Impacts of a city-wide 30 km/h speed limit intervention on physical activity, child safety and social behaviours: a natural experimental study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Rates of bicycle helmet use in an affluent Michigan county: L. B. Jacques. Public Health Reports, 109(2), 296–301

Good practice is now reinforced by new legislation

There are a number of issues preventing the rollout of cargo bikes as a transportation mode in the United States. One concern that has been raised is whether cargo bikes can function as a gender equitable transportation solution in the United States, given documented gender gaps in national bike riding statistics and ongoing inequities in childcare in 2-parent heterosexual households. The research is aimed at reviewing the practicality, enjoyment, and outcome of cargo bike use as a gender equitable transportation solution. This research contributes to new knowledge in gender equitable transportation in 2 ways — a) gender-focused analysis of survey data regarding cargo bikes use; b) extended open-ended interviews with mothers with cargo bikes. Qualitative and quantitative data from surveys and interviews explore the influence of cargo bikes on transportation patterns and follow how behavior, attitude, spatial context, and perception varies between riders. Specific attention is given to the use of cargo bikes by women with children, as this demographic represents a minority group in the bicycle community and a group who could benefit most from the capabilities of a cargo bike design. Research shows, mothers spend more hours a day around their children and take part in more child-related activities. Therefore, the comfort and feasibility of the cargo bike for women with children becomes the topic of exploration to determine whether this mode type is a functional substitution for trips usually made by an automobile. Through the collection of a nation-wide survey of cargo bike riders and in-person interviews with mothers in San Luis Obispo, CA who currently use a cargo bike to transport their children and goods, the research assesses the travel patterns of women and the emotional and physical benefits cargo bikes can provide to this specific demographic. Results show that benefits of cargo bike use include boding opportunities with children and a more enjoyable commute, while barriers to use include ill-performing bicycle infrastructure and time allocation for trips made by the cargo bike, in comparison to the automobile. Mode substitution behavior from the automobile to the cargo bike is geographically and culturally specific, but as results from both parts of the study show, women are receptive to cargo bike use and demonstrate a powerful demographic that has the potential to influence the travel patterns of current and future commuters to shift away from automobile dependency.

Previous studies have assessed the attitudes of parents and children toward bicycle helmet ownership and use in various settings, but they have not addressed the role of parental rules in promoting bicycle helmet use by children. To further explore the attitudes of parents and children at pediatric practices toward bicycle helmet ownership and use by children and to assess the role of parental rules in promoting bicycle helmet use by children. One hundred sixty-nine 5- to 14-year-old children who owned bicycles and their parents were surveyed during well-child visits at 5 general pediatric practices in the Chicago, Ill, area. One hundred twenty-nine families were represented. Of the children, 60% were aged 5 to 9 years, and 50% were girls. Forty-eight children (28%) reported helmet ownership. Of the helmet owners, 21 (45%) reported helmet use; thus, the overall percentage of helmet use was 12%. Helmet ownership by children was significantly (P < .05) related to parental characteristics: educational level, race, perceived effectiveness of bicycle helmets, seat belt use, and parental helmet ownership. The most common reasons parents gave for lack of helmet ownership by children were "never thought about purchasing" a helmet (35%), "never got around to purchasing" a helmet (29%), "child wouldn't wear it anyway" (26%), and the bicycle helmet was "too expensive" (16%). Only 33% of the parents reported hearing about helmets from their children's pediatrician, but 40% of these parents regarded pediatricians as their most important information source. Of the children who did not own helmets, 64% said they would wear a bicycle helmet if they had one, a more frequent comment for 5- to 9-year-old children than 10- to 14-year-old children (76% vs 49%, P < .01). The most common reasons for not wearing a helmet among owners were as follows: forgot or lost it and not needed. The most common reasons for not wearing a helmet among nonowners were as follows: uncomfortable and appearance or perception of others. Children who owned helmets and whose parents had a strict rule about wearing helmets were more likely to always wear their helmets than helmet owners whose parents had a partial rule or no rule (88% vs 19%, P < .001). Parental rules are associated with bicycle helmet use by children. Pediatricians may increase helmet use rates by promoting strict parental helmet rules as part of their anticipatory guidance regarding bicycle safety. More research about the effectiveness of this strategy is needed.

