Mode Share Research Articles

Determinants, Motivators and Barriers for Utilitarian Cycling in Starter Cities: Case of Battaramulla, Sri Lanka

In the 1960s, a counter-cultural movement promoting utilitarian bicycle usage emerged in Europe and North America, challenging the dominance of cars, and advocating for sustainable urban mobility. despite the emergence of this movement, many developing cities have low cycling modal share and encounter obstacles in promoting utilitarian cycling. This study delves into workers attitudes toward using bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation. Employing a Binary logistic regression model and incorporating the Relative Importance Index (RII), the research identifies key determinants of utilitarian cycling. The findings highlight significant community willingness (71%) to bike to work, despite perceived barriers. Safety concerns (RII - 0.88) and environmental factors (RII = 0.60), such as rain and heat, emerge as prominent deterrents. Societal perceptions linking cycling to lower social status (vanity) (RII = 0.35), bicycle affordability (RII = 0.35), and work-related factors (RII = 0.48), such as non-cycle-friendly work attire and insufficient office parking safety, play relatively minor roles in discouraging bicycle use. Using the logistic regression model, the study predicts factors influencing the willingness to use bicycles for utilitarian transportation, revealing negative impacts from the absence of cycling infrastructure, motor traffic, rainy weather, and a lack of a cycling community.

Lognormal distribution of daily travel time and a utility model for its emergence

Understanding the nature of human movement is important in many fields, such as transportation management, urban planning, and epidemiology. In this study, we focus on travelers who are grouped by their travel modes in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Notably, for each group of travelers, the distribution of daily travel time follows a lognormal distribution. For any travel mode, the distributions of normalized travel time for different years (1968–2008) and distances to the city center converge to a curve, although the average travel time and share of travel modes vary. By employing the concept of utility, we developed a disaggregate model wherein an individual maximizes utility from traveling (=benefit - cost) by modifying daily travel time. This model theoretically explained the observed distributions of travel time. The model was further used to demonstrate travel mode choices. The model parameters were estimated using the distribution of travel time, travel mode share, and manageable assumptions. These results provided interesting interpretations of the perceptual utility of the daily travel time of a population. Moreover, the obtained curves of utility versus time are similar to the shapes of the overall benefits assumed in previous studies. Overall benefit is a concept that has been developed and examined since the 1980s, and our study provides a mathematical foundation for this idea.

Who has access to cycling infrastructure in Canada? A social equity analysis

Canadian cities have made significant investments in cycling infrastructure to support uptake in active transportation. Who has spatial access to supportive infrastructure is an important equity question: lack of access to safe infrastructure for cycling may limit who has an option to use a bicycle to meet their transportation needs (to access employment, educational, social, or other essential services) as well as who may achieve the physical and mental health benefits possible through physical activity. Our aim is to measure spatial access to cycling infrastructure in Canadian cities, and to provide a broad, national understanding of inequitable access to cycling infrastructure for equity-deserving populations (children, seniors, recent immigrants, visible minorities, and people with low incomes). Accordingly, we used a national dataset of cycling infrastructure (Can-BICS), which summarizes the quantity of cycling infrastructure for all dissemination areas in Canada, and 2016 Census data to estimate associations between area-level sociodemographic characteristics and access to cycling infrastructure. In unadjusted associations, equity-deserving groups (i.e., recent immigrants and people with low incomes) had better access to cycling infrastructure. Pearson coefficients highlighted variations in the equity of cycling infrastructure across cities. Overall, access was more equitable across equity-deserving groups in large cities, compared to mid-sized and small cities. After adjusting for covariates related to urban form and mode share, access to cycling infrastructure was higher in areas with more seniors, more recent immigrants, more visible minorities, and more people with low incomes, but lower in areas with more children. More importantly, there are still a substantial number of people from equity-deserving groups living in areas with very low levels of cycling infrastructure. For example, ∼ 1.5 million children under the age of 14 (31% of children), 1.5 million older adults (31%), 1.4 million visible minorities, and 0.5 million people with low income (20%) live in dissemination areas with the lowest level of cycling infrastructure. These results highlight the need to understand which populations stand to gain by cycling infrastructure investments and which populations are being left behind. This methodology represents a useful tool for information transport policy initiatives to advance bicycle equity at a national scale.

