Active Transport Modes Research Articles

Development of a neighborhood drivability index and its association with transportation behavior

Abstract Background To develop and validate a drivability index for the City of Toronto and examine its association with transportation mode choice. Methods We used exploratory factor analysis to derive distinct factors (clusters of one or more environmental characteristics) that reflect the degree of car dependency in each neighborhood, drawing from candidate variables that capture density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, distance to transit, and demand management. Area-level factor scores were then combined into a single composite score, reflecting neighborhood drivability. Negative binomial generalized estimating equations were used to test the association between driveability quintiles (Q) and primary travel mode (>50% of trips by car, public transit, or walking/cycling) in a population-based sample of 63,766 Toronto residents enrolled in the Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS), adjusting for individual and household characteristics, and accounting for clustering of respondents within households. Results The drivability index consisted of three factors: Urban sprawl, pedestrian facilities and parking availability. Relative to those living in the least drivable neighborhoods (Q1), those in high drivability areas (Q5) had a significantly higher rate of car travel (adjusted rate ratio (RR):1.80,95%CI:1.77-1.88), and lower rate of public transit use (RR:0.90,95%CI:0.85-0.94) and walking/cycling (RR:0.22,95%CI:0.19-0.25). Associations were strongest for short trips (<3 km) and in analyses where both residential and workplace drivability was considered (RR for car use in high/high vs. low/low residential/workplace drivability: 2.18, CI:2.08-2.29). Conclusions This novel neighborhood drivability index predicted whether local residents drive or use active modes of transportation and can be used to investigate the association between drivability, physical activity, and chronic disease risk. Key messages The association between neighborhood drivability and car use was strongest for short trips. The drivability of the neighborhood where people work is a strong determinant of car use.

What Is the Best Practice Method for Quantifying the Health and Economic Benefits of Active Transport?

The aim of this study was to identify a best practice method to cost the health benefits of active transport for use in infrastructure planning in New South Wales, Australia. We systematically reviewed the international literature covering the concept areas of active transport and cost and health benefits. Original publications describing a method to cost the health benefits of active transport, published in 2000–2019 were included. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were assessed against criteria identified in interviews with key government stakeholders. A total of 2993 studies were identified, 53 were assessed for eligibility, and 19 were included in the review. The most commonly studied active transport modes were cycling (n = 8) and walking and cycling (n = 6). Exposures considered were physical activity, road transport related injuries and air pollution. The most often applied economic evaluation method was cost benefit analysis (n = 8), and costs were commonly calculated by monetising health outcomes. Based on evaluation of models against the criteria, a Multistate Life Table model was recommended as the best method currently available. There is strong and increasing interest in quantifying and costing the health benefits of active transport internationally. Incorporating health-related economic benefits into existing regulatory processes such as cost benefit analyses could provide an effective way to encourage the non-health sector to include health impacts in infrastructure measures.

Analyzing the influence of social, cultural, behavioral traits on cycling and walking in Pakistan

Active modes of transport i.e. cycling and walking leave positive and progressive impacts on health, environment, and society. Despite these positive impacts, the developing, as well as many developed economies of the world, sees limited use of active modes of transport. The limited use can be attributed to active transport, being influenced by various social, cultural, and behavioral traits. Through this research, the influence of various social, cultural, behavioral traits on cycling and walking is to be studied. The paper utilizes Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) for exploring the link between social, behavioral, cultural traits, and active transport in Pakistan. Findings of the research suggest that from considered social parameters, cycling and walking's image as a socially responsible investment and their role in health and safety influence the use of active transport. Exploiting these two social parameters, the use of cycling and walking can be increased. In addition, from amongst the behavioral parameters considered, economic trends and pace of life have the greatest influence on the adoption of active transport as the main mode of transport. Similarly, from considered cultural parameters, the distribution of masses in rural and urban areas, laws and policies, and spending trends motivate the most in shifting towards active modes of transport.

