Identifying the nonlinear relationship between free-floating bike sharing usage and built environment

Abstract

A free-floating bike sharing system is an up-and-coming and marketable solution to promote transport flexibility and health benefits, which many people regard as a realistic way of generating more environmentally-friendly trips. Although many studies have investigated the associations between bike sharing usage and built environment, the existing literature has limited evidence about the relative importance of different built environment elements and their threshold impacts on cycling trips. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a modeling framework to explore the nonlinear impacts of built environment on bike sharing demand. A case study is conducted using Mobike bike sharing data in Chengdu. The analytical results indicate that population density and employment density are the two most significant factors that influence bike sharing usage. Total effects of land use variables rank the highest, followed by accessibility variables and transport facility variables. We then analyze the nonlinear impacts of different built environment elements on bike sharing usage to identify their effective ranges and threshold effects. These findings are important for planning departments to boost the share of non-motorized trips and embrace a cyclist-friendly design.