Topography, accessibility, and the built environment: Explaining spatial patterns of bicycle theft

Cities worldwide are promoting bicycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. However, bicycle theft remains a significant deterrent for potential riders, and also influences the behaviors of existing cyclists. Understanding the impact of theft on bicycling behaviors provides a foundation for developing strategies to address the negative impacts of bicycle theft. Our goal is to characterize if and how bicycle theft changes individual bicycling behavior. We gathered responses from 1821 individuals in a survey focused on bicycle theft in North America. We employed bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression models to explore the relationships between demographic factors, bicycle attributes, and pre-theft behavior to explain post-theft bicycling behavior. The results show that 45% of survey respondents reduced or ceased bicycling post-theft, while 6% increased their bicycling. Additionally, 40% transitioned from bicycling to unsustainable modes of transportation for their post-theft trips. Also, 69% of people eventually replaced their stolen bicycles, of which 46% selected models of equal/higher value. Pre-theft bicycling activity emerged as the most influential factor on ridership behavior after a bicycle theft, with occasional riders experiencing the most negative impact, compared to frequent riders, who remained committed to bicycling. Recovery of the stolen bicycles, e-bicycle usage, number of bicycles owned, and income levels were also predictors of future bicycling patterns. The insights from this research can inform targeted interventions for populations most at risk to reduce the negative impact of bicycle theft, such as secure parking for new and low-income bicyclists.

Currently, bicycle theft often goes unnoticed and is largely unchallenged, negatively impacting the use of this sustainable transportation mode. The present research brings attention to this issue by analyzing the multifaceted problem of bicycle theft in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A bilingual online bicycle theft survey was designed for this purpose and answered by 2,039 Greater Montreal residents, yielding 1,922 usable responses. This paper tries to understand bicycle theft by answering the questions who, what, where, how, and when. Findings from this study are useful to better understand and ultimately decrease bicycle theft in Montreal, but can also be beneficial for cyclists, police, and policy makers in other cities aiming to decrease bicycle theft.

A total of 3,378 bike-share stations operate in 104 U.S cities. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS’) Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (IPCD) provides the locations of U.S. bike-share stations and their connectivity levels to scheduled public passenger transportation modes. Of the 3,378 bike-share stations, 77.0 percent (2,600) connect to another scheduled public transportation mode within 1 block. These connections extend the transportation network by offering a means for reaching places with scheduled public transportation and a means for reaching destinations not served by scheduled public transportation. Transit bus is the most typical connection, with 74.9 percent (2531) of bike-share stations located a block or less from a transit bus stop. This document also looks at bike-share stations' connectivity to commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, and transit ferry.

India’s transport sector is large and diverse; it caters to a huge population. Urban mobility is becoming more diverse day by day, we have different means of transportation to commute from one place to another. There are majorly three modes of mobility that are used: the roads, the side walkways and in some cities, there are bicycle lanes for transportation. Bicycle was once a major mode of transportation, being more economical. Cycle transportation has been a success in many cities like Copenhagen making them cleaner, greener and more social cities. This sustainable mode of transportation can only be used for a short distance but comes with many social-economical and personal advantages like better and healthy lifestyle, reduction in use of fuel and harmful gas emissions causing environmental issues. Many cities in India have come up with bicycle infrastructure in the past and many other cities are planning to bring it. Studying different case studies and research papers, analyzing that data both national and international gives us an overview of where India stands in scene to adopt sustainable and active modes of transportation. These studies will help to know what kind of infrastructure is used around the globe for bicycle transportation and in what manner we can use infrastructure and policies to promote bicycle culture in India. Our research paper reflects the current issues and potentials for the country and predict how likely it is ready to adopt successfully this green mode of transportation.

BackgroundPrevious research showed differences in the exposure to risk from using different modes of transport and that modal choice can significantly impact road safety outcomes. Though, a modal shift to a safer mode is not commonly discussed as part of road safety strategies.AimThis study aimed to explore the perspectives of transport policymakers about the role of safety in modal choice and if it can be one of the main factors for modal choice and shift.MethodSeven semi-structured interviews were conducted with transport experts from government (n = 5) and private (n = 2) organisations in the state of Victoria. Interview transcripts were analysed using a thematic approach to identify the key perspectives of the experts.ResultsOverall, the analyses indicated uncertainty of the ability to use safety in modal choice as a road safety strategy and identified two main issues; 1) the perceived limited role that safety plays in people’s modal choice, and 2) that safety is perceived to be a barrier to modal choice and modal shift towards public and active travel. Experts suggested that when considering transport modes other factors such as convenience, availability, speed, cost, trip purpose and income are more influential than safety in modal choice. They also suggested that safety might play a role within the chosen mode, but not in choosing between modes, such as considering safety features when purchasing a car after deciding to drive a car. It was also stated that safety could act as a barrier preventing people from choosing sustainable transport modes of public transport and active travel.ConclusionsTheoretically, it is argued that safety and mobility cannot be traded against each other, and that mobility becomes a function of safety, not vice-versa. However, our findings indicated that the transport experts did not believe that safety is the main factor in the modal choice process. Transport experts believed users choose their mode of transport mainly to achieve mobility benefits without necessarily considering how safe is their choice as a differentiator factor. While the shift to a safer mode of transport would help improve road safety outcomes, further investigations are needed to inform how can we influence the consideration of safety as the main factor in modal choice and removing barriers to using the relatively safest available mode of transport.