Active transportation indicators and establishing baseline in a developing country context: A study of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

AbstractThis paper shares the findings of an active transportation (AT) study conducted in the context of a city in a developing country. First, a list of AT indicators was developed based on the literature review and expert opinion survey. Second, a face‐to‐face survey was conducted to collect information on individuals' socio‐demographic characteristics, travel behavior, AT mode choice, and their perceptions regarding the AT conditions in their neighborhoods. Analysis of the survey results suggests that several socio‐demographic characteristics are associated with AT use. For example, young adults and individuals with low income are the primary users of AT. Also, results suggest that students are mainly active commuters. The ratio of AT use increases with the number of bicycles in the household. Individuals tend to walk more when travel duration is less than 10 minutes. Educational areas are perceived as safer and convenient areas for using active modes of transport compared to other land‐use types. Also, a higher proportion of active commuters perceive local roads to be safer from vehicular traffic compared to main roads. Many sectors such as planning, transportation, health, and education as well as non‐government organizations will be benefited from this study.

Crowdsourcing as a Social Interaction Tool to Stimulate Sustainable Transportation Mode Use

Background: In this paper, a crowd-based social interaction framework is developed to assess the potential increase in the use of sustainable transportation modes – such as walking, bicycling and public transit. Methods: The empirical data were used to validate mode shift behaviors for 77 participants from California State University Long Beach. Data collection spanned over two phases, Phase I followed by Phase II. Each study phase lasted a month. Participants used one of the four modes – personal car, walking, bicycling and public transit - to arrive at the university campus. During Phase I, a control group was created, and individual mode choice of participants were obtained. Individual participants in Phase II were assigned short-encrypted distinct names and were asked to post a daily comment on the quality of experience using the mode that was used to arrive at the campus. The participants were asked to post the comments over a “Twitter” page that was used as the crowdsourcing platform for this study. The encrypted name masked the individual identity of the user. Analysis at the end of Phase II showed that there was an overall mode-shift of almost 19% of personal car users to other sustainable modes of walking, bicycling and transit. Results: Results show very important policy implications of using crowdsourcing as a social interaction tool to influence mode choice behavior of commuters, especially among college students and young adults. Conclusion: A crowd-based social interaction framework is developed to assess potential increase in the use of sustainable transportation modes – such as walking, bicycling, and public transit. Results showed that providing advanced information on traffic and parking problems can result in a mode shift to active transportation modes.

Determinative Variables Toward Promoting Use of Active Modes of Transportation: Enhancing Level of Sustainable Mobility in Communities

Most current transportation systems around the world are cause for pressing concern and a menace to sustainability of social justice, and economic and environmental vitality. From a universal agreement that transportation needs an urgent alteration in travel modes, policies, planning, and behaviors through to the emergence of sustainability in the transportation sector, a significant and central vision has emerged to guide urban policymakers, transportation planners, and public health officials. During the last four decades, a shift in transportation modes toward use of active modes of transportation has been encouraged, and it is one of the main sustainability movements appearing in many developing and developed countries. This research provides a narrative review and parsing of existing literature, which focuses on promoting active modes of transportation. The aim is to clarify key determinative variables that must be considered by planners and policymakers toward promoting use of active modes of transportation for daily mobility.

Fuelling walking and cycling: human powered locomotion is associated with non-negligible greenhouse gas emissions

Reducing motorized transport and increasing active transport (i.e. transport by walking, cycling and other active modes) may reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve health. But, active modes of transport are not zero emitters. We aimed to quantify GHG emissions from food production required to fuel extra physical activity for walking and cycling. We estimate the emissions (in kgCO2e) per kilometre travelled for walking and cycling from energy intake required to compensate for increased energy expenditure, and data on food-related GHG emissions. We assume that persons who shift from passive modes of transport (e.g. driving) have increased energy expenditure that may be compensated with increased food consumption. The GHG emissions associated with food intake required to fuel a kilometre of walking range between 0.05 kgCO2e/km in the least economically developed countries to 0.26 kgCO2e/km in the most economically developed countries. Emissions for cycling are approximately half those of walking. Emissions from food required for walking and cycling are not negligible in economically developed countries which have high dietary-related emissions. There is high uncertainty about the actual emissions associated with walking and cycling, and high variability based on country economic development. Our study highlights the need to consider emissions from other sectors when estimating net-emissions impacts from transport interventions.

