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

Environmental exposure during travel : A research review and suggestions forward

Daily travel through the urban fabric exposes urban dwellers to a range of environmental conditions that may have an impact on their health and wellbeing. Knowledge about exposures during travel, their associations with travel behavior, and their social and health outcomes are still limited. In our review, we aim to explain how the current environmental exposure research addresses the interactions between human and environmental systems during travel through their spatial, temporal and contextual dimensions. Based on the 104 selected studies, we identify significant recent advances in addressing the spatiotemporal dynamics of exposure during travel. However, the conceptual and methodological framework for understanding the role of multiple environmental exposures in travel environments is still in an early phase, and the health and wellbeing impacts at individual or population level are not well known. Further research with greater geographical balance is needed to fill the gaps in the empirical evidence, and linking environmental exposures during travel with the causal health and wellbeing outcomes. These advancements can enable evidence-based urban and transport planning to take the next step in advancing urban livability.Peer reviewe

The 15-minute city for all? – Measuring individual and temporal variations in walking accessibility

Popular concepts in urban planning, like the 15-minute city, suggest that everyday services should be accessible to everyone within “walking distance”. However, walking distance is usually considered from the perspective of the average person, and little effort is made to understand the temporal (daily and seasonal) variation in walking accessibility. If our aim is to create inclusive cities, we also need to address the realities of vulnerable population groups. In this study, we analysed how walking accessibility landscapes vary temporally and between population groups particularly focusing on the diverse realities of older people. We hypothesised that the temporal variation, especially seasonal, disproportionately influences their range of mobility options. To test this, we first recorded walking speeds in Finland’s Helsinki Metropolitan Area during dry and winter season. We then created and compared accessibility landscapes between groups with different walking characteristics by integrating data on seasonal walking speeds, diurnal activity opening hours, and the (residential) locations of people. We showed that the diurnal variation has the largest effect on walking accessibility in the study area over seasonal and age-related variation when these variables are considered separately. Combined, these variations can explain reductions in accessibility that, in the worst-case scenario result in only 34% of the older population having 15-minute walking access to the closest grocery shop, compared to a baseline of 93%. However, the intra-group variation between population groups and road conditions remains large. The study highlights the importance of considering the variation in people’s walking abilities, road conditions and service network when modelling walking accessibility. This is particularly important for vulnerable population groups, such as older people, who often rely on running errands on foot and may have impaired mobility. The results support spatial planners to mitigate social and spatial inequalities and help them to promote environmentally sustainable transport.Peer reviewe

What do trip data reveal about bike-sharing system users?

Bike-sharing systems (BSS) have rapidly been established in many cities worldwide. The benefits that systems potentially provide are increasingly debated with concerns that the BSS may mostly benefit limited groups of citizens. Understanding how, when and by whom these systems are used may help to plan the system to be widely employed and inclusive. Trip data generated by the BSS are among the more analysed data types in the BSS literature, as they are often readily available for scholarly use. Most often, trip data are used to study the origins and destinations of the trips and their spatial patterns. In this paper, we focus on analysing how well trip data can be used to understand the demographic characteristics and usage profiles of BSS users. We first analysed the use of BSS trip data in the recent scholarly literature. We then used data from the Helsinki BSS from 2017 (similar to 1.5 million trips) as a case to study the potential of trip data for future BSS studies. The Helsinki BSS, launched in 2016, is considered to have been a success, as it exhibits one of the highest use rates in the world. We aimed to understand how this popular system has served different user groups. We demonstrate the value of BSS trip data in understanding user characteristics and usage profiles and show that trip data have not yet been fully used for these purposes in the scholarly literature. Even considering its limitations, trip data can provide information that it is important for BSS managers and urban planners when understanding and developing the system inclusiveness. In Helsinki, we show that the BSS use is largely contributed by a limited group of people whose home area and daily travel needs likely align well with the system network. These findings point to challenges in system inclusiveness despite the internationally high use rates.Peer reviewe

Cyclists’ exposure to air pollution, noise, and greenery: a population-level spatial analysis approach