Exploring the Influences of Safety and Energy Expenditure Parameters on Cycling

Several determinants affect the reason to cycle or not, and some of them are described in a detailed way in the current technical literature review. The recent spread of new modes of active mobility brings up questions for urban transport planners on how to foresee future demand and assess safety conditions; from this comes the need to explore the relationships among several determinants. In this paper, after the collection of the main data required, three Regression Models are proposed, which demonstrate evidence for the role of safety and energy expenditure issues as important predictors. The method is applied to a dataset of 90 Italian cities selected according to their class of dimensionality and geographical position. The three models for each class of dimensionality (50,000–100,000 no. of inhabitants, 10,000–50,000 no. of inhabitants, and 0–10,000 no. of inhabitants) show a good accuracy (in terms of adj-R2 values of 0.6991, 0.7111, and 0.6619, respectively). The results show that energy expenditure, which is related to the terrain characteristics of an urban area and individual aerobic abilities, and safety perception, which is related to cycle network extensions, appear to be significant determinants in predicting bicycle modal share. The aim is to provide a useful and simplified tool, when only aggregated-type data are available, to help urban road designers and city planners in identifying and forecasting bike-sharing.

An Analysis of the Health Effects of Physical Activity due to Active Travel Policies in Rennes, France

Background Rennes, a midsize city in France, features many opportunities for active travel. City officials seek to increase walking and cycling by 2030 to improve public health. Physical inactivity, a leading risk factor for premature mortality around the globe, has been shown to be associated with many chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Methods Using the 2018 household travel survey of Rennes residents, we apply the Health-Oriented Transportation statistical model to assess health impacts associated with population-level rates of walking and cycling. We consider two proposed mobility and climate objectives which outline sustainable transportation goals by 2030. These include a shift in transportation mode share to increase walking and cycling trips, as well as a broad reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across the metropolitan area. Results Our regression analysis demonstrated that factors of household car access and inner-city residency were predictors of prevalence (observed one-day proportion engaging in walking or cycling), participation (weekly proportion), and intensity (mean individual physical activity achieved through walking/cycling) of active travel. Age and education were additionally associated with prevalence. The 2030 mobility objective (mode share: 9% cycle, 35% walk) was associated with a reduction of 1,051 DALYs (disability-adjusted life-years), translating to $73 million USD ($23-$177) in averted costs. The climate objective (10% reduction in VMT) was associated with a reduction of 369 DALYs when replaced entirely by walking and 714 DALYs with cycling, translating to $26 million ($8-$62) and $50 million ($15-$121) saved, respectively. Conclusions Rennes residents experience high participation in active travel, particularly those in the inner city. If residents achieve the city’s active travel goals for 2030, there is potential for a large reduction in health burden and subsequent costs. Reaching these goals may require significant investment in transportation programming and infrastructure to improve active travel opportunities.

Impact of Covid-19 on motorized transport modes in Tehran: competition or complementarity?

The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's travel behaviour and their perception of various transportation modes. This paper presents the results of two cross-sectional surveys conducted in Tehran, Iran, during and after the pandemic. Multivariate ordered logit modelling is used to identify factors that influence usage and to explore their interrelationships by analysing correlations among the utility of the ordered frequency of use of the private car, public transportation, ride-hailing and collective line taxi. Socioeconomic characteristics contribute significantly. Low-income individuals were more likely to use public transport during the pandemic, whereas university students and private sector employees were more prone to use ride-hailing. Women tended to use ride-hailing more, especially in the post-pandemic period. The findings suggest that while, on the whole, usage has increased for all modes in the post-pandemic period, in terms of commuting modal share, metro has gained substantially and private car has lost. Ride-hailing proved highly resilient in Tehran's mobility landscape. Correlation analysis indicated a clear contrast between private cars and public transport/collective line taxis, which is further heightened in the post-pandemic period. Although ride-hailing complements both public transport and collective line taxis, it does not exhibit meaningful correlations with the private car.

