Potential Cyclists Research Articles

SaBi3d—A LiDAR Point Cloud Data Set of Car-to-Bicycle Overtaking Maneuvers

While cycling presents environmental benefits and promotes a healthy lifestyle, the risks associated with overtaking maneuvers by motorized vehicles represent a significant barrier for many potential cyclists. A large-scale analysis of overtaking maneuvers could inform traffic researchers and city planners how to reduce these risks by better understanding these maneuvers. Drawing from the fields of sensor-based cycling research and from LiDAR-based traffic data sets, this paper provides a step towards addressing these safety concerns by introducing the Salzburg Bicycle 3d (SaBi3d) data set, which consists of LiDAR point clouds capturing car-to-bicycle overtaking maneuvers. The data set, collected using a LiDAR-equipped bicycle, facilitates the detailed analysis of a large quantity of overtaking maneuvers without the need for manual annotation through enabling automatic labeling by a neural network. Additionally, a benchmark result for 3D object detection using a competitive neural network is provided as a baseline for future research. The SaBi3d data set is structured identically to the nuScenes data set, and therefore offers compatibility with numerous existing object detection systems. This work provides valuable resources for future researchers to better understand cycling infrastructure and mitigate risks, thus promoting cycling as a viable mode of transportation.

Close passes caught on camera – How knowledge and behavioural norms relate to perceptions of liability when cars overtake cyclists

Replacing motor vehicle journeys with travel by foot and bicycle is recognised as a means to help achieve a range of health, environmental and economic objectives. Close passes - where a motor vehicle overtakes a cyclist with a minimal lateral clearance - have been identified as both a prominent safety concern and a barrier to increased uptake of cycling. Close passes are the most common type of on-road incident experienced by cyclists where a motor vehicle is involved and are also associated with collisions resulting in deaths and serious injuries. The current study builds on existing research investigating the underlying causes of close passes by examining responses from a sample of drivers to videos of close passes that were submitted by cyclists as driving complaints to an English county Police force. An online survey recorded the opinions of UK drivers (n = 293) on the behaviour of the cyclist and driver featured in each of 8 video clips. The survey recorded participants’ road use habits including the range of driving purposes engaged in (“driverXP”), their self-defined identity on a driver-cyclist spectrum, and their knowledge of recommended practice for bicycle road positioning. It also included the ‘Driving Anger eXpression’ (DAX) scale, which scores tendencies towards different forms of anger expression while driving, including use of vehicle manoeuvres to express anger (“vehicleDAX”). Multiple regressions were used to determine the relationship between these independent variables, and participants’ assessment of how risky the overtake was, and the extent to which the driver or cyclist were seen as liable for what happened.The level of liability apportioned to the cyclists featured in the clips was higher from drivers who were not cyclists themselves, compared with those who did cycle, and from drivers who scored higher on the vehicleDAX and driverXP measures (Identifies as cyclist τ = -0.377, p <.01), (driverXP τ = 0.209, p <.01), (vehicleDAX τ = 0.113, p <.05). Drivers with higher vehicleDAX scores showed lower levels of agreement with the statement “the incident was dangerous” in relation to the close pass clips. The liability apportioned to the cyclists featured was mediated by the drivers’ cycling positional knowledge score (ΔR2 = 0.139, p <.001).This is the first time that naturalistic footage reported by cyclists to Police has been used to examine differing perceptions of the same close pass event. Findings show a need to share knowledge about cycling practice in order to help drivers navigate cycle traffic safely and considerately. This can inform road safety interventions that can contribute to safer cycling and driver behaviours that are more welcoming to existing and potential cyclists.

I bet you feel safe! assessing cyclists’ subjective safety by objective scores

Feeling safe is a major issue for cyclists, and some potential cyclists are still deterred from using the bicycle because they feel too unsafe. Assessing the subjective safety of existing cycling infrastructures and locations can be done by questionnaires that show pictures of infrastructures and ask participants for their safety ratings. However, future cycling infrastructures should also be evaluated as safe even before they are implemented. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method that is able to predict safety from infrastructural information. This study aims to propose two different ways for such a method and to test both ways in a use case. We first developed two scores, namely the Repertory Grid (RG) Score and the FixMyBerlin (FMB) Score, which predict subjective safety from objective environmental information but use different data bases and different methodologies. In a second step, we validated these scores by comparing them to questionnaire ratings that evaluated cyclists’ subjective safety at 20 locations in the city of Braunschweig, Germany. Finally, we compared the two scores as well as the questionnaire ratings with objective safety measures, namely crash statistics, at the respective locations. The results show that the RG Score has a moderate agreement and the FMB Score has a fair agreement with the questionnaire ratings. All methods agree on the overall safety evaluation of various cycling facilities. However, the RG Score showed less variance in the safety ratings, whereas the FMB Score rated most locations more unsafe than the participants in the questionnaire. Interestingly, neither the scores nor the questionnaire ratings could sufficiently deduce the occurrence of a crash at one of the locations. The findings strengthen the importance of subjective safety as a construct independent of objective safety. Furthermore, they provide insights into aspects of subjective safety that can easily be measured by objective scores, and into aspects that are important for cyclists but were not yet covered by the scores. This study, therefore, provides a basis for future considerations and future evaluation methods to assess the subjective safety of cyclists.