Telework and daily travel: New evidence from Sweden

Telework, long promoted as a way to reduce daily travel and address congestion problems, has been extensively studied in transport research. Empirical consensus has long held that telework reduces overall travel, but several updated studies now suggest the opposite. Meanwhile, telework has steadily increased in many countries, and few studies have examined contexts where regular teleworkers have grown to form an early majority. We study how telework influences daily travel in such a context, namely, Sweden from 2011 to 2016. Using representative micro-data from the Swedish National Travel Survey, this study also captures travel behaviour during the defined period when the telework was actually practiced, distinguishing different telework arrangements and analysing a range of travel behavioral outcomes. We conclude that telework leads to reduced travel demand, more use of active transport modes, and congestion relief. Important differences between full- and part-day teleworkers are also highlighted, stressing the importance of understanding telework as a diversified coping strategy for organizing the spatiotemporality of everyday life.

A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Predict the Health Impacts of Commuting in Large Cities: Case Study of London

The daily commute represents a source of chronic stress that is positively correlated with physiological consequences, including increased blood pressure, heart rate, fatigue, and other negative mental and physical health effects. The purpose of this research is to investigate and predict the physiological effects of commuting in Greater London on the human body based on machine-learning approaches. For each participant, the data were collected for five consecutive working days, before and after the commute, using non-invasive wearable biosensor technology. Multimodal behaviour, analysis and synthesis are the subjects of major efforts in computing field to realise the successful human–human and human–agent interactions, especially for developing future intuitive technologies. Current analysis approaches still focus on individuals, while we are considering methodologies addressing groups as a whole. This research paper employs a pool of machine-learning approaches to predict and analyse the effect of commuting objectively. Comprehensive experimentation has been carried out to choose the best algorithmic structure that suit the problem in question. The results from this study suggest that whether the commuting period was short or long, all objective bio-signals (heat rate and blood pressure) were higher post-commute than pre-commute. In addition, the results match both the subjective evaluation obtained from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the proposed objective evaluation of this study in relation to the correlation between the effect of commuting on bio-signals. Our findings provide further support for shorter commutes and using the healthier or active modes of transportation.

Planning for Pedestrians with a Participatory Multicriteria Approach

The design of accessible walking routes needs to take into account the different stakeholders' preferences and factors affecting walking. It is a complex issue which policy-makers should deal with to foster sustainable mobility. A participatory multicriteria decision analysis approach is presented to help the planning and designing of pedestrian routes, based on a sound analysis of factors affecting walking behavior and the attributes of the roads, and a stakeholder-driven evaluation of the same. A group of different stakeholders has been involved to select the criteria for designing pedestrian routes in the city center of Cartagena (Colombia). Some of them have been selected based on the results of a social network analysis (SNA) to be involved as key stakeholders for the evaluation of the selected criteria through an analytic network process (ANP). An index to measure the importance of each criterion in designing pedestrian routes has been obtained. Results provide valuable inputs to understand how to redesign and reconfigure streets for pedestrians in a city so as to improve walkability and foster a shift toward active and sustainable transport modes.

Active travel as a pro-environmental behaviour: An integrated framework

A travel mode may be chosen due to its emotional appeal (affective motive) or to express social status (symbolic motive). Previous studies have overlooked the role of such motives in active mode use as pro-environmental behaviour. This study aims to examine the role of symbolic and affective motives, together with other significant theoretical perspectives, to explain the share of active modes of transport in trips to the university. It adds to the previous literature by considering the share of active modes of transport in different seasons. We collected a total of 316 completely filled questionnaires (response rate = 75.4 percent) from a cross-sectional self-administered survey in February 2019 in Trondheim, Norway. Among the psychological variables related to active mode use, only affective motives were found significant in both summer and winter. Environmental self-identity predicted both types of motives. No evidence suggested that personal environmental norms and attitudes towards transportation significantly explained active mode share, although car-related subjective norms reached significance. Furthermore, there was no evidence that environmental attitudes towards transportation had a mediating effect between motives and active mode use. Cycling journey time between place of residence and campus was found significant in the share of active modes of transport in both seasons. The results have important ramifications for the provision of relevant regulations and raising positive support from society to enhance the share of active modes of travel to the university.

Active travelling to school is not associated with increased total daily physical activity levels, or reduced obesity and cardiovascular/pulmonary health parameters in 10-12-year olds: a cross-sectional cohort study.