Do informal urban communities in Ghana qualify as a 15-Minute City based on access to socioeconomic activities?

ABSTRACT Access to services is a keystone of the 15-Minute City, an urban setup where residents can access basic services within 15-minutes of active transport from their homes. Whether Informal Urban Communities (IUCs) which are usually associated with negative connotations can qualify as a 15-Minute City is unknown. We investigated the extent to which IUC in Ayigya, Ghana satisfies this access condition. The findings show shorter travel durations and distances in reaching all selected activities. Underpinned by affordable travel costs, positive travel satisfaction, and walking as the largest modal share, Ayigya satisfies the 15-Minute City criterion of access to socioeconomic activities.

The ABC of mobility

The use of cars in cities has many negative impacts, including pollution, noise and the use of space. Yet, detecting factors that reduce the use of cars is a serious challenge, particularly across different regions. Here, we model the use of various modes of transport in a city by aggregating Active mobility (A), Public Transport (B) and Cars (C), expressing the modal share of a city by its ABC triplet. Data for nearly 800 cities across 61 countries is used to model car use and its relationship with city size and income. Our findings suggest that with longer distances and the congestion experienced in large cities, Active mobility and journeys by Car are less frequent, but Public Transport is more prominent. Further, income is strongly related to the use of cars. Results show that a city with twice the income has 37% more journeys by Car. Yet, there are significant differences across regions. For cities in Asia, Public Transport contributes to a substantial share of their journeys. For cities in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, most of their mobility depends on Cars, regardless of city size. In Europe, there are vast heterogeneities in their modal share, from cities with mostly Active mobility (like Utrecht) to cities where Public Transport is crucial (like Paris or London) and cities where more than two out of three of their journeys are by Car (like Rome and Manchester).

Built environment’s nonlinear effects on mode shares around BRT and rail stations

This study investigates nonlinear associations between built environment (BE) attributes and commuting mode share within rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) catchment areas. Data from approximately 2,790 fixed guideway transit station areas across 34 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States were analyzed using a random forest approach. Results show nonlinear associations of the BE with mode share in transit catchment areas with substantial differences between rail and BRT catchment areas. Rail catchment areas exhibit greater sensitivity to the BE to reduce car dependency as compared to BRT stations. Moreover, polycentricity and population density at regional level are effective at reducing car dependency. We suggest that policymakers consider BE threshold effects and station types when adjusting land-use policies, e.g., in transit-oriented development. Additionally, BRT systems could be a useful alternative to rail in sprawling areas that do not have the compactness needed to support rail.

Evaluation of Pedestrians’ Level of Service (LOS) at Some Selected Sidewalks of Dhaka

As the population of Dhaka is growing very rapidly, the sustainable transport strategy of Dhaka should try to preserve and expand the modal share of pedestrians, which accounts for the majority of all short trips made however unfortunately pedestrian zones are probably the most neglected and underutilized in Dhaka transportation system. This study focuses on assessing pedestrian behaviour at crosswalks. The basic relationship between flow – energy – densities was analyzed and analyzed in Dhaka. A video recording technique was used at the four study sites to observe pedestrian characteristics such as flow and movement. These data were used to simulate mathematical models yielding the aforementioned relationships. A decision coefficient, R2, was calculated to obtain the best fit for each relationship. The results of this study were compared with those of other studies. Finally, Level of Service (LOS) restrictions for pedestrians on the sidewalks were defined. Our Study area was Notun Bazar, Badda, and Gulshan-1 & Gulshan-2. At each location, we collected data from 150 meters and divided it into 3 portions. In the Notun Bazar sidewalk, the width is 6 feet, and the total number of passing people in 60 minutes is 1870 nos. total obstacle is 5nos. On the Notun Bazar sidewalk, the width is 10 feet, total number of passing people in 60 minutes is 4570nos. In the Gulshan-2 sidewalk, the width is 19.5 feet, total number of passing people in 60min is 1112 nos. We obtained the Notun Bazar and Badda Link Road for the Pedestrian Level of Service categories. E. Gulshan- 2 the Pedestrian Level of Service D. Gulshan 1 the pedestrian level of service C. Badda & Notun Bazar has the worst scenario among our four selected locations. There are temporary shops and electric poles in the middle of the sidewalk. It reduces the speed of the pedestrians. So, Sidewalk should be free to increase LOS. Traffic management is one of the best things we can do to improve the LOS. Gulshan 01 is an example for us as it has an automated traffic management system. Gulshan 02 sidewalks have temporary bus counters which also reduce the speed of pedestrians.