Previous research showed differences in the exposure to risk from using different modes of transport and that modal choice can significantly impact road safety outcomes. Though, a modal shift to a safer mode is not commonly discussed as part of road safety strategies. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of transport policymakers about the role of safety in modal choice and if it can be one of the main factors for modal choice and shift. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with transport experts from government (n = 5) and private (n = 2) organisations in the state of Victoria. Interview transcripts were analysed using a thematic approach to identify the key perspectives of the experts. Overall, the analyses indicated uncertainty of the ability to use safety in modal choice as a road safety strategy and identified two main issues; 1) the perceived limited role that safety plays in people's modal choice, and 2) that safety is perceived to be a barrier to modal choice and modal shift towards public and active travel. Experts suggested that when considering transport modes other factors such as convenience, availability, speed, cost, trip purpose and income are more influential than safety in modal choice. They also suggested that safety might play a role within the chosen mode, but not in choosing between modes, such as considering safety features when purchasing a car after deciding to drive a car. It was also stated that safety could act as a barrier preventing people from choosing sustainable transport modes of public transport and active travel. Theoretically, it is argued that safety and mobility cannot be traded against each other, and that mobility becomes a function of safety, not vice-versa. However, our findings indicated that the transport experts did not believe that safety is the main factor in the modal choice process. Transport experts believed users choose their mode of transport mainly to achieve mobility benefits without necessarily considering how safe is their choice as a differentiator factor. While the shift to a safer mode of transport would help improve road safety outcomes, further investigations are needed to inform how can we influence the consideration of safety as the main factor in modal choice and removing barriers to using the relatively safest available mode of transport.

The inappropriate parking of free-floating shared bikes is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to realize the potential environmental, socioeconomic, and health benefits of this emerging green mode of transport. To address this challenge, this paper developes a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework for geo-fence planning of dockless bike-sharing systems based on openly accessible data. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the VIKOR (VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) method are applied in the proposed framework to derive optimal geo-fence locations. The proposed framework is validated in a case study using a dataset of dockless bike-sharing trips from February 2020 in the City of Zurich and comparing the selected geo-fence locations with the existing bike-sharing stations. The assessment results show that the calculated geo-fence locations have a smaller average distance of 1395 m than that of 1692 m, and a larger demand coverage of 81% than that of 77% for bike-sharing stations. Overall, the proposed framework and the insights from the case study can help transport planners better implement shared micro-mobility hence facilitating the uptake of this sustainable mode of urban transport.

Bicycle parking security and built environments

The carbon footprint, which measures greenhouse gas emissions, is a good environmental indicator for choosing the best sustainable mode of transportation. The available emission factors depend heavily on the calculation methodology and are hardly comparable. The minimum and maximum scenarios are one way of making the results comparable. The best sustainable passenger transport modes between Rijeka and Split were investigated and compared by calculating the minimum and maximum available emission factors. The study aims to select the best sustainable mode of transport on the chosen route and to support the decision-making process regarding the electrification of the Lika railroad, which partially connects the two cities. In the minimum scenario, ferry transport without vehicles was the best choice when the transportation time factor was not relevant, and electric rail transport when it was. In the maximum scenario, the electric train and the ferry with vehicles were equally good choices. Road transportation between cities was not competitive at all. The comparison of the carbon footprint based on minimum and maximum scenarios gives a clear insight into the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in passenger transport. It supports the electrification of the Lika railroad as the best sustainable transport solution on the route studied.

Cities today face many urban challenges related to high population density. Transportation is one such challenge that results in problems of congestion and pollution, especially with burgeoning private car usage. Cycling is one among the foremost sustainable modes of transportation. The average trip length in Indian cities is convenient for cycling but the share of cycling as a mode of transport has been declining. Creating a bicycle network within the urban areas is the key to encourage the utilization of the bicycle as the daily mode of private transportation. Kochi City Region (KCR) in Kerala was selected as the study area as the share of private vehicles has been increasing and there is a need for a sustainable mode of transportation. The paper focuses on how to identify priority cycling areas in an already developed urban area. The study identifies how to deploy certain geographic information system (GIS) tools along with Multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for analyzing multilayered spatial data at the city level. The results confirms that the use of these GIS tools for analyzing various parameters for identifying priority areas for cycling routes is efficient.