Urban freight by motorized transport poses a threat to the sustainable development of modern city centers through extensive emissions of greenhouse gasses, contributing to congestion, and increasing the risk of traffic accidents. In addition, further densification of European city centers demands an effective use of urban areas. As urban planners are shifting their focus from automobiles to cyclists and pedestrians, the cargo bike has been used as an alternative to motorized vehicles for urban freight in several European cities. Flexible use of cargo bikes permits efficient delivery of goods in congested urban areas, with zero emissions. Cargo bikes are also becoming a part of the city logistics in northern countries like Norway, where they are prone to adverse weather conditions, low temperatures and roads covered with snow and ice. The Armadillo, a four-wheeled cargo bike from the Swedish company Velove, was used in Norway for its first winter in 2018/19. Based on the lack of research on how cargo bikes operate in northern climates and a hypothesis that cargo bikes operate with less efficiency on winter roads than in summer conditions, the two following research questions were formulated: 1. What challenges and obstacles are cargo bikes facing on winter roads? 2. How can we facilitate and ensure efficient operation of cargo bikes in northern climates? To answer these questions, two methodological approaches were applied. First, observations and GPS-tracking of a working cargo cyclist were performed on winter roads in Trondheim, Norway. Second, seven qualitative interviews were conducted among experienced cargo cyclists in several Norwegian cities. Calculated velocities for the observed cargo cyclist showed that the average velocity in general was 27.6% lower for winter trips than spring trips. The observations and the interviews show that even though snow, ice, slush and low temperatures reduces the cargo bikes efficiency, using cargo bikes for urban delivery on winter roads is fully feasible. The design of the Armadillo, sufficient clothing and good planning solves many of the challenges faced by cargo bikes on winter roads. In addition, a cargo bike with more durable parts, larger wheels and better illumination, as well as an increase in the amount of bicycle lanes, would further facilitate the efficient operation of cargo bikes in northern climates. The biggest challenge concerning the use of cargo bikes for urban delivery in northern countries, seems to be urban consolidation centers or micro depots as an essential prerequisite for effective operation. Such centers would also provide the cargo cyclists a warm place to take breaks and to load, charge and maintain the cargo bikes. The findings in this study are supposed to provide further knowledge for urban planners, municipalities, road owners and logistic companies on how to ensure efficient operation of cargo bikes on winter roads.

Purpose: In this mixed-methods natural experiment study, we evaluated the impact of a speed limit reduction policy (50 to 30 km/h) on physical activity (PA) outcomes in the city of Amsterdam. Methods: In Amsterdam, policy for a city-wide reduction to 30 km/h was implemented on December 8th, 2023. We conducted baseline (November 2023) and follow-up (November 2024) measurements in four intervention and two control sites, based on street-, neighbourhood- and SES-characteristics. We assessed PA and transport behaviour outcomes by inviting 9,679 households for the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and systematic street observations using an adapted version of Method for Observing pHysical Activity and Wellbeing (MOHAWk). The latter provided additional insight into safety outcomes related to children (e.g. supervision). Changes in PA outcomes between intervention and control groups were analysed using a multilevel linear or negative binomial difference-in-difference analyses (as appropriate). Results: In the survey, a total of 618 residents (&gt;18 years old) participated (55.1 ± 17.5 (standard deviation) years old). There were non-significant increases in self-reported leisure MVPA (97.53 min/week; 95% confidence interval (CI) = –1.09, 196.15), cycling for transport (94.97 min/week; 95% CI = –35.29, 225.23), walking for transport (75.05 min/week; 95% CI = –75.70, 225.80), walking for leisure (27.38 min/week; 95% CI = –62.09, 116.85). Similarly, there were non-significant decreases in self-reported time spent in a car (–35.65 min/week; 95% CI = –188.68, 117.39) and time spent sitting (–92.10 min/week; 95% CI = –556.50, 372.29). In street observations, we observed a total of 16,055 street users over 120 hours (47% adults, 23% children (&lt;12 years old)). We observed street users going up (all age groups) but particularly in children (inter-rater reliability (IRR) = 1.56; CI = 0.96, 2.53). Similar to the survey, we observed non-significant increases in walking among adults (IRR = 1.34; 95% CI = 0.72, 2.49). However, we did not observe a difference in cycling between intervention and control after the implementation of 30 km/h in adults (IRR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.69, 1.17). For children, we observed positive intervention effect on cycling (IRR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.20). Also, we observed somewhat higher numbers of children under supervision of an adult, although non-significant (IRR = 1.16; 95% CI = 0.89, 1.50). Conclusion: Preliminary findings from this study suggest that 30 km/h speed limits may encourage PA and reduce sedentary behaviour. Some trends indicate increases in PA behaviours and potential shifts from passive to active transport.