Exploring the changes in the interrelation between public transit mode share and accessibility across income groups in major Canadian cities in the post-pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the travel behaviour of urban residents in an unprecedented manner, especially public transit (PT) users. PT has experienced a decline in ridership around the world early in the pandemic and has been struggling to rebound again to the pre-pandemic levels, whereas other modes have reached their pre-pandemic levels. PT agencies have been trying to attract users back through service improvements and other policies; nevertheless, the impacts of policies that were effective prior to the pandemic are not guaranteed in the post-pandemic world due to the lasting effects of the pandemic on travel behaviour. This study compares the changes in the impacts of accessibility, the ease of reaching destinations, to jobs by PT on commute mode share pre- and post-pandemic (2016 and 2021) with an equity lens in the three largest metropolitan regions in Canada: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Results show that planning for accessibility is still an impactful tool to increase PT mode share in the post-pandemic era, yet the magnitude of the impact has declined by almost 50% in Toronto and Montreal and 30% in Vancouver for low-income groups. In the post-pandemic era, the impact of accessibility on PT mode share remains higher for the low-income compared to other-income groups, which is similar to the pre-pandemic times. Understanding the changing effects of accessibility, a major land use and transport planning tool, on travel behaviour is important as PT agencies are developing strategies to restore pre-pandemic levels of ridership and increase it to reach their sustainability goals.

The effects of subsidising e-bikes on mode share and physical activity - A natural experiment

IntroductionThe promotion of increased cycling is a political goal in numerous countries due to its environmental and public health benefits. Initiatives to stimulate e-bike use, like subsidies, may be a relevant strategy. However, understanding of the effects of these subsidies remains limited. In the present study our aim was to investigate the short-term effects of subsidising e-bike purchases on mode share distribution, physical activity derived from daily travel, and overall levels of physical activity. MethodsWe used the 2020-subvention program in Oslo, Norway, as a natural experiment, employing a pre-post randomised group design. The trial group (N = 194) and control group (N = 2174) participated in a survey at two time points (in April and September 2021), which included a one-day travel diary and questions about physical activity over the previous week. ResultsOur findings revealed a significant 12.6 [7.2, 18.0] percentage point increase in bicycle mode share, followed by a decrease in the share of car and public transport usage of 10.1 [-15.9, −2.5] and 7.1 [-11.8, −2.4] percentage points. In terms of physical activity generated from daily travel, we observed a greater increase in e-cycling compared to the decrease in conventional cycling and walking, resulting in an overall rise in active transport. However, despite these findings, we did not detect a significant increase in overall physical activity resulting from this increased active mobility. ConclusionInitiatives such as subsidies for e-bikes may align with both environmental and public health goals, as the subvention led to an increase in the bicycle mode share and an overall rise in active transport. However, to assess the impact on overall physical activity, additional research utilising more precise measurements is needed.

Urban form and daily mobility on the outskirts of Constantine (Algeria): Case of the new town of Ali Mendjeli

This article presents the results of research into the impact of urban form on mobility practices in the outskirts of Constantine, which has experienced spectacular urban growth in recent years. Like other Algerian cities, Ali Mendjeli is one of the most unusual urban forms to have arisen from the saturation of the mother city, and has undergone rapid urban expansion, marked by the concentration of major facilities and services. This has led to several urban dysfunctions, reflected in longer distances travelled, strong growth in the number of journeys and increased use of the car, resulting in saturation of the road network and the inefficiency of public transport, which can no longer cope with high demand, and the emergence of informal transport. In fact, the household travel survey carried out in 2020/2021 revealed that the distance between home and work increases with distance from the town center, with a correlation coefficient of R? = 0.78. In addition, the urban layout of Ali Mendjeli is difficult to navigate on foot, with the private car the most dominant modal share, and public transport is still in deficit due to the poor quality of its offer.