Childhood obesity has increased enormously. Several lifestyle factors have been implicated, including decreased physical activity, partially involving a decline in active travel to school. We aimed to establish the association between school transport mode and physical activity levels of primary 6 and 7 children (aged 10-12). Secondary outcomes were body mass index standard deviation scores, blood pressure levels and lung function. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a total number of 432 children from three primary schools in North East Scotland. Actigraph accelerometers were used to provide objective measures of physical activity. Ninety-two children in primary 6 and 90 children in primary 7 (40 in common) had adequate data. Modes of transport to school were assessed by a questionnaire. Two hundred and seventeen children in primary 6 and one hundred and sixty-five in primary 7 returned adequate questionnaires. Children who used active transport modes for >70% of their journeys to school over the week were coded as active travellers and <30% were coded as passive travellers. All children also had height, weight, blood pressure levels and lung function measured. Children who lived further away from school, and in more expensive properties were more likely to travel passively to school. Actively commuting children (70% walking) had significantly higher activity levels than passive commuters during the 30 min that encompassed their journey to and from school. However, there were no significant differences between active and passive school travellers in total daily physical activity, BMI SDS, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and lung function. There was no evidence that more days of active travel to school had a significant influence on total physical activity, obesity and related health parameters. Public health interventions promoting active travel to school may have limited success in quelling the childhood obesity epidemic.

Does the Australian Bureau of Statistics Method of Travel to Work data accurately estimate commuter cycling in Australia?

The Australian Census of Population and Housing includes a responder’s Method of Travel to Work for Persons (MTWP) on Census Day. With some exceptions, responders can select multiple modes of transport. In Australia and overseas, this data has been used to estimate mode share and the proportion of Australians who utilize various active transport modes. This is especially true for cycling as there are scant data sources for Australian cycling exposure. The aims of this paper are to discuss weaknesses of MTWP data and the appropriateness of MTWP data to estimate cycling in Australia, and to assess changes in MTWP data relative to the introduction of bicycle helmet legislation. The use of MTWP data to estimate Australian cycling is limited due to: (1) data collection occurring on single days in winter once every five years, (2) it is not possible to identify a primary mode of transport, and (3) the 1976 data was not a full enumeration. MTWP data estimates about 1.5% of Australians cycle while other data sources are much higher ranging from 10% to 36%. With regard to bicycle helmet legislation, comparisons were made for each state/territory for the census immediately preceding helmet legislation and the following census. Overall, the proportion of cyclists among active transport users is similar from pre- to post-legislation (relative change=+1%, 95% CI: -13%, +18%), although all but two states/territories estimate an increase in cycling. In conclusion, the Australian government should invest in routinely collecting high-quality mobility data for all modes of travel to assist in the decision-making and assessment of road safety policies.

Streets as Public Spaces, a Challenge in Urban Planning for Intermediate Cities in Chile

In the past 10 years, the concept of public space has gradually become a new key topic in Chile’s urban planning debate. Most often linked to sustainable urban growth and sustainable mobility, the concept arises in a context of legal changes aiming to reinforce the street as a public space dedicated to all type of mobilities, including active modes of transport (walking and cycling). These recent legal transformations represent an important shift in Chile’s urban planning, establishing guidelines for the future in order to encourage sustainable mobility and increase public space quality and access in Chile’s cities. This integrated approach to urban development represents a clear tendency to promote a more cohesive society in a context of increasing urban complexity and environmental challenges. It recognizes spatial, socio-economic and environmental issues and aims to articulate urban planning with mobility by seeking a balanced distribution of urban functions in Chilean cities. Although at first glance this new approach seems positive, it is important to analyse these changes through the lens of Chile’s urban production, especially in the case of intermediate Chilean cities that, due to their scale, still have the possibility to redirect their development towards a more sustainable growth. We propose a critical analysis of urban public space production in intermediate Chilean cities. By defining streets as public spaces and enabling specific social practices in line with specific urban contexts, we are able to define streets as a social space dedicated to mobilities. From this position, under what type of conditions are these public spaces planned and designed? What social consequences or conflicts emerge through their implementation? These processes will be illustrated through examples of public space projects and policies developed in intermediate Chilean cities these past few years.

