Abstract
Interest towards urban micromobility has been growing lately, and it will now increase further due to the measures used against COVID-19. It is recommended to avoid close contact to prevent contagion. Municipalities have been called to implement wider cycling networks so that people may go to their work place by cycling rather than by using public transport. This paper focused on cycling path design using an infrastructure-building information model (I-BIM). The issue covered was how to connect cost and safety requirements in the first steps of the project. We set a methodology that gives, after identifying the intervention area and defining the available economic resources, the key elements needed to design possible cycle path solutions. It guides the designer step-by-step, starting from basic assumptions related to a cycle path’s location (urban/non-urban), budget (by range), and safety (according to Bicycle Compatibility Index BCI and Bicycle Level of Service (BLOS) index), up to the definition of preferred options in terms of materials to be selected. As a case study, we implemented this methodology in the old city center of Catania in Sicily (Italy), designing a cycle path that connects the city center with the existing cycle path on the coast, while aligning with safety requirements within budget constraints.
Highlights
The COVID-19 emergency has resulted in measures restricting people’s movement, and almost completely blocking transport systems and urban mobility
We provide, as a non exhaustive example of implementation of the methodology introduced in the thetChpaeWtraepbpneWserreeicepasaneseruetpnobsntepvret,opciaddpavapeupiaeesde,psprereae,i,tsraeaa,dacsiatcaesnaasscgesopnaeensisootteegnusetrdxsuaeiythtpxdushahrdyeiuagcfyuesarertlesorriatfevigiennfvererdgaerreptidreoxnihexnagmaiagmcsmoatiotgptlopurlaaaaleaeptnioshodosifiniftctuiudiwsmmaiaezhtpmtepiiio,cloloehienntmgmidrswwoeeawennphhsitthiidaanccieththociiltoyoiishnsnssiapzowvowerefef,iiatdatdhidnheteeleielyndymffimoIsctesepaeitpeslthrynhreo.tenaodWasodduodteoslitonclhiaohngianoIgyvtaIsyaetebilanliyCelnat.yranuto.WtrradobWeneudafinfaecuciechccdieoehdsnionetsine Castaunstiaainbaebclaeuusreb,andemspobitielityitssygsteeomgr. aCpahtaicnaial ManedtrodpeomlitoagnrCapithyiics tshizees,eciot nddoleasrgnesottcihtyavine Saicnilye,ffaifctieernt sustainable urban mobility system
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to control the movements of individuals and of urban transport; technological innovations such as APPs for smartphones and tablets based on geo-localization have been developed
Summary
The COVID-19 emergency has resulted in measures restricting people’s movement, and almost completely blocking transport systems and urban mobility. The WHO (World Health Organization 2020) encouraged people to use bicycles or to walk under these circumstances It confirmed that doing so would lead to physical distance being kept while the minimum requirement for daily physical activity can still be met, which can otherwise be more difficult due to increased teleworking and limited access to sports and other recreational activities during the COVID-19 emergency. Governments are expected to pay increasing attention to this mobility issue, and are trying to implement policies that favor sustainable mobility by using funds to promote the upgrading or the design of cycle paths Another big challenge for policymakers is to provide an appropriate public transport service that is able to match consumer demand through a constant monitoring of people’s mobility by using apps [3]. Little research has been carried out regarding its implementation in the phase that precedes the project, which would meet the need to compare different project ideas, including alternatives that are still in an embryonic phase
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