Distracting or informative? Examining signage for cyclists using eye-tracking

Aasvik, O., & Fyhri, A. (2022). Distracting or informative? Examining signage for cyclists using eye-tracking. Traffic Safety Research, 2, 000013.There is great political motivation to improve conditions for cyclists to help solving the transport needs of the future. We used eye-tracking to collect data and analysed it using a novel machine learning approach. 40 cyclists in total were tasked with navigating a set route through the Oslo city centre. One group before the new infrastructure was in place and one group after. The analysis focused on developing a method that could be used to investigate how a new signage strategy impacted cyclists in Oslo. Improving signage could create safer traffic conditions for cyclists, while avoiding adding distracting elements. The algorithms developed were able to detect and categorize a variety of important objects. The signage system itself seemed to result in some route change among cyclists, but not all followed the suggested route. Qualitative analyses suggests that those who deviated cycled faster and looked less at signs, than those who chose the suggested route. The paper discusses strengths and weaknesses involved in this approach. While useful, one should be careful to conclude that gaze behaviour reflects the true inner consciousness of cyclists.publishedVersio

The effects of a subvention scheme for e-bikes on mode share and active mobility

Introduction Previous studies show substantial mode share effects from e-bikes. E-bike owners cycle more and drive less car than they would without access to an e-bike. Support schemes for e-bikes exist in a number of countries, but knowledge about the effect of subsidies on active transport is limited. The aim of this study is to assess the mode change and active mobility effects of a subvention scheme for e-bikes in Norway. Methods To boost the uptake of e-bikes, Oslo City Council introduced a subvention program (€500) for e-bike purchasers in 2016. Applicants answered to a web-survey at two time points, including a travel diary and questions about overall bicycle usage. In addition, a sub sample used an app to track all their transport activities for two following months (one period of time). Results The survey results from the trial group (N = 382) were compared with two control groups: one from an outside sample of individuals (N = 665) and one consisting of subvention receivers who had not yet purchased the e-bike (N = 214). The survey data shows that the cycling mode share for the trial group increased in the range of 17–22 per cent-points (depending on comparison group) after subsidised e-bike purchase, whereas the app data (comparing mode distribution according to the length of e-bike ownership) suggest a 5 to 14 per cent-point increase. For overall bicycle usage, the survey data shows a significant increase for the trial group in the range of 11.6–19.3 km, compared to the control groups. Conclusion The subvention led to a modal shift (i.e. more cycling) and more overall cycling activity. Our findings indicate that financial incentives may contribute to a boost in active transport, even when the subvention is of a simplistic kind that does not target specific population segments.The effects of a subvention scheme for e-bikes on mode share and active mobilitypublishedVersio

Results and Prospects from NOvA

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino experiment that uses an upgraded NuMI neutrino source at Fermilab and a 14-kton detector at Ash River, Minnesota. The detector has a highly active, finely segmented design that offers superb event identification capability. This talk presents the latest $\nu_\mu$ ($\bar{\nu}_\mu$) disappearance and $\nu_e$ ($\bar{\nu}_e$) appearance combined results using the first NOvA anti-neutrino beam data. In the far detector, 18 $\bar{\nu}_e$ candidate events are observed, with a significance of $\bar{\nu}_e$ appearance more than 4 $\sigma$. The NOvA results favor a normal neutrino mass hierarchy.Comment: Presentation at the 20th International Workshop on Neutrinos from Accelerators (NuFACT2018), 12-18 August 2018, Blacksburg, Virgini

A push to cycling - Exploring the e-bike’s role in overcoming barriers to bicycle use with a survey and an intervention study