Evaluation of Spatiotemporal Transit Accessibility: Weighted Indexing Using the CRITIC‐MCDM Approach and Performance Gap Analysis

Transit performance is greatly influenced by its accessibility, which considers the spatial distribution of transit facilities with different periods of operation. The present study analyzes the spatiotemporal variation in transit accessibility and proposes a modification to enhance the evaluation process. The proposed modification involves assigning weighted indexing to the public transport coverage index (PTCI) using the CRITIC (criteria importance through intercriteria correlation) MCDM technique. The indicators exhibit temporal and spatial variations based on network and operational characteristics, with temporal variations relying on the number of scheduled transits and spatial variations influenced by the network and other operational attributes. The case study conducted in Surat, India, reveals that areas such as the city center and inner fringe have a higher concentration of scheduled transits and bus stops. However, demand fulfillment, measured by the offered seat capacity per population, is relatively low in most zones. To prioritize areas for resource allocation and policy implementation, the use of “RAdial REferenced Scatter QUAdRant (RARE SQUARE) Performance” charts are developed, which provide a straightforward tool to validate findings. The study highlights a low relative transit demand in the city, resulting in a mode share of approximately 2.5%.

How transit-oriented development concepts and strategies influenced green transport systems: A meta-analysis approach

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a major planning tool to promote green transport mode share. There are many previous studies in this field but with very diverse research focuses and outcomes. This study has classified the research purposes of previous studies into four categories: exploratory; potential and challenges; performance evaluation; and in-depth investigation. To identify critical factors that might influence green transport systems, a systematic literature review is delivered via a meta-analysis. Specifically, green transport mode share was set as the dependent variable and a proxy for TOD outcomes. From the model results, several key factors are identified. For example, built environment planning (e.g., pedestrian sidewalks) plays a critical role in green transport systems. The main findings of this paper can provide clear direction to current TOD, such as how to improve TOD outcomes and providing planning guidance for potential TOD.

PANDEMIC IMPACT ON TRAFFIC TRENDS AND PATTERNS IN THE CITY OF BELGRADE

The appearance of the COVID-19 virus has caused great changes in all spheres of life. Probably the most visible change is the cities’ lockdown, with the suspension of traffic and transport systems. The capital of the Serbia – Belgrade also went through a complete lockdown, which lasted for almost 2 months (53 days). In that period, nearly all activities were reduced, producing significant losses for the whole economic development, healthcare, food supply chain, transport sector and most importantly public transport system. The behaviour of users in such situations can greatly influence the change in the share of certain modes of transport in the overall modal share. The aim of this article is to examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transport mode choice for different trip purposes, as well as the examination of different impact factors, such as gender, age, education level, employment status, income, transport mode used before the pandemic, and average distance travelled, on the change of mode of transport. Data of 1143 users were analysed through a survey, for the area of the city of Belgrade, using the McNemar–Bowker test and binary logistic regression. The results showed that pandemic had a significant impact on the transport mode change for all trip purposes. The key factors influencing the change in the mode of transport are factors related to gender, level of education, income, the type of transport used before the pandemic and the average distance travelled. It is also interesting to note that the results showed a significant number of transfers to individual modes of transport, as well as micromobility vehicles and walking. Therefore, this article provides the necessary help in understanding the transport system user’s behaviour, which can facilitate the choice of adequate measures, modes and activities for decision-makers in these specific situations.

Enabling sustainable freight transport with longer, heavier vehicles in India

This groundbreaking study focuses on understanding the environmental impacts of longer, heavier vehicles (LHVs) in India's transportation system. Through a comprehensive life cycle assessment using the OpenLCA program and ecoinvent database, the research reveals that LHVs have lower negative life cycle impacts than conventional trucks. Increasing the modal share of LHVs by 40% in India's road freight transportation significantly reduces the overall environmental harm compared to the current freight transport mix. Additionally, the study demonstrates that even without market expansion, a 40% increase in LHVs' presence leads to a remarkable 12% reduction in global warming effects. The findings emphasize LHVs' potential as a sustainable and eco-friendly solution for India's freight transportation while highlighting the need for infrastructure development to capitalize on these benefits fully. Although the study acknowledges limitations related to data sources, it offers valuable insights into shaping a greener and more efficient transport system for the nation's future.

