Bikeway network design model considering utilitarian and recreational bicycling in urban built-up areas

Abstract

Installing bikeways is an effective means to improve riding safety and the continuous usage intention of cyclists. This research proposes a bikeway network design model considering utilitarian and recreational cycling in urban built-up areas. In consideration of the concerns of bikers, other road users, and planners, the proposed model aims to maximize accessibility and comfort, and to minimize risk and impact. Model constraints are budget limits, connectivity among nodes and links, bikeway capacity limits, flow conservations of nodes, and value ranges of decision variables. Decisions of the model include determining which road links should be equipped with bikeways, what type of bikeway should be used, and how many lanes should be installed for a bikeway link. A case study in Taipei City, Taiwan is conducted to verify the model’s applicability and effectiveness. Therefore, the proposed model is a novel bikeway network design model that considers utilitarian and recreational cycling in urban built-up areas to simultaneously determine the optimum locations, types, and lane numbers of bikeways.