehrswende auf einem guten Weg. Doch obwohl die technischen Möglichkeiten vorhanden sind und die Präferenzen der städtischen Bevölkerung eine solche multimodale Verkehrspraxis ermöglichen, blockiert die herrschende Verkehrsordnung viele Innovationen. Der rechtliche Rahmen bleibt bislang in hohem Maße auf das private Verbrennungsauto fixiert. Die Einführung von Experimentierklauseln mit erweiterten Beteiligungsverfahren könnte dies ändern.

Abstract

"jats:p"Environmental pollution in cities is an increasingly popular issue tackled in research. One of the elements with a significant impact on the state of urban ecosystems is transport with its pressure on individual components of the environment. Sustainable urban transport is gaining prominence as a postulate expressed in cities’ strategic documents, constituting an element alleviating the negative effects of anthropopressure. In the light of the need to introduce innovative solutions for clean forms of transport, numerous papers indicate the bicycle as an answer to some of those problems. The article presents a review of literature referring to the socio-economic aspects of using the bicycle in cities as a means of transport for daily commuting. The analysis is based on publications on cyclist safety in road traffic, the perception of the bicycle as a means of transport in cities, and the introduction of innovative solutions, such as bicycle-sharing systems. Document type: Article

Abstract

Mobility is one of the most important and challenging aspects that influence climate change, air quality, and especially the quality of citizens&rsquo lives. Therefore, creating sustainable transport solutions makes way for different modes of transport such as the bicycle, which is continuously gaining more supporters, due to the health, economic, and environmental benefits that it provides. However, cyclists are facing several barriers (e.g., lack of infrastructure), a fact that keeps away commuters from using a bicycle for their daily trips. Investigating the factors that reflect on the commuters&rsquo intention to use a bicycle is a sine qua non for the promotion of sustainable mobility. Therefore, the objective of this paper is the investigation of the factors that prevent residents with low experience or with no cultural/lifestyle background in regards to cycling from cycling. The case study of the city of Larnaca (Cyprus) is deployed by exploring the socio-demographic and trip characteristics of the city&rsquo s residents and their relation with the intention to cycle. A two-step approach is developed, namely Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Despite the promotion of cycling that education is attempting to do (successfully), other factors (such as age, distance, and time) appear to prevent Larnaca&rsquo s residents from cycling. Among the actions that local authorities should undertake is that of safety prevention of the vulnerable users of the road network. This group includes elderly people, who need major encouraging interventions by local policymakers and stakeholders. Document type: Article

Abstract

The daily commute is still the main source of traffic congestion. Despite transport research emphasis on commuters, the work end of home to work travel receives less attention. However, employers influence the commute behaviour of employees in different ways. The Belgian database Home-to-Work-Traffic (HTWT) contains information on accessibility, work regimes and mobility management initiatives of 7460 worksites of large employers in Belgium. In a spatial multilevel regression model both contextual and worksite factors are incorporated to investigate the share of cycling employees. While controlling for different economic, physical and other factors, the provision of bicycles by the employer seems to be successful, while the effect of bicycle facilities is less clear, partly due to the fact that bicycle facilities are more popular in less cycle-friendly areas. Het dagelijkse pendelverkeer is nog steeds de voornaamste bron van verkeerscongestie. Ondanks de nadruk die transportonderzoek legt op dit pendelverkeer, blijft de werkkant van het woon-werkverkeer onderbelicht. Nochtans beïnvloeden werkgevers het pendelgedrag van hun werknemers op verschillende manieren. De Belgische databank woon-werkverkeer bevat informatie over de bereikbaarheid, de arbeidstijden en mobility management maatregelen van 7460 werklocaties van grote werkgevers gevestigd in België. In een ruimtelijk multilevel regressiemodel zijn zowel omgevings- als werklocatiefactoren opgenomen om het aandeel fietsende werknemers te verklaren. Rekening houdend met economische, fysische en andere factoren, lijkt het actief aanbieden van fietsen door de werkgever een succesvolle maatregel, terwijl het effect van de klassieke fietsvoorzieningen minder duidelijk is, onder meer omdat deze vooral terug te vinden zijn in minder fietsvriendelijke gebieden.