Optimization of river container port-access transport based on the innovatively designed electric ship in the Yangtze River Delta

In order to increase the share of the container port-access transport of river shipping and reduce the carbon emissions of container transportation, this study innovates the design of wide and shallow draft river ship and its electric power system based on the navigation condition of the rivers in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) with the objective of raising the advantage in river shipping to truck transport. To validate the ship's practicability, we incorporate the carbon quota of container port-access transport as a constraint and build a model to optimize the river liner service for container port-access transport. The case study reveals that the adoption of innovative 48 TEU electric river ship for container port-access transport will be associated with a rise in the mode share of river liner shipping from 16.1% to 20.0%, a decrease in carbon emission by 0.124 million tons and a decrease of 0.358 billion CNY in container port-access transport in the YRD, while the higher the carbon tax price the more the modal shift will be, however, since the carbon emission cost is a part of the total transport cost, the total transport cost exhibits an upward trend.

Modal Splits Before, During, and After the Pandemic in Switzerland

The MOBIS-Covid data provides a unique opportunity to put mobility adjustments observed during the crisis in perspective. A large panel has been tracked from before the crisis up until the end of 2022. Starting with 1370 participants and observing a gradual drop-off, around 250 kept tracking throughout the whole study period of over 2 years. Switzerland lifted its measures counteracting the virus spread in mid-February 2022, reaching a potential new equilibrium in the months after. Descriptive indicators have been constructed for Switzerland in order to disentangle the narrative of the crisis from the perspective of transport demand. The descriptive findings are supplemented by a mixed multiple discrete-continuous extreme value model (MMDCEV). We find a shift in modal splits away from car and train, where in particular bus could expand its mode share. While the cycling and walking booms were temporary, the bicycle still shows slightly higher mode distance shares. There are observable differences between the working arrangements (home office, mixture and in-office), however, we do not find evidence that preferences differ substantially. This suggests that the working arrangement segments the population along socioeconomic dimensions with different mobility behaviors and mode preferences. Modes are more satiated in the post-pandemic world, hinting that people use fewer modes in their weekly modal mix but use them more intensely. However, the model suggests that the pandemic should not be read as a structural break in mode preferences. We will therefore likely see further convergence to the pre-pandemic equilibrium.

Yes, size does matter (for cycling safety)! Comparing behavioral and safety outcomes in S, M, L, and XL cities from 18 countries

Although most actions aimed at promoting the use of active transport means have been conducted in ‘large’ cities, recent studies suggest that their cycling dynamics could hinder the efforts put into infrastructural, modal share, and cycling culture improvements. AimThe present study aimed to assess the role of city sizes on riding behavioral and crash-related cycling outcomes in an extensive sample of urban bicycle users. MethodsFor this purpose, a full sample of 5705 cyclists from >300 cities in 18 countries responded to the Cycling Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), one of the most widely used behavioral questionnaires to assess risky and positive riding behaviors. Following objective criteria, data were grouped according to small cities (S; population of 50,000 or fewer), medium cities (M; population between 50,000 and 200,000), large cities (L; population between 200,000 and one million), and megacities (XL; population larger than one million). ResultsDescriptive analyses endorsed the associations between city size, cycling behavioral patterns, and mid-term self-reported crash outcomes. Also, it was observed a significant effect of the city size on cyclists' traffic violations and errors (all p < .001). However, no significant effects of the city size on positive behaviors were found. Also, it stands out that cyclists from megacities self-reported significantly more violations and errors than any of the other groups. Further, the outcomes of this study suggest that city sizes account for cycling safety outcomes through statistical associations, differences, and confirmatory predictive relationships through the mediation of risky cycling behavioral patterns. ConclusionThe results of the present study highlight the need for authorities to promote road safety education and awareness plans aimed at cyclists in larger cities. Furthermore, path analysis suggests that “size does matter”, and it statistically accounts for cycling crashes, but only through the mediation of riders' risky behaviors.