In Norway, as in many countries, there is a political goal to increase bicycle use. The electric bicycle (e-bike) is a promising tool for achieving this goal, given the hilliness of the country. However, little is yet known about the deterrents of cycling in Norway in general, and in particular how the purchase of an e-bike could be stimulated. In the current study, 5500 respondents from a convenience sample among car owners were asked about their perceptions of bicycling in general, and of e-bikes in particular as well as their willingness to pay for an e-bike. Randomly selected participants (N=66) were given access to an e-bike for a limited time (2 or 4 weeks). A second questionnaire captured the same perceptions and willingness to pay post-intervention. Results were compared with a control group (N=214). The results showed that those who cycle the least were most interested in buying an e-bike and that prior knowledge of the e-bike corresponded with a higher desire to buy one. Pro-environmental values did not predict interest in e-bikes, neither did norms and attitudes towards cycling. The willingness to pay for an e-bike increased after having experienced the benefits for those who used an e-bike compared to those who did not. Price reduction of the e-bike (e.g. VAT exemption), spread of knowledge among the wider population, and actions to offer an e-bike experience may therefore be effective strategies for further expansion of the e-bike in the transport system and thereby to increase bicycle use in Norway

Children's active travel and independent mobility in four countries: Development, social contributing trends and measures

In many countries a decline in children's active and independent mobility, like walking and cycling is registered. In this paper the development of children's mobility in Denmark, Finland, Great Britain and Norway is compared to examine differences and similarities in these countries. Accessible data are used, which implies that not all of them are directly comparable, but they are employed as indicators of development. The trends are the same in these four countries, an increase in car use and decrease in bicycling and walking. Distance to school has increased, both as a result of bigger units and more children in private schools. Traffic is an important reason for taking children to school by car, but convenience for the parents is also part of it. Organized leisure activities has also contributed to less walking and cycling, in addition to more time pressure in families, increased access to car(s) and easier access to parents as a ‘transport service’ by the help of the mobile phone. The measures that different countries use in trying to meet the challenges of children's mobility tend to focus on the school trip and most often on traffic safety, both at national and local levels

Measuring exposure for cyclists and micro-mobility users

Data about bicycle usage is an important input parameter for several purposes. They are used to describe changes towards more sustainable transport, and partly to say something about changes towards more active transport as opposed to passive modes oftransport. Importantly such data are used as the denominator when calculating crash risk: for cyclists. In Norway, as in most countries, these data are captured in several ways today. This is partly done by using data from the national travel behavior survey, partly using figures from stationazy or mobile bicycle counters, and partly using other methods such as manual counts, etc. The technological development has provided several new opportunities to register such travel, in the form of more advanced stationary counters, advanced algorithms that interprets signal data, video recording solutions and app-based measurement systems. At the sam.e time, we see that development in the transport sector also creates new challenges. In just a few years, electric scooters have radically changed the traffic picture in cities and towns in Norway. There is therefore a need for more knowledge about different forms of ways to measure bicycle and micro-mobility use, their strengths and weaknesses, and what kind of strategies the authorities should have to be equipped to meet future changes in the transport field, as exemplified by the recent intlux of e-scooters. The current paper aims to respond to these challenges by answering the following research questions: • What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of different data sources for measuring cycling and micromobility use? • How weil do the different sources function to capture micromobility and to differentiate between traditional cycling and micromobility? • How can the different data sources be used as input for calculating crash risk for various forms of soft mobility (i.e. cycling and micromobility)

Testing the Effect of Hedge Height on Perceived Safety-A Landscape Design Intervention

Access to safe, green urban environments is important for quality of life in cities. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of a safety-enhancing landscape design measure on visitors' experiences in an urban park. Additionally, this paper combines the use of field and virtual reality (VR) experiments, contributing methodological insights into how to evaluate safety measures in green space management and research on perceived safety. In a field experiment (n = 266), we explored whether the height of a hedge along a pathway influenced perceived safety among users. The field study showed that cutting down the hedge improved the perceived prospect of the immediate surrounding areas for female users, which again made them feel safer in the park. We developed a VR experiment for an evening scenario in the same environment (n = 19) to supplement the field study and test the effect of the intervention further. The VR experiment also found a gender effect on perceived safety, with females reporting lower perceived safety, but no effect was shown for the height of the hedge. The results in this study show that environmental attributes such as perceived prospect and concealment should be considered in the design and management of urban green spaces. Additionally, this research demonstrates an approach to conducting field experiments to test the effects of actual design interventions and then further developing these experiments using VR technology. Further research on perceived safety in outdoor spaces is needed to make use of this combined method's potential