Who benefits from cycling initiatives? An evaluation of perceived effectiveness and differences among population groups

This study explores the effectiveness of cycling initiatives in encouraging bicycle usage, and the relationship with sociodemographic characteristics amongst residents of the multi-cultural city of Auckland, New Zealand. The study considered regular cyclists, potential cyclists, as well as non-cyclists across demographic groups, including age, gender, income level, educational level, ethnicity, and bicycle user type to provide a holistic understanding of the association between the perceived effectiveness of cycling initiatives in encouraging bicycle usage. The results indicate that safety initiatives, including lighting improvements and vehicle safety features are perceived as being the most effective amongst all of the cycling initiatives proposed, and that younger people, Māori and Pacific people, and regular cyclists perceive higher levels of effectiveness in response to many of the cycling initiatives implemented. Moreover, findings indicate that many of the cycling initiatives are seen as more effective by some specific demographic groups who were not necessarily the intended target groups for the initiative, as envisaged by the experts tasked with their development and implementation. Also, for some demographic groups such as the elderly, women and non-cyclists, the perceived effectiveness of current cycling initiatives was found to be lower than was the case for the population as a whole, suggesting that the current cycling initiatives are not sufficiently focussed on these cycling disadvantaged groups, as they should to be in the interest of equity. This study aids in the design of better strategies by providing insights for policymakers and local governments to provide more equitable outcomes with respect to cycling.

The Bicycle Network Improvement Problem

Using a bicycle for commuting is still uncommon in US cities, although it brings many benefits to both the cyclists and to society as a whole. Cycling has the potential to reduce traffic congestion and emissions, increase mobility, and improve public health. To convince people to commute by bike, the infrastructure plays an important role, since safety is one of the primary concerns of potential cyclists. This paper presents a method to find the best way to improve the safety of a bicycle network for a given budget and maximize the number of riders that could now choose bicycles for their commuting needs. This optimization problem is formalized as the Bicycle Network Improvement Problem (BNIP): it selects which roads to improve for a set of traveler origin-destination pairs, taking both safety and travel distance into account. The BNIP is modeled as a mixed-integer linear program that minimizes a piecewise linear penalty function of route deviations of travelers. The MIP is solved using Benders decomposition to scale to large instances. The paper also presents an in-depth case study for the Midtown area in Atlanta, GA, using actual transportation data. The results show that the Benders decomposition algorithm allows for solving realistic problem instances and that the network improvements may significantly increase the share of bicycles as the commuting mode. Multiple practical aspects are considered as well, including sequential road improvements, uneven improvement costs, and how to include additional data.

Economic analysis of bicycle tracks using the HDM-4 model - case study for São Paulo city

In addition to technical studies, bicycle paths should be a product of planning and investment policies considering the ability of projects to generate socioeconomic benefits, implementing policie’s objective analysis relevant to the feasibility of projects for the implementation of exclusive bike tracks. In this paper the Non-Motorized Traffic (NTM) model of the HDM-4 (Highway Development and Management) software is applied for the analysis of different alternatives for bicycle lanes, evaluating aspects such as current and potential cyclists demand, operation speed, capital costs and economic profile of bicycle users. The combination of such variables leads to technical and economic alternatives whose analysis results relevant differences in their profitability indicators. The analyses were carried out considering two scenarios; the first comprises the analysis of the profitability of alternatives structured with normative guidelines that, in terms of speed, represent ideal operating conditions; the second scenario consists of a more realistic evaluation for the city of São Paulo, considering speed restrictions and diversifying the user profile according to the per capita income of the main regions of the city. The results reflect interregional diversity about the desirability of bikeway projects based solely on the monetary benefits of reduced travel times. The kern results point out financial risk of the projects as governed by speed and traffic, also requiring a demand of over 1000 bicycles/day and an operation that exceeds 8 km/h to support bicycle projects investments.