New urban planning challenges under emerging autonomous mobility: evaluating backcasting scenarios and policies through an expert survey

The future implementation of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) in cities can have significant impacts, both positive and negative, on their sustainability. The objective of this research is to investigate those impacts and evaluate which policies could be most effective in achieving the desired city scenario through a backcasting planning methodology. To this end, a survey among experts was carried out in which they expressed their opinions on the potential consequences of AVs in cities and on the effectiveness of various policy packages focused on achieving a more sustainable mobility and land use planning. The results obtained show that the experts consulted were sceptical about the positive impacts of AVs, arguing that they could induce an increase in car trips and urban sprawl. The policies that could be most effective in mitigating these effects, leading to a city more aligned with the planned objectives would be: to strengthen active (foot, bicycle) and public transport modes, to restrict access of motorised modes to central urban areas and to use freed spaces for alternative modes of transport, green areas and public facilities. A cluster analysis also showed that most of the experts consulted considered that the policy packages presented could be effective or very effective in reaching the most desirable scenario. Therefore, it is important that the implementation of AVs does not subordinate to, but enhances, the sustainable mobility and land use policies already being developed in many urban areas.

Associations of the objective built environment along the route to school with children's modes of commuting: A multilevel modelling analysis (the SLIC study).

As active commuting levels continue to decline among primary schoolchildren, evidence about which built environmental characteristics influence walking or cycling to school remains inconclusive and is strongly context-dependent. This study aimed to identify the objective built environmental drivers of, and barriers to, active commuting to school for a multi-ethnic sample of 1,889 healthy primary schoolchildren (aged 5-11) in London, UK. Using cross-sectional multilevel ordered logistic regression modelling, supported by the spatial exploration of built environmental characteristics through cartography, the objective built environment was shown to be strongly implicated in children's commuting behaviour. In line with earlier research, proximity to school emerged as the prime variable associated with the choice for active commuting. However, other elements of the urban form were also significantly associated with children's use of active or passive modes of transport. High levels of accidents, crime and air pollution along the route to school were independently correlated with a lower likelihood of children walking or cycling to school. Higher average and minimum walkability and higher average densities of convenience stores along the way were independently linked to higher odds of active commuting. The significance of the relations for crime, air pollution and walkability disappeared in the fully-adjusted model including all built environmental variables. In contrast, relationships with proximity, traffic danger and the food environment were maintained in this comprehensive model. Black children, pupils with obesity, younger participants and those from high socioeconomic families were less likely to actively commute to school. There is thus a particular need to ensure that roads with high volumes of actively commuting children are kept safe and clean, and children's exposure to unhealthy food options along the way is limited. Moreover, as short commuting distances are strongly correlated with walking or cycling, providing high-quality education near residential areas might incite active transport to school.

Bike-sharing systems’ impact on modal shift: A case study in Delft, the Netherlands

Bike-sharing systems have witnessed rapid growth in the last decades. Bike-sharing has been found to influence modal shift from car, public transit, and active transportation modes. However, the impacts on modal shift by considering different kinds of bike-sharing systems are rarely discussed. This study examines the modal shift dynamics and the influential factors on modal shift in response to various bike-sharing systems. Data are obtained by an online survey targeting both non-bike-sharing users and bike-sharing users in a Dutch context. Binary logit models are developed to investigate the relationship between modal shift to bike-sharing with socio-demographic, commuting trip and motivation factors. The survey results show that dockless bike-sharing (Mobike) users are more likely to be non-Dutch and often have no driving license, whereas the situation is opposite for docked bike-sharing (OV-fiets), bicycle-lease (Swapfiets) and non-bike-sharing users. Except for train use, bike-sharing users reduced walking, the use of private bicycle, bus/tram and car. Swapfiets showed a most significant influence on modal shift for both single and multimodal trips. The regression model results indicate that “No stolen/damage problem” and “Cheaper than other modes” are significant factors promoting dockless bike-sharing and bicycle-lease. “Good quality of bicycles” is a significant factor considered by docked bike-sharing and bicycle-lease users. “Public transport subsidy by employer” encourages commuters to shift to docked bike-sharing, whereas individuals with a government student discount are less likely to shift to Swapfiets. Male and multimodal commuters are more likely to use dockless bike-sharing. Commuters are less likely to shift to docked bike-sharing if the trips are “Short” or suitable for “Private bicycle”. The findings provide a clear understanding of the modal shift and its determinants that can help municipal planning and policy decision-making in terms of bike-sharing systems.

