Understanding the relation between travel duration and station choice behavior of cyclists in the metropolitan region of Amsterdam

With 35,000 km of bicycle pathways, cycling is common among persons of all ages less than 65 years in the Netherlands. Bicycle is often seen as a standalone travel mode but when integrated as part of a multimodal trip with train, it can be an important solution for long distance journeys, offering increased flexibility and faster access time compared to other travel modes. In this paper we investigate which factors influence departure station choice on combined bicycle–train and bicycle-metro trips in the metropolitan region of Amsterdam. Data from a mobile app was used to track an individual’s travel behavior over the years 2018 and 2019. A discrete choice model was estimated to see whether people prefer to park their bicycle at the station with the shortest travel duration or one of the stations with a longer travel duration. The final results show that level of education and age negatively influence the choice for cycling to the second closest station. Furthermore, the results show that people with an origin inside Amsterdam prefer to travel to a train station regardless of their destination

Bicycle parking in station areas in the Netherlands

Cities in the Netherlands have encouraged cycling in order to create a more healthy, liveable and sustainable environment. Accordingly, cycling has become an important travel mode in cities for both unimodal and multimodal travel. Consequently, the increase of bicycle use results in an increase in the demand for bicycle parking, thus encouraging illegal bicycle in station areas where supply is unable to meet demand. As space becomes scarce in these areas, managing the existing parking supply becomes crucial in the urban environment. This research attempts to explain bicycle parking behavior by finding determinants for parking near a station with a metro service, train service or both services at the same location. The results not only show that the determinants for parking in these station areas differ, but also that each station areas attracts different groups of people

Where infrastructure alone is not enough: developing well-functioning non-motorized transport with a focus on cycling in the 'Northern-Inner' district of Cape Town

Post-apartheid Cape Town is characterized largely by a sprawling and inequitable city form. Well-located land within the city tends to be expensive, and as a result the majority of poor residents have to travel long and time-consuming distances to employment opportunities, often spending close to half their monthly income on commuting. Current development patterns largely perpetuate this situation. Whilst non-motorized transport (NMT) often presents as a potentially equitable and efficient form of mobility, the context of long distance commuting coupled with a lack of NMT-specific connected infrastructure within metropolitan Cape Town is not conducive to NMT. The challenges and corresponding Interventions required to enable wellfunctioning NMT within cities broadly, and within the City of Cape Town in particular were explored through a variety of literature drawing on precedent from around the world, a review of NMT-related policy, and interviews with city officials and NGOs involved in promoting NMT. These challenges and interventions were then investigated in a particular context, namely the 'Northern inner' district of Cape Town, whereafter specific interventions were proposed. Key findings regarding the implementation of well-functioning NMT (and cycling in particular) indicate that there are a number of interconnected factors that need to be considered beyond the provision of NMT-specific infrastructure. At the metropolitan level, by developing high-density affordable housing opportunities in well-located areas, more compact environments with increased proximity between origins and destinations can be created. Such environments are far better suited to NMT. This can in turn begin to address the inequitable and inefficient current city form. NMT-specific infrastructure is of course very important in all NMT-enabling development (and particularly for cycling), and as such the equitable provision of NMT-prioritized intersections, paths and lanes in relation to infrastructure for motorized transport are very important. Finally, intermodal linkages between NMT and public transport, crime reduction through strategic placement and design of NMT infrastructure, and promotion of visibility and awareness of the value of NMT through public awareness campaigns constitute broader required interventions to enable well-functioning NMT. Regarding implementation, given the multiple interconnected factors involved in creating well-functioning NMT, it is important that the proposed interventions take place simultaneously, through an integrated inter-departmental approach

Free-floating carsharing in Copenhagen: A study on user experience in a cycling city

