Urban Bicycle Research Articles

Contribution of bike-sharing to urban resource conservation: The case of free-floating bike-sharing

It has become increasingly clear that a promising way to address waste-related issues resides in waste prevention by resource conversation. Research has therefore started to focus on preventing waste production by improving resource conservation capabilities. This study investigates how the societal transition to the fourth generation of bike-sharing system, known as free-floating bike-sharing (FFBS), presents not only a technological leap but also an environmental one by fostering stronger resource conservation capabilities which can be promoted by marketers. Taking Beijing as an example, a quantitative analysis compares the changes in resources utilization before and after the emergence of an FFBS scheme as compared to the third generation of bike-sharing systems, called station-based bike-sharing (SBBS), and of privately-owned bikes (POB). The results show that FFBS can improve the resources utilization of the urban bicycle system. It can reduce aluminium consumption by 15.3%, steel consumption by 10.6%, plastic consumption by 13.0% and rubber consumption by 18.4% for each bicycle trip throughout the city. FFBS presents, therefore, transformative properties for both society and the environment by showing greater potential in resource conservation especially in comparison to SBBS.

Urban Bike Lane Planning with Bike Trajectories: Models, Algorithms, and a Real-World Case Study

We study an urban bike lane planning problem based on the fine-grained bike trajectory data, which is made available by smart city infrastructure such as bike-sharing systems. The key decision is where to build bike lanes in the existing road network. As bike-sharing systems become widespread in the metropolitan areas over the world, bike lanes are being planned and constructed by many municipal governments to promote cycling and protect cyclists. Traditional bike lane planning approaches often rely on surveys and heuristics. We develop a general and novel optimization framework to guide the bike lane planning from bike trajectories. We formalize the bike lane planning problem in view of the cyclists' utility functions and derive an integer optimization model to maximize the utility. To capture cyclists' route choices, we develop a bilevel program based on the Multinomial Logit model. We derive structural properties about the base model and prove that the Lagrangian dual of the bike lane planning model is polynomial-time solvable. Furthermore, we reformulate the route choice based planning model as a mixed integer linear program using a linear approximation scheme. We develop tractable formulations and efficient algorithms to solve the large-scale optimization problem. Via a real-world case study with a city government, we demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms and quantify the trade-off between the coverage of bike trips and continuity of bike lanes. We show how the network topology evolves according to the utility functions and highlight the importance of understanding cyclists' route choices. The proposed framework drives the data-driven urban planning scheme in smart city operations management.

“Green” principles of sustainable development of road and transport infrastructure of the cities of Ukraine

The paper is devoted to the development of criteria for the implementation of the principles of “green” and sustainable development of road and transport infrastructure of the cities of Ukraine on the basis of world experience, as well as own research. It is established that the world experience offers a number of systems for assessing environmental friendliness and sustainability of the development of transport infrastructure, which cannot be applied unambiguously and without adaptation in the cities of Ukraine. Therefore, environmentally significant criteria for assessing compliance with the requirements of “green” standards for the development of the city’s transport infrastructure in the context of assessing its life cycle stages, which in the future will help the environmentally balanced development of the city’s transport system were developed and proposed in the paper. As an example of the practical application of the criteria for “green” construction and assessment of environmental sustainability for the development of the road network, a mechanism was developed and proposed to assess the environmental efficiency of the development of the urban bicycle transport network based on estimates of reduced fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and noise levels by replacing motor work with cycling.

How to choose healthier urban biking routes: CO as a proxy of traffic pollution

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) air pollution in urban areas, mainly associated with inhalation of gaseous pollutants and particulate matter emitted from motor vehicles, is responsible for one million deaths per year. Carbon monoxide (CO) from the incomplete combustion of fuel is known to bind with hemoglobin, decreasing the blood oxygen-delivery and inducing tissues hypoxia; being more pronounced under conditions of stress like physical activity. The present study demonstrates the usefulness of a compact CO sensor (Alphasense CO-B4) mounted on a bicycle to evaluate atmospheric levels of CO associated with urban microenvironments within a growing Australian city (Brisbane). Urban bike pathways show pronounced and significant variations in air quality according to the surrounding microenvironment and the time of day. The inhaled dose in real time and the CO total dose over each trip were valuable for estimating the air quality of the route, and identifed how the health benefits of riding a bicycle could be partially offset by poor air quality depending on where and when a cycle route is taken in the inner-city. Finally, environmental conditions, such as wind speed, were found to significantly affected atmospheric CO concentrations, at least during the study period. The present work provides information regarding commuters' exposure to atmospheric pollutants, necessary for modifying the population's (including cyclists) perception of pollution in the urban environment, providing people with the opportunity to choose a healthier route.