The location pattern of different commercial stores in Shichahai, a historic conservation area in Beijing, was investigated from a street centrality perspective. Many previous studies have investigated the relationship between street centrality and land use patterns or commercial activities at interurban or intraurban scales. We considered Shichahai in this study to determine if street centrality applied at the street scale and if the street network was the only factor influencing the selection of store location. First, the nearest neighbor index, nearest neighbor hierarchical spatial cluster (NNHSC), and kernel density estimation (KDE) methods were used to provide baseline spatial distributions of commercial stores. Second, urban network analysis (UNA) tools were used to measure the street centrality indices under two conditions, with and without the weighting of cultural relics calculated by a principal component analysis (PCA). Finally, both store locations and centrality values at nodes were transformed to one unit (raster pixel) for a correlation analysis. The results showed that three of the four store types were clustered and had their own hotspots that were mostly located in the eastern and central parts of city blocks. The most momentous findings were determined from the street centrality indices. Among the three store types with correlation coefficients above 0.5, all centrality indices with landmark weighting, except straightness, had higher correlations, with closeness with landmark weighting having the highest correlation, followed by betweenness with landmark weighting. Therefore, we statistically concluded that street centrality could apply at the street scale and that the street network was not the only factor that influenced store location pattern, with landmarks also playing a significant role. The results provide guidance in determining the selection strategy for stores in a historic conservation area.

Urban authorities are continuously drawing up policies to promote cycling among commuters. However, these initiatives are counterproductive for the targeted objectives because they increase opportunities for bicycle theft. This paper explores Inner London as a case study to address place-specific risk factors for bicycle theft at the street-segment level while controlling for seasonal variation. The presence of certain public amenities (e.g., bicycle stands, railway stations, pawnshops) was evaluated against locations of bicycle theft between 2013 and 2016 and risk effects were estimated using negative binomial regression models. Results showed that a greater level of risk stemmed from land-use facilities than from area-based socioeconomic status. The presence of facilities such as train stations, vacant houses, pawnbrokers and payday lenders increased bicycle theft, but no evidence was found that linked police stations with crime levels. The findings have significant implications for urban crime prevention with respect to non-residential land use.

To improve the sustainability and efficiency of transport systems, communities and government agencies throughout the United States (US) are looking for ways to reduce vehicle ownership and single-occupant trips by encouraging people to shift from driving to using more sustainable transport modes (such as ridesharing). Ridesharing is a cost-effective, sustainable and effective alternative transportation mode that is beneficial to the environment, the economy and society. Despite the potential effect of vehicle ownership on the adoption of ridesharing services, individuals’ ridesharing behaviors and the interdependencies between vehicle ownership and ridesharing usage are not well understood. This study aims to fill the gap by examining the associations between household vehicle ownership and the frequency and probability of ridesharing usage, and to estimate the effects of household vehicle ownership on individuals’ ridesharing usage in the US. We conducted zero-inflated negative binomial regression models using data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. The results show that, in general, one-vehicle reduction in households was significantly associated with a 7.9% increase in the frequency of ridesharing usage and a 23.0% increase in the probability of ridesharing usage. The effects of household vehicle ownership on the frequency of ridesharing usage are greater for those who live in areas with a higher population density than those living in areas with a lower population density. Young people, men, those who are unable to drive, individuals with high household income levels, and those who live in areas with rail service or a higher population density, tend to use ridesharing more frequently and are more likely to use it. These findings can be used as guides for planners or practitioners to better understand individuals’ ridesharing behaviors, and to identify policies and interventions to increase the potential of ridesharing usage, and to decrease household vehicle ownership, depending on different contextual features and demographic variables. Comprehensive strategies that limit vehicle ownership and address the increasing demand for ridesharing have the potential to improve the sustainability of transportation systems.

Street centrality and land use intensity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The obligatory mobility patterns of the university community are analysed, in this case for the University of Burgos (Spain). The study is based on a survey that gathered data of a personal nature and data on daily journeys made by the university community. The mobility survey was conducted with over 2500 interviewees at the University of Burgos (students, teachers and other personnel). Outgoing and incoming journeys to each study centre and the modal split are analysed. The motives for using each transport mode that were given by the university population in reply to the questionnaire are also studied. Various discrete choice models are calibrated to determine how to improve demand for sustainable modes of public transport, in the search for a new scenario that would offer a better quality of life. On that basis, different action plans are proposed, comparing the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and occupation of the urban area, among other points. The results will be useful for urban public transport planners and for the implementation of strategies to incentivise more sustainable modes of transport.