Understanding Perceptions of Cycling Infrastructure Provision and its Role in Cycling Equity

Ensuring equity is considered in all types of decision making, including with respect to cycling provision, is important. Studies have investigated equity in relation to provision of cycling infrastructure and facilities. However, identifying other factors that need consideration in cycling equity is important. This study explored the impact of cycling infrastructure provision on individual perceptions of cycling infrastructure in relation to sociodemographic characteristics in Auckland, New Zealand. The results indicated that bicycle lane availability did not significantly influence perceptions of cycling infrastructure; however, ethnicity and whether a person was a regular cyclist did. Among noncyclists and potential cyclists, ethnicity was the only factor found to significantly influence perceptions of cycling infrastructure. Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and Pacific Islanders rated the provision of cycling infrastructure higher than others for the same level of bicycle infrastructure in their community. Whereas Māori had the highest percentage of potential cyclists among all ethnicities, Pacific Islanders had the highest percentage of noncyclists (64.9%), the lowest percentage of potential cyclists, and one of the lowest percentages of regular cyclists. The study showed that cycling provision perceptions were more affected by factors like ethnicity, education, and bicycle user type than objective measures of bicycle infrastructure. Following the capabilities approach of justice, this study suggests that equitable provision of cycling infrastructure may not lead to an equitable cycling environment. To achieve this, interpersonal and intrapersonal indicators such as ethnicity and community-related factors must also be considered to encourage and empower all population groups to cycle.

Cycling Planning in Small-Sized Brazilian Cities Based on Open Data Geoprocessing

The objective of this paper is to propose a method to systematize cycling planning in small-sized Brazilian cities based on open data, such as census data, collaborative mappings, and Digital Elevation Models, seeking to assist in the elaboration of municipal urban mobility plans, and that can be adapted to other countries with similar characteristics and that have equivalent information. The proposed method is summarized in four steps: geoprocessing of open spatial data, which allows the georeferencing of potential cycling demand and cycling trip generator poles, as well as updated representations of road systems; definition of the subsets of origins and destinations of the cycling routes to be identified using Dijkstra’s algorithm, in order to minimize the overall cost associated with the road segments' operational quality for cycling; impedance assignment to road segments based on their average slopes and cycling Levels of Traffic Stress; and assessment of these road segments’ proportions in the identified cycling routes (Cycling Potential Index). Examples of the proposed method’s application were carried out in two Brazilian cities, Bariri-SP and Bocaina-SP, through which it was possible to define, for both cities, continuous and interconnected cycling axles, accessible to most of the study areas’ potential cyclists. Therefore, despite the obvious importance of conducting specific research and field surveys in each Brazilian city for greater reliability of the results, the proposed method can contribute to the popularization of cycling in utilitarian trips and to the strengthening of the “bicycle culture” still in force in small-sized Brazilian cities.

KARAKTERISTIK PENGGUNA SEPEDA LIPAT TERHADAP PEMILIHAN MODA TRANSPORTASI DI KOTA PALEMBANG

Sustainable Transportation is one of the embodiment of sustainable development, sustainable development puts forward the concept of eco-friendly urban, where the concept aims to balance the increasingly rapid development activities with an eco- friendly transportation system that is integrated with other modes of transportation, particularly the public transportation. Through this research, it is expected that it will become a reference for planning the development of bicycle routes and lanes in the city of Palembang. The research method used was a quantitative descriptive approach, data collection techniques conducted through a questionnaire survey, the total population was 966 cyclists, the sample taken for respondents with the Slovin formula was 478 respondents. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling, the results of data processing will be illustrated in tables and diagrams and calculations for the study of bicycle route lane using a matrix of origin and destination. Based on the questionnaire data obtained, from the survey results of 478 respondents, the percentage of cyclist was predominantly male and it was 91%, based on the analysis of activity patterns of folding cyclists, it indicated that the use of bicycle was 77% and it intended to the purpose of sports trips, 8% was for the purpose of recreation, 6% was for the purpose of daily activities, 5% was for the purpose of social travel, and the last 4% was for work purposes. 20% of folding cyclists were aimed to the short trips ? 10 km, while the use of bicycles for medium distances, which was around 10 km to 40 km, with the largest percentages was 38% and 32%. 68% of folding cyclist stated that the bicycle mode was the most economical mode of transportation. Dealing with the analysis for the opportunity to develop special bicycle routes and lanes, bicycle users were enthusiastic to obtain supporting facilities in the form of special bicycle lanes, 97% of cyclists agreed that a special bicycle lane must be provided. The selection of roads for bicycle routes was based on the calculation of the origin and destination matrix for the cyclists, the districts of the most potential cyclists were selected as starting and ending points for the bicycle route. Thus, 2 alternatives were selected for the special bicycle route. Key Words: sustainable transportation, characteristics, bicycle route, bicycle lane