Free-floating carsharing is emerging in cities around the world. Based on a survey of car2go (n=95) and DriveNow users (n=737) in Copenhagen, followed by in-depth interviews with selected car2go users (n=12), this paper focuses on the practices and motives related to the use of a freefloating carsharing service in a city with a distinct cycling culture. Data were collected within the first year of the car2go and DriveNow launch. Like in other studies, users were mainly young, highly educated males, living in the city centre. However, different from other studies, they were predominantly daily cyclists. A key finding was that car2go did not substitute or compete with primary transport modes, especially sincecar2go (as well as DriveNow) was only used to a small degree for commuting. Based on in-depth interviews, different motives and user patterns could be identified depending on car ownership status. Non-car owners primarily used car2go for leisure or business trips and for transporting goods, whereas car owners mostly used car2go to avoid driving their private car in the city. For both groups, car2go could not fully cover their car needs. The withdrawal of car2go from Copenhagen after 17 months of operation is reflected based on the identified mobility patterns and user experiences.Free-floating carsharing is emerging in cities around the world. Based on a survey of car2go (n=95) and DriveNow users (n=737) in Copenhagen, followed by in-depth interviews with selected car2go users (n=12), this paper focuses on the practices and motives related to the use of a free-floating car sharing service in a city with a distinct cycling culture. Data were collected within the first year of the car2go and DriveNow launch. Like in other studies, users were mainly young, highly educated males, living in the city centre. However, different from other studies, they were predominantly daily cyclists. A key finding was that car2go did not substitute or compete with primary transport modes, especially since car2go (as well as DriveNow) was only used to a small degree for commuting. Based on in-depth interviews, different motives and user patterns could be identified depending on car ownership status. Non-car owners primarily used car2go for leisure or business trips and for transporting goods, whereas car owners mostly used car2go to avoid driving their private car in the city. For both groups, car2go could not fully cover their car needs. The withdrawal of car2go from Copenhagen after 17 months of operation is reflected based on the identified mobility patterns and user experiences

Bike-rail integration as one sustainable transport solution to reduce car dependence

The level of bike-rail integration (combining cycling with rail) in the UK presents an unrealised sustainable mobility potential: two per cent of rail passengers access the rail network by bicycle, contrasting with 40 per cent in the Netherlands. Cycling on its own has distance limitations but in combination with rail it can substitute for longer car journeys and is one means of reducing car dependence. The overall objective of this PhD research project was to understand existing bike-rail integration behaviour in the UK, using as the research location two stations in the South West of England (Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway), to inform the design, development and implementation of initiatives to increase its incidence. It therefore had two distinct research phases: an exploratory phase and an action research phase. The exploratory phase demonstrated that bike-rail integrators were mainly motivated by saving time or money and taking exercise. The majority were male, in their thirties, in full-time employment and cycled on average 3.7 km to the station. These data in conjunction with a conceptual „ecological‟ model developed from a critical review of behaviour change theory were used to inform the design and implementation of a pay-as-you-go self-hire cycle network (Hourbike) and an intervention to attract car drivers to switch to rail with either walking or cycling access. In the first year of Hourbike, seven per cent of users had never really cycled before and one per cent of car drivers responded to the opportunity to try rail with walking or cycling access rendering rich qualitative data from non-users about the attractors and barriers to bike-rail integration. The process of incorporating theory into practice is described providing useful insights for future interventions which are discussed in the light of theory. Opportunities are identified in the context of the national policy to implement station travel plans which emerged in the latter phases of the research