An Index for Evaluation for Urban Bicycle Lanes

Traditionally, the focus of urban transportation design is on motorized vehicles with less attention to green travel alternatives such as cycling. Public policy makers are now trying to increase cycling as a sustainable travel mode due to increasing concerns with respect to environmental pollution, traffic jams and health problems from today’s sedentary way of life. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the first bicycle lanes were built in 1991along the urban seafront for leisure and touristic purposes almost exclusively, but today the city counts on a cycling network of more than 150 kilometres under different conditions of conservation and use by the population. The manner in which this network is designed, built and managed can have a significant effect on the utility and safety of cycling. The primary objective of the current study is to develop a methodology and to propose an evaluation index that could be used as a practical instrument by municipal authorities, transportation planners, traffic engineers and others to determine the quality of bicycle lanes under 14 criteria based on social, technical and environmental aspects. The availability of a such comprehensive index is believed to be a key factor guiding cycle-friendly politics to build more sustainable cities

Based on Binary Logit Model Analysis on Characteristics of Sharing Bicycle Travel Taking Fucheng District of Mianyang City as an Example

The study of urban shared bike travel characteristics is the premise of sustainable development of shared bike. In this paper, using the form of a questionnaire, the citizens of Fucheng District of Mianyang City were investigated and obtained 98 Valid data. Analysis of travel characteristics is based on survey data, and studies the factors affecting the use of shared bicycles, combined with the establishment of travel behavior theory Logit model, with the aid of SPSS Calculate with software. The results showed that women were more likely to choose shared bike trips than men; those who chose shared bikes tended to be younger; those who shared bikes were more favored by students and office workers; those with higher education levels were more likely to choose shared bike trips; and those with higher education levels were the most significantly affected.

Towards Knowledge-Based Geospatial Data Integration and Visualization: A Case of Visualizing Urban Bicycling Suitability

Geospatial information plays an indispensable role in various interdisciplinary and spatially informed analyses. However, the use of geospatial information often entails many semantic intricacies relating to, among other issues, data integration and visualization. For the integration of data from different domains, merely using ontologies is inadequate for handling subtle and complex semantic relations raised by the multiple representations of geospatial data, as the domains have different conceptual views for modelling the geographic space. In addition, for geospatial data visualization - one of the most predominant ways of utilizing geospatial information - semantic intricacies arise as the visualization knowledge is difficult to interpret and utilize by non-geospatial experts. In this paper, we propose a knowledge-based approach using semantic technologies (coupling ontologies, semantic constraints, and semantic rules) to facilitate geospatial data integration and visualization. A traffic spatially informed study is developed as a case study: visualizing urban bicycling suitability. In the case study, we complement ontologies with semantic constraints for cross-domain data integration. In addition, we utilize ontologies and semantic rules to formalize geospatial data analysis and visualization knowledge at different abstraction levels, which enables machines to infer visualization means for geospatial data. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework can effectively handle subtle cross-domain semantic relations for data integration, and empower machines to derive satisfactory visualization results. The approach can facilitate the sharing and outreach of geospatial data and knowledge for various spatially informed studies. (Less)

On cycling risk and discomfort: urban safety mapping and bike route recommendations

Bike usage in Smart Cities is paramount for sustainable urban development: cycling promotes healthier lifestyles, lowers energy consumption, lowers carbon emissions, and reduces urban traffic. However, the expansion and increased use of bike infrastructure has been accompanied by a glut of bike accidents, a trend jeopardizing the urban bike movement. This paper leverages data from a diverse spectrum of sources to characterise geolocated bike accident severity and, ultimately, study cycling risk and discomfort. Kernel density estimation generates a continuous, empirical, spatial risk estimate which is mapped in a case study of Zürich city. The roles of weather, time, accident type, and severity are illustrated. A predominance of self-caused accidents motivates an open-source software artifact for personalized route recommendations. This software is used to collect open baseline route data that are compared with alternative routes minimizing risk and discomfort. These contributions have the potential to provide invaluable infrastructure improvement insights to urban planners, and may also improve the awareness of risk in the urban environment among experienced and novice cyclists alike.

Indicator system for monitoring the development of urban bicycle transport infrastructure

Based on surveys of bicyclists and the study of foreign practice with regard to monitoring the development of bicycle transport infrastructure, scientists from Plekhanov Russian University of Economics have offered a flexible system of indicators to assess and plan the development of the bicycle transport infrastructure for the city of Moscow.

The principles of architectural and planning organization of structures for bicycles in cities

The dynamic development of modern cities has led to an increase of the concentration of urban population, complications in communication, and environmental degradation. Effective strategies for increasing the use of alternative types of transport are emerging. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic, combined with high quality public transport, forms a sustainable transport system that influences cost management, quality of life in cities, health and the environment. The development of bicycle infrastructure is a response to the reduction of motorization in some parts of the city, positively reflects on the environmental situation of the city, increases its tourist and investment attractiveness.Bicycle structures, the main functions of which are short-term and long-term storage, are an important component of urban bicycle infrastructure. The location of these properties in the city should be conveniently accessible from the source to the transitional or final destination. Functional areas of the building should be rationally planned in the interconnection of the premises and optimal in the calculated areas. The need for additional features depends on the degree of integration: whether bicycle storage areas are built into public buildings or designed as separate rooms, built-in or located at a distance. When increasing bicycle units, storage areas should be allowed to expand.Based on the analysis, the basic principles of architectural and planning organization of bicycle structures were determined: the principle of accessibility, functional expediency, integration and spatial development of the structure. The principle of "accessibility" implies locating of bicycle facilities on the main pedestrian traffic routes, in the areas of transplantation, in recreational areas, from which the calculation of accessibility radii to the day care facilities accessible by bicycle is obtained. The principle of "functional expediency" aims at such a rational planning organization of the structure, which provides the necessary conditions for maintenance of the bicycle and the cyclist. The principle of "integration" of structures or premises for bicycles makes it necessary to combine with objects of another purpose. The principle of "spatial development" of a bicycle facility provides the possibility of incorporating additional functions of maintenance, transformation and modularity in the expansion and completion of structures of this type.

Success factors for the development of urban bike systems Success factors for the development of urban bike systems Success Factors for the Development of Urban Bike Systems

City bike systems are an important element of sustainable urban mobility. The first concept appeared in the world in the second half ofthe20th century and since then the popularity of this form of transport has been growing all the time. The development of public bicycle systems increases cycling mobility. In recent years, systems have changed constantly, adapting to the needs of users. More and more advanced technological solutions are being introduced and they force continuous development and verification of previous assumptions. The high popularity of city bike systems has influenced the interest of researchers in measuring their success. The basis for creating the classification should be striving to meet the transport needs of potential system users and expectations related to new means of transport.

Health economic assessment of a scenario to promote bicycling as active transport in Stockholm, Sweden

ObjectivesTo conduct a health economic evaluation of a proposed investment in urban bicycle infrastructure in Stockholm County, Sweden.DesignA cost-effectiveness analysis is undertaken from a healthcare perspective. Investment costs over a...

Urban bicycle tourism: path dependencies and innovation in Greater Copenhagen

During the latest decade, a renaissance of bicycling in urban transportation has occurred in many Western European cities. This opens up for a development of bicycle tourism as a form of urban sustainable tourism, taking advantage of improved infrastructure and facilities for cycling tourists. The aim of this study is to conceptualise the dynamics behind the development of urban bicycle tourism. This development may be viewed as an innovative process based on incremental changes in local socio-technological mobility systems. An analytical framework is proposed, based on the following categories: urban planning, bicycle tourism services, communication, and place making. In the analysis, evidence from the Greater Copenhagen region is used to contextualise particularly these perspectives of the development of urban bicycle tourism. In each of the four categories, evidence of innovative services or procedures supporting bicycle tourism was found. However, the most important source of incremental innovation is likely to be found on a systemic level, between the actors in the destination. It is also argued that the development of urban bicycle tourism is highly path dependent, related to the local bicycle culture. Bicycle tourism should not be viewed as isolated from the locals’ everyday cycling.

Group Cycling Meets Technology: A Cooperative Cycling Cyber-Physical System

The initiatives of cycling infrastructure enhancements around the world reveal a consistent interest in promoting cycling to transition toward sustainable lifestyles and safe multi-modal commuting. Accordingly, proposals for cyber-physical systems for smart cycling are also growing, providing solutions to make cycling a safer and better experience for cyclists. However, most existent solutions address single cyclist problems rather than group cycling issues. It is evident that further work is needed to improve safety and comfort for groups of cyclists traveling on busy urban bicycle paths or dedicated bicycle highways. In this paper, we position the concept of technology-assisted cooperative cycling. We introduce a platoon-based cyclist cooperative system that provides safe and efficient coordination for groups of cyclists. We present the results of an experimental prototype tested on real cyclists as well as comprehensive simulations that test the performance of our solution in different scenarios. We demonstrate that our system is feasible to implement and tolerates the human error factor while it is still able to achieve a constant spacing policy. Coordinated platoons of bicycles can be extremely useful to maximize the positive impact of green waves of traffic lights for cyclists and can be extended to groups of two-wheeled vehicles, including mopeds and self-balanced electric vehicles.

Enriching complex road intersections from OSM with traffic-related behavioral information

Abstract. Bicycle traffic in urban environments has various complex aspects in relation to the used space and the assigned transport infrastructures, especially in urban environments. Depending on the traffic situations, the built static urban infrastructure design, and, the other traffic participants involved, there are more or less challenging possibilities of its representation. Modelling and simulating urban bicycle traffic should include the interactions to other traffic participants, and, of course, behavioral aspects within each ride. Therefore, we introduce a method for enriching road features from OSM with traffic-related behavioural information. We focus on road intersections, since those are the locations with the highest number of interactions, communications, and, accidents. Our aim is to extend microscopic traffic flow simulations for achieving higher accuracies in simulation results and for applying bicycle movement models that are more adapted to reality. As an example we present a behavioral catalogue for cyclists, focussing on urban roundabouts, which results from real video observations and subsequent classifications.We classify into typical, frequently occurring and unusual bicycle maneuvers, and, include those into a specification procedure when enriching various OSM features.

Scenarios of crashes involving light mopeds on urban bicycle paths

In the Netherlands, cyclists have to share the bicycle path with light moped riders. These riders are allowed to ride 25 km/h and do not have to wear a helmet (Dutch regulation). Due to several trends such as traffic congestion and the introduction of the scooter model, light mopeds have become more popular, both among older and younger people. This has led to an increased traffic density on bicycle paths as well as concerns about the safety of cyclists. In response to these concerns, several Dutch cities would like to ban light moped riders (LMRs) from the bicycle path and let them ride on the carriageway. However, it is uncertain what the consequences would be for the safety of light moped riders. Moreover, it is not clear to what extent the shared use of bicycle paths leads to serious crashes between cyclists and LMRs. Therefore, an in-depth crash investigation study was carried out to gain more insight into the factors and circumstances that influence the occurrence and consequences of light moped crashes on bicycle paths.A dedicated team for in-depth road crash investigation collected and analyzed detailed information on 36 light moped crashes that occurred on an urban bicycle path. This resulted in a description of the course of events for every crash that was analyzed, including a list of factors that contributed to the occurrence of the crash and possible injuries. Crashes with a similar course of events and a comparable combination of contributory factors were grouped into (sub)types of light moped crashes.Six types of crashes were identified. Based on the contributory crash factors of the identified crash types, remedial measures can be developed to prevent similar crashes from occurring in the future. Moving the LMR to the carriageway is only advisable on 30 km/h roads. Alternative measures to improve the safety of both cyclists and light moped riders include: 1) removing obstacles such as poles from the bicycle path, 2) following guidelines on the minimum width of bicycle paths given traffic volumes, 3) improving sight distances at intersections, 4) traffic light control without conflicts between traffic flows, and 5) introducing a helmet law for light moped riders and their passengers.

Evaluating Urban Bicycle Infrastructures through Intersubjectivity of Stress Sensations Derived from Physiological Measurements

A continued shift of human mobility towards sustainable and active mobility modes is a major concern for society in order to reduce the human contribution to climate change as well as to improve liveability and health in urban environments. For this change to succeed, non-motorized modes of transport need to become more attractive. Cycling can play a substantial role for short to medium distances, but perceived safety and stress levels are still major concerns for cyclists. Therefore, a quantitative assessment of cyclists’ stress sensations constitutes a valuable input for urban planning and for optimized routing providing low-stress routes. This paper aims to investigate stress sensations of cyclists through quantifying physiological measurements and their spatial correlation as an intersubjective indicator for perceived bikeability. We developed an automated workflow for stress detection and aggregation, and validated it in a case study in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Our results show that measured stress generally matches reported stress perception and can thus be considered a valuable addition to mobility planning processes.

Utility of GPS data for urban bicycle traffic planning in germany: Potentiality, limitations and prospects

Utility of GPS data for urban bicycle traffic planning in germany: Potentiality, limitations and prospects

Bicycle Usage in the Urban Transportation: Pristina Example

The aim of the research is to provide suggestions for increasing the use of bicycles, which are part of the modern transportation policies. The methodology in the research was developed according to the physical characteristics of the city center in Pristina and the new regulations of the Pristina Development Plan. In this context, in the questionnaires, the approach, demand and application possibilities of the passengers against the other transportation systems (except private vehicles) were evaluated. The field research questions were asked to get the thoughts of public transport passengers about these issues. The responses of 782 passengers that are directly or indirectly related with bicycle usage.
 As a result of these recommendations, Pristina will have two-way bicycle lanes with a length of 16 km to complete the cycling network. In this context, it was emphasized that the suggestions for the urban bicycle network in Pristina were evaluated in order of priority.
 Recommendations are given in accordance with the infrastructure of the route and it is expected that a regular transportation type will be provided to the urban transportation of Pristina by carrying out the arrangements on a 16 m wide road between the two sidewalks (platforms). In the new regulations, a two-way 4 km bike lane is proposed in the central ring of Pristina, as a result of the bicycle lanes that will form the bicycle network in Pristina to implement the bicycle public transport integration strategy in the future. Approximately 8.5 km two-way bicycle lane in central ring, 1.5 km two-way bicycle lane in the southwestern region and 2km bicycle lane in the southeastern region has been proposed for Pristina.
 Key words: Urban traffic, Transportation Demand Management, Bike Lane, Pristina.

Social Factors Influencing the Choice of Bicycle: Difference Analysis among Private Bike, Public Bike Sharing and Free-Floating Bike Sharing in Kunming, China

The emergence of free-floating bike sharing (FFBS) has made essential changes in urban bicycle travel. In order to explore the differences of travel behavior among private bicycle (PB), public bicycle sharing (PBS) and FFBS, a survey was conducted in Kunming, China in 2018. Firstly, the differences of travel characteristics among these three modes were analyzed based on 522 valid questionnaires. Then, a multinomial logistic model was applied to explore the influential factors among them. The results show that: 1) PB and FFBS are more attractive for long-distance travel enthusiasts compared with PBS, PB is rarely used for transfer in suburbs while FFBS is the most desirable in connecting other travel modes. The theft problem and high maintenance costs are main obstacles for PB. 2) The elderly, high-income and non-student groups in inflexible travel activities show a preference for PBS, while the young, low-income and student groups in flexible travel demands have a tendency towards FFBS. 3) PB and PBS imped the use of FFBS to a certain extent, while PB seems to have less impact on PBS. 4) FFBS is desirable in temporary travel demand while PBS is more preferable in fixed demand. Interestingly, residents with registered permanent residence tend to use PBS while those without registered permanent residence prefer FFBS. Finally, several management strategies and policy recommendations were proposed for the government and FFBS enterprises to improve the management of bicycles.