The role of attitudes in perceptions of bicycle facilities: A latent-class regression approach

While many professionals support bicycling for transportation to reduce traffic congestion and improve public health, many potential cyclists see the risks from traffic injuries as a major barrier. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of bicycle facilities on perceptions of bikeability, and how these perceptions vary among different groups. Data comes from surveys (N = 2157) deployed in ten study neighborhoods as part of two research projects. Respondents were asked to rate a series of images of hypothetical roadways in terms of perceived comfort, perceived safety, and willingness to try bicycling. Latent-class regression was used to model these responses, with bicycle facility type and roadway characteristics as explanatory variables and sociodemographics and attitudinal factors (car preference, bike enjoyment, risk tolerance, and anti-exercise) as covariates for class membership. A recurring theme among the presented solutions is the emergence of two pro-bicycle classes - risk-embracing and risk-cautious - together with a pro-car class. Results indicate that the impact of protected bicycle facilities on perceptions are much higher for the pro-bike/risk-cautious group. The major implication of these findings is that there likely exists a sizeable segment of the population that, although perhaps just as interested in bicycling as the typical pro-bicycle class, is more cautious in their perceptions of comfort and safety. Those belonging to this subgroup generally view minimal facilities as much more unsafe and uncomfortable than their risk-accepting counterparts, but have comparable perceptions regarding high-quality protected bicycle facilities.

A nodal approach for estimating potential cycling demand

Establishing cycling as a prominent utility mode is recognised as central to creating sustainable transport systems in many cities around the world. Strategies of starter cycling cities are often biased to the supply of infrastructure along prominent corridors without acknowledging the nature, quantum or location of potential demand for cycling. Decisions are frequently left to local knowledge and experience of local needs, resulting in a bias with little opportunity for repeatability or reproducibility. This study proposes a data-driven approach to estimate the potential market for cycling geographically. Estimates are based on the number of potential cyclists in close proximity to the destinations they want to access. The paper demonstrates the method using Cape Town, South Africa as a case study. Given the virtual absence of utility cycling in the city, characteristics of cyclists in cities where cycling is popular are used to identify potential cyclists. Destination nodes are stratified in terms of the characteristics of their users, while home locations of persons with these characteristics are identified from a publicly available synthetic population for Cape Town. Analysis provides an order of magnitude indication of the cycling potential of selected nodes. It also shows areas with many potential cyclists that are not in proximity of desired destination. The results enable city authorities to focus detailed investigations and interventions where a critical mass of cycling may be achieved with the least effort and in the shortest time.

Why Don’t People Ride Bicycles in High-Income Developing Countries, and Can Bike-Sharing Be the Solution? The Case of Qatar

Although cycling is increasing in developed regions, such as Europe and North America, high-income developing countries in the Arabian Gulf region still have low cycling activities. Limited research has investigated the barriers to cycling in these countries. In this study, the barriers and motivators in Qatar, a high-income developing country, were investigated. Respondents were asked to report their bicycle usage during the last 12 months. The results indicated that approximately 15% used a bicycle during this period, but only 1.7% bicycled for transportation purposes. The analysis revealed the different barriers to cycling and their relative strengths. The study also compared the perceived challenges of cycling between males and females. The questionnaire results indicated that both groups considered the issues related to the weather conditions, bicycle ownership, lack of paths or connections, and driver behavior as important barriers to cycling. However, the female participants identified clothing, parental consent, and cultural and societal pressure as far more important. When asked about motivators for cycling, the results revealed that improving intersections, adding additional infrastructure facilities, planting trees for shading, affordable bicycles, and campaigns targeting potential cyclists and drivers are needed in order to increase cycling. To better understand how bike-sharing will be perceived if implemented in the future, the feedback was obtained from the participants, and their opinions indicated that there is a great deal of acceptance for this type of service. The outcome of this study can be of benefit to public agencies in developing countries that have the goal of increasing cycling use among their populations.