Bike sharing as part of urban mobility in Helsinki : a user perspective

The number of bike-sharing systems has increased rapidly during the last decade. These systems expand urban mobility options and provide a solution to the so-called “last-mile” problem. While new bike-sharing systems are opened and current ones expanded in Finland and elsewhere in large numbers, it is important to understand how these systems are used and by whom. Despite the wealth of bike-sharing literature, usage patterns by different user groups are still not yet well studied. This knowledge is needed to ensure that the benefits of bike-sharing systems distribute as evenly as possible to the citizens. In this study, I have employed a person-based approach to study mobility patterns of bike-sharing users in Helsinki. The system in Helsinki was opened in 2016 and the urban bikes quickly became popular among citizens. I have aimed to understand how equally the bike-sharing system in Helsinki is serving the citizens and how different user groups have differed from each other in their use. I have also studied how the system is linking to public transport in Helsinki and compared the bike-sharing system usage and users in Helsinki to other systems internationally. These specific questions stem from the systematic literature review on bike-sharing (n=799), which I carried out before the empirical study. In this study, I have used a dataset provided by Helsinki Region Transport, which contained all the bike-sharing trips (~1.5 million) from 2017. Besides the trip information, the dataset contained the basic demographic information of the user. The results of literature review show bike-sharing systems have been an active and extensive study topic even though the study areas are mostly concentrated to certain cities. Based on the empirical data-analysis, majority of bike-sharing users are young adults between 25-35 years old whereas the share of over 50 year olds is only 12 %. Both men and women use urban bikes actively but men are overrepresented both in the number of users and trips. The use of bikes is not equal but a small minority of users have generated the majority of trips. The users who live inside the bike station coverage area make around 80 % of the trips implying that the proximity of a station has a considerable impact on the use. Trip profiles of those living inside the system coverage area differ considerably from those who live outside the area. For example, the users living inside the area seem to combine urban bikes less with public transport and they use urban bikes relatively more on weekends compared to the other group. The subscription type and use activity are also important factors shaping usage patterns. Then again, age and gender are more important in determining whether someone chooses to become a user than in shaping usage patterns. The use of bike-sharing system in Helsinki has been high even when compared internationally. The results of this study show that the high usage rates still do not necessarily mean that the system would be equally used by citizens. Based on the systematic review, equity is a critical topic to address in relation to bike-sharing users. The user profiles in Helsinki seem to follow similar patterns of bike sharing as found in other cities with an overrepresentation of certain population groups. The use of young adults might promise well for the change of urban mobility. However, it is important to keep promoting cycling to a wider range of the population. The bike-sharing system in Helsinki will expand in 2019 to new areas. Based on the results of this study the expansion seems reasonable as a large part of the users live close to a bike-sharing station. The expansion will then bring the full benefits of bike sharing accessible to a larger group of people in Helsinki. The system seems both to replace and extend the public transport system, which is common to bike-sharing systems in many cities. From the data perspective, the origin-destination type of trip data, which was used in this study, provided a great deal of useful information about users and usage profiles. Even when accounting for limitations in this data type, it is still an excellent addition complementing existing cycling data sources

Modelling and visualizing the spatial patterns in access mode choice and the potential for bicycle in access trips in Rio de Janeiro

The present study presents statistical models which identify the main factors affecting access mode choice and the barriers and motivators for the use of bicycle in integration with public transport. Additionally, this study enables the visualization of the spatial patterns of both access mode choice and the potential for bicycle in access trips. Some results are in line with studies conducted in other countries, but also other results show some particularities from the local context.Este trabalho desenvolve um modelo estatístico para identificar os principais fatores que afetam a escolha do meio de transporte em viagens de acesso ao transporte público. Um outro modelo estatístico apresenta as principais barreiras e fatores motivadores para o uso da bicicleta quando integrada ao transporte público. Finalmente, utilizando sistema de informações geográficas, este trabalho possibilita a visualização de padrões espaciais das viagens de acesso ao transporte público e das barreiras e fatores motivadores para o uso da bicicleta quando integrada ao transporte público. Os resultados apresentam semelhanças com estudos desenvolvidos em outros países, mas também apresentam particularidades da realidade local

Bicycle Commuting

Cycling is cheaper, healthier and in urban environments often faster than other transport modes. Nevertheless, even at short distances, many individuals do not cycle. This thesis aims to explain why commuters vary in their decision to bicycle. Results indicate that the individual (day-to-day) choice to commute by bicycle is affected by personal attitudes towards cycling to work, social norms, work situation, weather conditions and trip characteristics. Additionally, this thesis provides evidence that different groups of bicycle commuters exist: non-cyclists, part-time cyclists and full-time cyclists. The mode choice of individuals within these groups (partly) depends on a number of different factors. Non-cyclists seem not to cycle because they consider it impossible, either due to the distance involved, their need to transport goods, the need for a car during office hours, or a negative subjective norm. The decision to cycle among part-time or full-time cyclists is also affected by these factors, but additional factors can be identified. Finally, the day-to-day choice to cycle is based on work characteristics, weather conditions and trip characteristics. Part-time cyclists who cycle only occasionally are encouraged by pleasant weather conditions, while frequent cyclists are found to be discouraged by more practical barriers, such as where they need to work on that day.&nbsp