Abstract

This paper evaluated in an integrated manner the traffic performance, pollutant emissions and road conflicts between bicycles and motor vehicles at a signalized intersection. Two alternative scenarios were examined: (i) Bicycles increment and motor vehicles replacement within the cycle-fixed traffic signal; (ii) Replacing the existing traffic control by a conventional two-lane roundabout and evaluating the impacts of bicycles increment. For each scenario, bicycle demand was varied from 9 to 270 bicycles per hour. Traffic flow and vehicle dynamic data were collected from a three-leg signalized intersection in Aveiro, Portugal. The microscopic traffic model (VISSIM) paired with an emission (Vehicle Specific Power – VSP) methodology and safety (Surrogate Safety Assessment Methodology – SSAM) model were used to assess intersection-specific operations. The Fast Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was used to find the optimal bicycle demands. The results showed that two-lane roundabout outperformed the existing traffic control, namely in highest bicycle demand scenario (number of stops and travel time reduced in 78% and 14%, respectively; CO2, NOX, and HC decreased 9%, 7%, and 12%, respectively). It was also found that the number of conflicts was significantly reduced (-49%) with this latter layout even in maximum bicycle demand scenario (270 bicycles per hour). However, roundabout layout lead to more severe conflicts and potential crashes. The analysis showed that bicycle demands of 75, 95 and 110 bicycles per hour delivered good environmental and safety outcomes for the intersection. published Document type: Article

Abstract

Several cities around the world are facing mobility related problems such as traffic congestion and air pollution. Although limited individually, the combination of bicycle and transit offers speed and accessibility that can compete with automobiles by complementing each other's characteristics. Recognising the potential benefits with regard to accessibility, health, and sustainability, several studies have investigated policies that encourage integration of these modes. However, the actual users and trips of the combined bicycle and transit mode have not been extensively studied empirically. This study addresses this gap by (i) reviewing empirical findings on related modes, (ii) deriving user and trip characteristics of the combined bicycle and transit mode in the Netherlands, and (iii) applying latent class cluster analysis to discover prototypical users based on their socio-demographic attributes. Most trips by this combined mode are found to be for relatively long commutes where transit is in the form of trains, and bicycle and walking are access and egress modes respectively. Furthermore, seven user groups are identified and their travel behaviour is discussed. Transport authorities may use these empirical results to further streamline integration of bicycle and transit for its largest users as well as to tailor policies to attract more travellers.

Abstract

Evaluating potential of shifting to low-carbon transport modes requires considering limited travel-time budget of travelers. Despite previous studies focusing on time-relevant modal shift, there is a lack of integrated and transferable computational frameworks, which would use emerging smartphone-based high-resolution longitudinal travel datasets. This research explains and illustrates a computational framework for this purpose. The proposed framework compares observed trips with computed alternative trips and estimates the extent to which alternatives could reduce carbon emission without a significant increase in travel time.. The framework estimates potential of substituting observed car and public-transport trips with lower-carbon modes, evaluating parameters per individual traveler as well as for the whole city, from a set of temporal and spatial viewpoints. The illustrated parameters include the size and distribution of modal shifts, emission savings, and increased active-travel growth, as clustered by target mode, departure time, trip distance, and spatial coverage throughout the city. Parameters are also evaluated based on the frequently repeated trips. We evaluate usefulness of the method by analyzing door-to-door trips of a few hundred travelers, collected from smartphone traces in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland, during several months. The experiment’s preliminary results show that, for instance, on average, 20% of frequent car trips of each traveler have a low-carbon alternative, and if the preferred alternatives are chosen, about 8% of the carbon emissions could be saved. In addition, it is seen that the spatial potential of bike as an alternative is much more sporadic throughout the city compared to that of bus, which has relatively more trips from/to city center. With few changes, the method would be applicable to other cities, bringing possibly different quantitative results. In particular, having more thorough data from large number of participants could provide implications for transportation researchers and planners to identify groups or areas for promoting mode shift. Finally, we discuss the limitations and lessons learned, highlighting future research directions. Document type: Article