User Preferences for Bicycle Infrastructure in Communities with Emerging Cycling Cultures

Non-motorized travel modes, particularly cycling, are experiencing a resurgence in many United States (U.S.) states as well as in other countries. Still, most studies focus on bicyclists’ behaviors in areas with strong bicycling cultures. This paper discusses the findings of a survey (N = 1,178) deployed in six communities in Alabama and Tennessee, U.S., where cycling is not (yet) popular nor widely adopted. The analysis includes linear regression models built on respondents’ reactions to images of bicycling infrastructure and their perceptions of being comfortable, safe, and willing to try cycling on the displayed roadway type. Findings indicate a preference for more separated bicycle infrastructure types along with options that exclude on-street parking. Segmented models indicate that, compared with potential cyclists, the preferences of regular utilitarian cyclists can vary more than those of recreational/occasional cyclists. Results from this study provide useful insights into ways to maximize the return on investments, and design bike infrastructure that can attract patronage and be most successful in areas lacking a substantial bicycling population.

What determines university student’s willingness to pay for bikeways?

Inadequate infrastructure is recognized as an important barrier to cycling; therefore, improvements in the provision of bicycle facilities, such as bikeways, are frequently associated with increments in bicycle use. However, the overall impact of better facilities may vary with socio-demographic and attitudinal characteristics of potential cyclists. Using a sample of university students in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, this paper examines the role that these characteristics have on prospective bicyclists’ monetary valuation of this kind of infrastructure, measured as the willingness to pay (WTP) for a dedicated bikeway. Two attitudinal factors: environmental friendliness and Pro-Car attitude were integrated into the WTP model as latent variables (LV), and address the question of whether these factors help to better explain the WTP. It was found that including the LVs did not add significant explanatory power to the WTP model. The results suggest that travel distance, expenditure, the undergraduate program and the current mode of transport are the most important variables influencing the WTP of university students for a bikeway.

Bicycle parking: a systematic review of scientific literature on parking behaviour, parking preferences, and their influence on cycling and travel behaviour

ABSTRACTCycling is experiencing a revival in many cities. Research has focused on the determinants of cycling – in particular the role of the built environment and road infrastructure. Bicycle parking has received little attention – even though bicycles are parked most of the time. This article reviews the scientific literature on bicycle parking and identifies existing gaps in research and knowledge. The review analyses 94 peer-reviewed papers identified through a search in Scopus and Web of Science, in December 2017. The annual number of papers increased 15-fold between 1995 and 2017. Overall, the level of evidence on the importance of bicycle parking is limited. The majority of studies are based on cross-sectional data with the presence of parking as a binary independent variable. Most studies focus on bicycle parking at public transport stops and at work places. Few studies report on bicycle parking throughout cities, and hardly any on parking at residential locations. Bicycle parking supply and quality appears to be a determinant of cycling for current and potential cyclists. Our findings can serve as input for an evidence-based debate on the role of bicycle parking. For practitioners, our research supports investment in bicycle parking, but acknowledges that a proper evaluation of such initiatives needs to be conducted to increase the level of evidence.

Park ‘n’ Roll: Identifying and Prioritizing Locations for New Bicycle Parking in Québec City, Canada

Promoting active modes of transportation, such as cycling, is an ongoing challenge faced by many cities around the world. Fostering a bicycle culture in an auto-dominant region is riddled with challenges, but success has been achieved with investments in bicycle infrastructure, including bicycle parking. This study presents a new methodology to identify the optimal locations to install short-term (bicycle racks) and long-term (bicycle lockers or indoor locking facilities) bicycle parking using a GIS-based approach that considers multiple criteria. Using Québec City, Canada, as a case study, our methodology considers multiple criteria related to the demand for bicycle parking, including the destinations of existing and potential cyclists and proximity to a frequent bus service. A prioritization index is developed to identify the optimal locations for long-term and short-term bicycle parking. This is followed by a recommendation of the number of bicycle parking spaces required to meet existing and potential demand. This paper aims to provide practitioners with an easy-to-use method to aid in the planning of new bicycle parking infrastructure, which is designed to be flexible and adaptable to other contexts.

