Abstract
In this study, we use University of Maryland's (UMD) bikeshare ridership data along with historical weather data, elevation, and transit service location data to analyze bikeshare trip patterns and explore the various factors influencing demand for the system across the UMD campus. We analyzed the spatial, temporal, and environmental factors influencing trips within a 19-month period to shed some light on how the bikeshare system is being used across campus and in its surroundings and to determine the most important factors shaping the demand. Results show that, similar to the city-wide bikeshare systems, demand for campus bikeshare is mostly influenced by weather, time of day, day of the week, month of the year, and accessibility to transit and various other destinations. However, unlike the city-wide bikeshare systems, there is not a concentration of trips within peak hours, as trips are scattered throughout the day. This is probably due to the flexible working schedules of bikeshare users on-campus (i.e., students and faculty), as opposed to the users of city-wide systems. Additionally, results indicate a higher on-campus usage of the system within the proximity of the transit hubs with a median trip duration of 6.8 min which supports the complementary relationship between bikeshare system and conventional transit systems.
Highlights
Bikeshare programs were introduced several years ago to facilitate and encourage biking as a sustainable mode of transportation and make it as convenient as possible for everyday use
Many colleges and universities have provided on-campus bikeshare programs for their students, faculty, and staff to get around campus and into the community at large
We investigated the effect of station location, station elevation, time of day and day of the week, weather conditions, and proximity to other bikeshare stations and amenities on bikeshare trip demand, trip length, and duration
Summary
Bikeshare programs were introduced several years ago to facilitate and encourage biking as a sustainable mode of transportation and make it as convenient as possible for everyday use. Students tend to be more flexible in their mode choice decisions and more likely to use transit and non-motorized modes on a daily basis (Zhou, 2012) All these factors, plus the pro-active educational milieu of the colleges and universities, make them ideal places to promote sustainable mobility through reshaping society's travel patterns and encouraging active transportation (Balsas, 2003). The results of this study can help UMD's transportation planners better plan and operate UMD campus's bikeshare program and help identify potential locations for system expansions by identifying trip clusters where there are no stations nearby It is useful for transportation and urban planners and decision-makers as well as environmental activists and campus planners at UMD and other universities to analyze and measure the impacts of such programs on emission reduction and environmental air quality. Along with universities and colleges, this study would be of interest to other campus environments such as science and research parks and office complexes that are planning to provide bikeshare programs as green transportation mode for employees and visitors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