A46 Cargo Bikes as a Growth Area for Active Transportation

Author(s): Musabbir, Sarder Rafee; Zhang, Michael, PhD | Abstract: This project combined the statewide crash data (SWIRTS) and traffic data (PeMS) to develop statistical models to determine the safety impacts of alternative speed limits on California highways. The models examined whether various factors about crashes, including average traffic speed and truck-involvement, correlated with outcomes such as crash severity. The models were then used to test the impact of four alternative speed limit policies (B-E) on the predicted number of fatal crashes and unsafe-speed related crashes in urban and rural areas. The policies were: (A) Existing differential speed policy for cars (65 mph) and trucks (55 mph); (B) Raising the speed limit on interstates for trucks from 55 to 65 mph; (C) Raising the speed limit on interstates from 55 to 75 mph for trucks and 65 to 75 mph for cars; (D) Lowering the existing differential speed on interstates from 55 to 50mph for trucks and 65 to 60 mph for cars; (E) Raising the existing differential speed on interstates from 55 to 70 mph for trucks and 65 to 80 mph for cars. The policy analysis shows a difference in the predicted number of crashes (fatal, unsafe speed) in and between urban and rural areas. The percentage increase/decrease in predicted fatal crashes in rural areas is lower than urban areas across all policy alternatives.

Helmet Laws, Helmet Use, and Bicycle Ridership

Despite being a niche market, cargo bikes have significant potential to revolutionize urban mobility. Nevertheless, their adoption for personal use remains limited, with usage patterns concentrated among highly educated urban men aged 30–45 in German-speaking countries. This study aimed to explore potential user groups for cargo bikes and respective mobility services by applying an explorative segmentation approach. The research focused on understanding potential cargo bike users’ socio-demographic, socio-economic, and socio-spatial characteristics, along with their current mobility behaviors and attitudes. Therefore, an original survey of 1,511 participants was conducted across Austria, capturing various variables: travel behavior, mobility preferences, attitudes, and perceived barriers to cargo bike usage. The methodological approach involved CHAID and TwoStep cluster analysis. It resulted in the identification of six clusters with moderate quality, of which three can be interpreted as potential cargo bike user groups: (1) cargo bike-affine urban dwellers, (2) bike-affine best agers, and (3) younger multimodal urban dwellers with neutral-to-positive attitudes, offering potential to prevent car dependency. These groups show favourable conditions based on current mobility behavior and attitudes for cargo bike uptake, each group in different stages of the Stage Model of Self-Regulated Behavioural Change [Bamberg, Journal of Environmental Psychology 34, 2013]. Following behavioral change theories, encouraging cargo bike use will require a multi-level strategy addressing the specific needs of each stage, combining general awareness campaigns with targeted interventions. This study enhances the understanding of user segmentation and supports effective promotion of sustainable mobility]. Following behavioral change theories, encouraging cargo bike use will require a multi-level strategy addressing the specific needs of each stage, combining general awareness campaigns with targeted interventions. This study enhances the understanding of user segmentation and supports effective promotion of sustainable mobility.

Building on the success of e-bikes, sales of e-cargo bikes are rapidly increasing in several countries. Cargo bikes fill an important gap in the urban transport market by combining the advantages of cycling with the greater transport capacity of a family car. Whereas most research on cargo bikes has focused on logistics, this paper addresses their use for personal transport. It is based on a large-scale survey in Switzerland among both proprietary cargo bike owners (CBO) and users of cargo bike sharing (CBS) (N = 955). A principal component analysis finds 3 families of motivations for using cargo bikes: transporting children, staying active, and reducing car use. Based on these 3 components, we use hierarchical clustering to identify 4 user segments: cargo transporters, enthusiasts, multimodals, and sustainable parents. Our results suggest that owned and shared cargo bikes are complementary and have the potential to attract new audiences to cycling and reduce car use. They could become a central component in a low-carbon/post-car urban mobility strategy. However, user experiences indicate that lacking safety, road infrastructure and parking provisions remain barriers to wider cargo bike use. We conclude by proposing a future research agenda for cargo bike research.