Supporting healthy route choice for commuter cyclists: The trade-off between travel time and pollutant dose

Cyclists form the most vulnerable road user group in terms of injury from traffic accidents, as well as exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Ironically, commuter cyclists are often motivated by improvement in health and fitness. Cycleways away from traffic with lower concentrations of pollutants from motorised vehicles sometimes result in longer distances and hence require longer travel times, while alternative routes sharing the road with other traffic, sometimes with buses, might result in exposure to higher pollutant concentrations. To help commuter cyclists achieve their objectives of getting to work in the shortest possible time and maximising their health benefits, we propose a bi-objective route choice model, with the minimisation of travel time and pollutant dose as the two objectives. A transport network information database is first constructed with comprehensive information on link type, lane width, gradient, link average speed, traffic volume, etc. such that both the travel time and the pollutant dose can be estimated at a reasonable level of accuracy. In particular, the pollutant dose will be dependent on the exercise level as well as the concentration of pollutants. Given an origin and a destination, to be provided by a cyclist, we apply a bi-objective shortest-path algorithm to determine an efficient set of routes such that neither the total travel time nor the total pollutant dose can be reduced without worsening the other. Profiles of this route choice set in terms of other useful information, such as elevation, and pollutant concentrations along the route can also be provided. With our model, cyclists can more easily trade off between commute time and pollutant dose. In cities with hilly terrain, such as in Auckland, New Zealand, such information can be expected to be extremely valuable for current and potential cyclists.

If we build it, who will benefit? A multi-criteria approach for the prioritization of new bicycle lanes in Quebec City, Canada

Many cities across the world are actively promoting cycling through investments in cycling infrastructure, yet ensuring that the benefits from these investments are distributed equally in a region and not benefiting only one group is an important social goal. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology that can help in identifying where new bicycle facilities can be built in a region while prioritizing investments for those who need them most. The study uses Quebec City, Canada, as an example since the city has recently made a strong commitment to provide safe and attractive bicycle infrastructure to its residents. It also uses a GIS-based grid cell model to identify priority areas for cycling investment in different parts of the city. This is followed by a proposal for a new set of facilities based on a multi-criteria approach. These proposed facilities are then evaluated through a level of usage analysis to determine which routes will provide the maximum benefit to existing and potential cyclists. Finally, an equity analysis is conducted to evaluate whether the new facilities will meet some of the travel needs of individuals residing in socially deprived neighborhoods. This step in the evaluation process proposes a new social equity component in bicycle planning processes. This research can be of value to planners, engineers and policymakers working toward investments in bicycle facilities because it shows the full process of planning and evaluating different cycling facilities while incorporating social equity principles.

Invisible cyclists? Disabled people and cycle planning – A case study of London

This paper reports on analysis of over 50 London transport and cycling strategy documents. Both image and text were analysed, in exploring representations of disabled people, particularly as cyclists or potential cyclists. It remains unusual for disabled people's cycling to be considered within broader transport strategy documents; instead they are overwhelmingly conceptualised as public transport users and pedestrians. By contrast it was more usual for cycling strategies to at least mention disabled people as cyclists or potential cyclists. However, discussion of policies that might increase disabled people's participation in cycling was often limited to general aspirations or references to leisure cycling clubs and training. Few images in cycling strategies (and even less so transport strategies) showed non-standard cycles of the kind used by some disabled cyclists. Disabled people's cycling (and barriers to cycling) needs further research and a policy approach that targets social and structural exclusion from cycling, not only individual ability and attitudes. More thought needs to be given to a range of types of disability and how these might affect cycling needs.

Typologies of Urban Cyclists: Review of Market Segmentation Methods for Planning Practice

Following global guidelines, several cities are investing in urban cycling. Cities are in different stages of cycling development and have adopted different approaches and packages of policies that are likely to be most effective at each stage. Urban cycling plans include investment in infrastructure, promotion, and education supporting the adoption of active modes for urban mobility. Some investments aim to meet current cyclists’ needs and others those of potential bicycle adopters. With respect to urban cyclists, several studies propose typologies, usually related to frequency, trip purpose, or motivation. This paper compares a set of cyclist typologies and the corresponding categorization methods and reviews 20 studies that considered different cyclists’ profiles. Most studies relied on expert judgment approaches or rule-based decisions; five considered multivariate analysis techniques for clustering groups, on the basis of data from surveys. Despite the variety of group categorizations, commonalities were found in most cases and divided cyclists into three main types: current cyclists (typically more proficient riders), potential cyclists (willing but not convinced), and noncyclists (unaware of or unwilling to shift to cycling). Dividing the population of potential cyclists into different typologies can better inform the different stages of planning for cycling infrastructure development by targeting more accurately the needs and requirements of different types of users. This is a key element in the management of a cycling network and cycling infrastructure, which are intended to be built on the basis of effective solutions and decisions to achieve desirable bicycle modal shares of regular trips.