Bicycle-friendly cities: The relevance of urban form and infrastructure

This report presents the results of a study with the overall aim of analysing the extent to which urbanform and the design of the transport system can explain the level of cycling. The analysis is based onpublished studies of the relationship between cycling and various properties of the physical urbanenvironment. A statistical meta-analysis, of aggregated variables, was carried out based on dataextraction from relevant published studies as well as an analysis of the conclusions drawn in a number ofreview articles. The report concludes with an analysis of what options and grounds exist to provideplanners with guidelines to encourage cycling in urban areas.The analysis showed that all aggregate variables that were included in the statistical meta-analysis had asignificant impact on bicycle use. The main contribution of this work is in providing a quantitativemeasure of their effects. Distance was the most important factor associated with levels of bicycle use andthe association was negative (r = -0.61 to -0.40), as would be expected. The other variables included inthe analysis were positively associated with bicycle use. Land use, which was operationalised asmeasures of density and accessibility, was the second most important variable (r = +0.03 to +0.47). Othervariables in the analysis included the transport system (r = +0.11 to +0.29), the urban environment(r = 0.12 to 0.27), and safety (r = 0.08 to 0.21). The transport system variable was represented bymeasures of the street and bicycle network density, and the presence and quality of infrastructure forcycling. The urban environment covered various properties such as type of housing and neighborhood,but also aesthetic qualities and attractiveness, and safety included both safety and security. The findingsagreed well with the results from the analysis of conclusions in published reviews addressing theseissues.In practical planning, the relative importance of the identified variables, and factors included, need to beevaluated in each specific case, since current conditions have a large influence on what effect can beexpected from different measures. Deficits in one area can not be compensated with measures in another.Instead, comprehensive programs and interventions in urban and transport planning are highly importantto motivate increased bicycle use. Such an approach, however, requires a common understanding andexpectations of city and traffic development in policy and planning, involving both citizens and otherstakeholders

From cars to bikes : the feasibility and effect of using e-bikes, longtail bikes and traditional bikes for transportation among parents of children attending kindergarten : design of a randomized cross-over trial

Background: The present study aims to increase bicycling and level of physical activity (PA), and thereby promote health in parents of toddlers, by giving access to different bicycle types. There is a need for greater understanding of e-bikes and their role in the transportation network, and further effects on PA levels and health. Moreover, longtail bikes could meet certain practical needs not fulfilled by e-bikes or traditional bikes, hence increased knowledge regarding their feasibility should be obtained. No previous studies have investigated whether providing an e-bike or a longtail bike over an extended period in a sample of parents of toddlers influence objectively assessed amount of bicycling and total PA level, transportation habits, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure. Methods: A randomized cross-over trial will be performed, entailing that participants in the intervention group (n = 18) complete the following intervention arms in random order: (i) three months access to an e-bicycle with trailer for child transportation (n = 6), (ii) three months access to a longtail bicycle (n = 6), and (iii) three months access to a regular bicycle with trailer (n = 6), in total nine months. Also, a control group (n = 18) maintaining usual transportation and PA habits will be included. A convenience sample consisting of 36 parents of toddlers residing in Kristians and municipality, Southern Norway, will be recruited. Total amount of bicycling (distance and time), total level of PA, and transportation habits will be measured at baseline and in connection to each intervention arm. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and blood pressure will be measured at baseline and post-intervention. Main outcome will be bicycling distance and time spent cycling. Discussion: New knowledge relevant for the timely issues of public health and environmental sustainability will be provided among parents of toddlers, representing a target group of greatest importance. There is a call for research on the influence of e-bikes and longtail bikes on travel behavior and PA levels, and whether voluntary cycling could improve health. If the present study reveals promising results, it should be replicated in larger and more representative samples. Eventually, inclusion in national public health policies should be considered

Cumbersome but desirable – Breaking the code of everyday cycling

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