Objective Child injury from bike accidents is a significant component of morbidity, mortality, and health expenditure in many countries. Universal use of helmets by children could prevent between 135 and 155 deaths, and between 39,000 and 45,000 head injuries annually. Surprisingly, epidemiologic data indicate a worldwide low prevalence of use. A global view on the law on the use of safety helmets involving 58 different is provided in order bring this critical debate back the table. Methods A broad search using bicycle-related bicycle helmet, bicycle legislation and compulsory law by countries was performed in order identify and select the most pertinent information on the issue as well as all the information available on law by countries. Results The papers identified permitted us assess the main topics related the use of helmets discussed over the years and that still relevant and without consensus even today, as well as alphabetically enlist the approach of 58 the law. Conclusions Our review on the many faces of the use (pros and cons), personal aspects, head injuries, legislation, promotion, socioeconomic influence, and finally a global view on the law on the use of safety helmets allowed us bring here many suggestions and a few conclusions, mainly that to or not helmet should not be a question anymore. A universal consensus on their use has be achieved in order improve children's safety.

The Impact of Cargo Bikes on the Travel Patterns of Women

To evaluate the effect of a state law on reported bicycle helmet ownership and use. Multistage cluster random-digit-dialing telephone survey. Georgia, June through November 1993. Adults who reported the behavior of bicyclists 4 through 15 years old. State law mandating helmet use after July 1, 1993, for all bicyclists aged younger than 16 years. Bicycle helmet ownership and use. Reported helmet ownership increased from 39% before the law took effect to 57% afterward (+ 46%, P = .06). Reported use increased from 33% before to 52% afterward (+ 58%, P < .05). About 7% of riders changed from "never-wearing" to "always-wearing" behavior. After the law took effect, in those households in which the law was known, 69% of riders owned and 64% used a helmet. By comparison, in those households in which the law was not known, only 30% owned and 25% used a helmet (P < .01). Reported ownership and use were 93% concordant, inversely related to rider age, and directly related to household income. Multivariable analysis indicated that race was an effect modifier of reported helmet ownership and use. In black riders, knowledge of the law appeared to be highly associated with both reported helmet ownership and use but was not significant in white riders. In white riders, though age and income were significantly associated with reported helmet ownership and use. This law appeared important in increasing reported helmet ownership and use, particularly in black riders. Since knowledge of the law was associated with increased ownership and use, additional publicity about the law might further increase helmet use. Because most riders who owned helmets used them, give-away programs targeting areas of low ownership may also increase use.

&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;In 1991, child safety seats prevented 185 deaths and 72,000 injuries in the U.S. They saved $3.5 billion, including $220 million in medical care costs. Universal child seat use would save another $2 billion annually, including $90 million in medical care costs. Each dollar spent on child seats saves $2 in medical care costs. Each dollar also saves $6 in other tangible expenses and preserves quality of life valued at more than $25. The return on seats was computed using a bulk purchase price. Attacking seat misuse makes economic sense for both auto insurers and private health insurers. Auto insurers also may find it cost-effective to subsidize child seatpurchases. Because use is so high among their policyholders, however, subsidizing child seats does not make economic sense for private health insurers.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;About 60% of child occupants age 0-4 who are Medicaid recipients travel unrestrained. Only 11 % of other children age 0-4 are similarly endangered. This difference occurs despite comparable safety belt use in these two populations. Public action is needed. Poverty should not deny children safety. Public action also is goodbusiness. Medicaidclaimscost savings would exceed the cost of providing convertible seats for all Medicaid babies. Reduced disability payments and emergency services demand would yield added benefits. This analysis uses a $38 seat cost, equal to the typical bulk purchase price plus 20% to cover local distribution and training on correct use.&lt;/div&gt;