Measuring Delays for Bicycles at Signalized Intersections Using Smartphone GPS Tracking Data

Dominique Gillis,Angel J. Lopez,Sidharta Gautama,Dirk Lauwers,Casper Van Gheluwe,Ivana Semanjski

doi:10.3390/ijgi9030174

Abstract

The article describes an application of global positioning system (GPS) tracking data (floating bike data) for measuring delays for cyclists at signalized intersections. For selected intersections, we used trip data collected by smartphone tracking to calculate the average delay for cyclists by interpolation between GPS locations before and after the intersection. The outcomes were proven to be stable for different strategies in selecting the GPS locations used for calculation, although GPS locations too close to the intersection tended to lead to an underestimation of the delay. Therefore, the sample frequency of the GPS tracking data is an important parameter to ensure that suitable GPS locations are available before and after the intersection. The calculated delays are realistic values, compared to the theoretically expected values, which are often applied because of the lack of observed data. For some of the analyzed intersections, however, the calculated delays lay outside of the expected range, possibly because the statistics assumed a random arrival rate of cyclists. This condition may not be met when, for example, bicycles arrive in platoons because of an upstream intersection. This justifies that GPS-based delays can form a valuable addition to the theoretically expected values.

Highlights

Many cities look at bicycles as an alternative for cars for short or even medium distance trips in order to deal with the external effects of the car like traffic congestion, emissions, traffic noise, safety, etc
Excessive waiting times for cyclists may result in undesired behavior in terms of route choice [4,5,6] and red light running infringements [7,8,9]
Depending on the sampling frequency of the global positioning system (GPS) tracking, several measurement points may be available as a base for

Summary

Introduction

Many cities look at bicycles as an alternative for cars for short or even medium distance trips (up to 10 km for normal bikes, up to 20 km for electric bikes) in order to deal with the external effects of the car like traffic congestion, emissions, traffic noise, safety, etc. The impact of stops and delays during bicycle trips has been illustrated in various studies, showing the value of time for cyclists to be twice [2] or even three times [3] as high as the value of time on other modes. This can be explained by the greater effort involved with stopping and re-starting and the more hazardous and unattractive travelling conditions (e.g., sensitivity to weather conditions). Excessive waiting times for cyclists may result in undesired behavior in terms of route choice (avoidance of signalized intersections) [4,5,6] and red light running infringements [7,8,9]

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion