Impact of environmental and demographic factors on urban cycling

Little is known about the importance of different variables in shaping cyclistsʹ risk perception when cycling in urban areas. We evaluate the effects of environmental and demographic factors on cyclistsʹ perception of risk in urban cycling, by conducting a study in the central area of a large city, Qazvin, Iran. We develop a linear mixed model to predict the cyclists' angular movement. With twenty‐six cyclists included in this study, the outcome variable is the change in the cyclistsʹ angular movement as a surrogate for risk perception, while the predictors are the personal characteristics and environmental features. Cycling through residential and commercial areas, one‐way routes, routes with speed limits, wide routes ≥ 12 m, existing bike lanes, traffic volume, and path elevation (all P≤0.001) are associated with angular movement. However, sex, age, cycling history, psychological distress score, and presence of parks are not significant predictors of the angular movement. While the cyclist characteristics do not show significant correlations with the angular movement, environmental factors have significant effects on the cyclists' risk perception. This study, therefore, highlights the critical role of cycling infrastructure in shaping the cyclists’ risk perception and it provides implications for urban planners and policymakers

Toward Sustainability: Bike-Sharing Systems Design, Simulation and Management

The goal of this Special Issue is to discuss new challenges in the simulation and management problems of both traditional and innovative bike-sharing systems, to ultimately encourage the competitiveness and attractiveness of BSSs, and contribute to the further promotion of sustainable mobility. We have selected thirteen papers for publication in this Special Issue

Road Management Systems to Support Bicycling: A Case Study of Montreal’s Bike Network

Bicycling is a sustainable mode of transportation given its health benefits, reduced air and noise pollution, savings in fuel consumption, and role in shifting demand away from the automobile. A significant increase of bicycle users is an aim of many cities around the world. Responding to this, various cities announced their strategies to extend and/or upgrade their bikeway networks. However, there is a disconnection between the strategies to support bicycles and road management systems, which are typically used for optimal scheduling of maintenance and interventions for roads’ infrastructure. Traditional road management systems consider neither the need to sustain bicycle pathways at good levels of service, nor consider bicycling demand to prioritize their selection. This thesis extends road management systems to support bicycling networks. This enables the ability to optimally allocate available resources for sustaining the surface of bicycle pathways in good condition, and implement physically-separated bicycle lanes to enhance safety conditions and encourage bicycle ridership. A simple formulation of bicycle demand is proposed; it employs the capabilities of smartphones for collecting and estimating bicycling demand based on GPS trajectories of cyclists. Goal programming optimization is applied to address scheduling of maintenance and upgrade investments of pathways. Two scenarios are investigated with different annual budgets. The results show that the first scenario allows a rapid upgrade of existing bicycle lanes to protected paths while accomplishing good conditions of pavements. However, the second scenario is not able to prevent the deterioration of pavement segments

Economic impact study of bicycling in Arizona : out-of-state bicycle tourists & exports

abstract: This study is specifically focused on the contribution to the Arizona economy from out-of-state visitors engaged in organized bicycling activities in the state, and out-of-state customers, wholesale or retail, of bicycle products made or sold in Arizona

Econometric Modeling for the Analysis of the Influence of Safety Perceptions on Travelers’ Behavior

The objective of this research is to study the influence that safety perceptions have on travelers’ behavior in a broad array of choice contexts and investigate issues that have not been sufficiently addressed by the transportation literature, such as the influence of tangible attributes on perceptions and the influence of indicators’ complexity on the model estimates. Using three existing databases, we study the influence of risk perception on drivers' behavior, the influence of safety and comfort perceptions on individuals’ preferences for inland waterway passenger transportation, and the influence of these latent variables in the competition between BRT and motorcycle taxis. We design two ad-hoc surveys, the first one to study the influence of safety perceptions and some individual attitudes toward cycling, on the intention to use the public transportation integration on a bike and ride strategy. The second survey study safety and comfort perceptions of riding conventional feeder buses and auto-rickshaws as part of a BRT system. We demonstrate that tangible attributes have a significant effect on both the utility and the safety perception of individuals, which allows for the evaluation of policies related to latent variables and studying how a certain policy modifies safety perception. We also prove that the number of indicators per latent variable, the type of the scale and the granularity in which indicators are measured do affect the error variance of the measurement component. We show that the use of odd-numbered Likert scales contributes to a lower error variance of the measurement component

Active Commuting and Active Transportation

This book focuses on active transport as a way to increase physical activity levels. Active commuting and active transportation on foot or by bicycle create opportunities for physical activity, provide transportation options for those without a car, encourage social cohesion, and reduce contributions to air pollution

Improving the aesthetic and other experiential design aspects of bicycle paths in Western Australia

Governments around Australia are in the process of promoting cycling as both a sustainable form of transport that can be a viable alternative to the motor vehicle, particularly for shorter trips, and as a healthy recreational pursuit that can play an important role in addressing the growing problem of obesity and illnesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle in the community. As part of this initiative, the development of effective and efficient infrastructure for bicycles is seen as a vital step for achieving higher participation rates. A major component of the nation’s bicycle infrastructure is the growing networks of paved paths and natural surface trails located in both urban and regional areas. A well-designed path or trail must meet agreed standards related to safety and function and, in order to achieve maximum usage, it must also create a desirable riding experience. While requirements for safety and function are well understood by path and trail planners, little empirical information has been produced to enable these planning professionals to understand the elements that impact upon an individual’s riding experience and to then incorporate them into the design process. Accordingly, the overall aim of this research was to investigate how the aesthetic, cultural and other experiential design aspects of bicycle paths and trails can enhance the perceived riding experience. A secondary objective of the project involved a determination of the procedural factors guiding the local path and trail design protocols and process. A third objective was to gain an insight into the most effective method of communicating the benefits of these riding environments to important target groups. Following the establishment of a theoretical framework incorporating the psychophysical nature of cycling, the effect of landscape and current design practices, the research progressed through several stages beginning with an autoethnography examining the researcher’s extensive experience in the promotion of cycling in Western Australia, augmented by in-depth discussions with leading key informants. This was followed by a mix of quantitative and qualitative methodology to gauge perception of various elements of in-situ and photo-surrogate path-riding environments among the general population in Perth, Western Australia. The findings indicate that there are specific experiential design aspects related to the riding environment, surrounding landscape or associated features that can directly influence a person’s decision to use a particular path, trail or route. The research also identified preferred communication strategies and found deficiencies in the current design process that if addressed, could lead to the development of better received and patronised riding environments. It is intended that the outcome of this research will be to provide a design framework to guide path and trail planners in the development of facilities that enhance the overall riding experience. A number of agencies responsible for developing bicycle infrastructure, or design standards, have indicated a desire to access parts of this research project for use in the decision-making process, thus achieving a better balance between safety, functional and experiential aspects

Crowdsourcing geospatial data for Earth and human observations: a review

The transformation from authoritative to user-generated data landscapes has garnered considerable attention, notably with the proliferation of crowdsourced geospatial data. Facilitated by advancements in digital technology and high-speed communication, this paradigm shift has democratized data collection, obliterating traditional barriers between data producers and users. While previous literature has compartmentalized this subject into distinct platforms and application domains, this review offers a holistic examination of crowdsourced geospatial data. Employing a narrative review approach due to the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, we investigate both human and Earth observations through crowdsourced initiatives. This review categorizes the diverse applications of these data and rigorously examines specific platforms and paradigms pertinent to data collection. Furthermore, it addresses salient challenges, encompassing data quality, inherent biases, and ethical dimensions. We contend that this thorough analysis will serve as an invaluable scholarly resource, encapsulating the current state-of-the-art in crowdsourced geospatial data, and offering strategic directions for future interdisciplinary research and applications across various sectors