Confronting congestion in urban areas: Developing Sustainable Mobility Plans for public and private organizations in Bogotá

Abstract Work trips contribute the most to congestion during peak hours in urban areas. For that reason, public and private organizations can play a relevant part by developing mobility plans (MPs) to propose possible strategies to confronting congestion. Although MP strategies such as the promotion of active and public transport modes, the implementation of parking policies, telecommuting, and flexible work schedules have gained popularity for addressing traffic congestion in recent years, there has been a lack of studies reporting on the potential impact of their implementation in organizations located in Global South cities. This paper evaluates the modal choice by drivers (cars and motorcycles) in response to a series of specific mobility strategies if MPs are implemented by mid-size and large public and private organizations in the city of Bogota (Colombia). The modal share of employee trips after implementing different travel demand management instruments was evaluated using a stated preference survey. The results of this study suggest that substantial increases of parking charges in the organization’s vicinity are likely to lead to the highest reduction of private cars use and the highest modal share increase for public transport, carpooling, bicycling, and walking. The provision of company bus services seems not to be as the most effective strategy to discourage employees from using a car. Then, these plans should contain a combination of strategies rather than consider them separately to increase the possibility of achieving better results. Also, more studies evaluating the potential success of organizations adopting MPs in the cities of the Global South are needed.

Persistence of walking in Chile: lessons for urban sustainability

ABSTRACTAn extensive body of work from the urban planning, health, and other disciplines has documented the importance of walking to urban sustainability from health, safety, security, environmental and other perspectives. These studies come mainly from countries in North America and Europe, where the majority of the population relies on cars for transportation. Notwithstanding, in many countries in the Global South, walking remains a majority transport mode, while cars increasingly dominate the urban streetscape, but are accessible only to a minority of the population. Chile provides fertile terrain for studying this phenomenon. This article reviews current practice and recent research of walking in Chile, in light of international findings regarding walkability, equity and urban sustainability. To elaborate an overview of the depth and breadth of walking in Chile, an interdisciplinary team conducted a literature review, examined relevant case study material from experience from Chile and in particular from Santiago, and triangulated this mainly qualitative data with results from the origin-destination survey applied in Chile’s main cities, Chilean traffic safety data) and results from official transport reports of other Latin American cities [Tirachini, A. (2019). South America: The challenge of transition. In J. Stanley & D. Hensher (Eds.), A research agenda for transport policy. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing]. Findings show that despite priority public investments that have largely prioritised infrastructure for cars, walking in Chile has remained as the majority transport mode up until today, especially for lower-middle income groups, and particularly for care-related tasks performed mainly by women. In this sense, walking in Chile has proven remarkably persistent. The importance of walking as the main transport mode, against the odds, reflects economic, cultural, and urban form determinants, which are explored in this article. Furthermore, a recent upsurge in public interest and community design initiatives to improve walking, particularly the generation of a Chilean approach to “complete streets” has emerged, opening up opportunities to challenge Chile’s version of automobility in favour of more equitable, active and public transportation modes. There is, therefore, in Chile an opportunity to prioritise the walking mode, improve infrastructure for walkers and build from preserving current high pedestrian modal shares, rather than having to reverse widespread car use, as occurs in many countries in Europe and North America. This potential is highly relevant as these conditions are similar to those in other Latin American cities and, potentially, other cities elsewhere in the Global South.

Complete Street Concept, and Ensuring Safety of Vulnerable Road Users

Provision of sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation systems that creates adequate travel alternatives for end users is desirable in transportation industry. Complete streets, a system that is oriented towards designing streets to safely accommodate users of all modes and abilities has been seen as a potential solution to satisfy the need for variability in transportation mode choices. While complete street concept has great advantages, there is still concern about the safety of vulnerable road users sharing roads with high speed vehicles. Among other things, factors such as vehicle speed and lateral separation of vehicles from pedestrians and bicyclist has been found to affect the pedestrian level of service (LOS), as well as LOS for bicyclists. While there is interest in increasing the use of active transportation modes, there is also a great need to ensure that infrastructures for active transportation modes are not only safe, but also gives the end users a reasonable feeling of safety. Using basic principle of kinetic energy, this study evaluates some factors to consider when making policy decisions on sharing of limited road spaces. This study also presents pertinent research areas, and recommendations on how to achieve improvement in road, and vehicle designs, as well as driver behavior to result in overall improvement in transportation safety for vulnerable road users.