Urban travel exposes people to a range of environmental qualities with significant health and wellbeing impacts. Nevertheless, the understanding of travel-related environmental exposure has remained limited. Here, we present a novel approach for population-level assessment of multiple environmental exposure for active travel. It enables analyses of (1) urban scale exposure variation, (2) alternative routes’ potential to improve exposure levels per exposure type, and (3) by combining multiple exposures. We demonstrate the approach’s feasibility by analysing cyclists’ air pollution, noise, and greenery exposure in Helsinki, Finland. We apply an in-house developed route-planning and exposure assessment software and integrate to the analysis 3.1 million cycling trips from the local bike-sharing system. We show that especially noise exposure from cycling exceeds healthy thresholds, but that cyclists can influence their exposure by route choice. The proposed approach enables planners and individual citizens to identify (un)healthy travel environments from the exposure perspective, and to compare areas in respect to how well their environmental quality supports active travel. Transferable open tools and data further support the implementation of the approach in other cities.Peer reviewe

Relationships among Bicycle Rider Behaviours, Anger, Aggression, and Crashes in Finland

Riding a bicycle is increasingly encouraged as a sustainable transport solution, especially in urban areas. However, safety concerns, both perceived and actual, can significantly lower the willingness to ride among the population. To support cycling planning and policy in the double task of increasing the levels of cycling while mitigating crash risk, there is a need to better understand the behaviours and attitudes of bicycle riders. In this manuscript, we study a cohort of Finnish bicycle riders through four questionnaires, the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ), Cyclist Risk Perception and Regulation Scale (RPRS), Cyclist Anger Scale (CAS), and Cyclist Aggression Expression Inventory (CAX). Our findings show low self-reported errors and violations, and high levels of knowledge regarding traffic rules among Finnish bicycle riders. Most participants report low levels of aggression, which is generally dealt with in constructive ways, while anger was most commonly a result of interactions with motor vehicles and less with other road users such as pedestrians. To further reduce the crash risk in cycling, our results point to the need for further separation between bicycle riders and motorised vehicles, and for the development of risk perception and positive behaviours among riders, particularly those engaging in risky behaviours.Peer reviewe

Relationships among Bicycle Rider Behaviours, Anger, Aggression, and Crashes in Finland

Riding a bicycle is increasingly encouraged as a sustainable transport solution, especially in urban areas. However, safety concerns, both perceived and actual, can significantly lower the willingness to ride among the population. To support cycling planning and policy in the double task of increasing the levels of cycling while mitigating crash risk, there is a need to better understand the behaviours and attitudes of bicycle riders. In this manuscript, we study a cohort of Finnish bicycle riders through four questionnaires, the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ), Cyclist Risk Perception and Regulation Scale (RPRS), Cyclist Anger Scale (CAS), and Cyclist Aggression Expression Inventory (CAX). Our findings show low self-reported errors and violations, and high levels of knowledge regarding traffic rules among Finnish bicycle riders. Most participants report low levels of aggression, which is generally dealt with in constructive ways, while anger was most commonly a result of interactions with motor vehicles and less with other road users such as pedestrians. To further reduce the crash risk in cycling, our results point to the need for further separation between bicycle riders and motorised vehicles, and for the development of risk perception and positive behaviours among riders, particularly those engaging in risky behaviours.Peer reviewe

The green view dataset for the capital of Finland, Helsinki

Recent studies have incorporated human perspective methods like making use of street view images and measuring green view in addition to more traditional ways of mapping city greenery [1]. Green view describes the relative amount of green vegetation visible at street level and is often measured with the green view index (GVI), which describes the percentage of green vegetation in a street view image or images of a certain location [2]. The green view dataset of Helsinki was created as part of the master's thesis of Akseli Toikka at the University of Helsinki [3]. We calculated the GVI values for a set of locations on the streets of Helsinki using Google Street View (GSV) 360° panorama images from summer months (May through September) between 2009 and 2017. From the available images, a total of 94 454 matched the selection criteria. These were downloaded using the Google application programming interface (API). We calculated the GVI values from the panoramas based on the spectral characteristics of green vegetation in RGB images. The result was a set of points along the street network with GVI values. By combining the point data with the street network data of the area, we generated a dataset for GVI values along the street centre lines. Streets with GVI points within a threshold distance of 30 meters were given the average of the GVI values of the points. For the streets with no points in the vicinity (∼67%), the land cover data from the area was used to estimate the GVI, as suggested in the thesis [3]. The point and street-wise data are stored in georeferenced tables that can be utilized for further analyses with geographical information systems.Peer reviewe

Geoinformatiikan opetus Suomessa : tilannekatsaus vuonna 2016

Geoinformatiikan opetus suomalaisissa yliopistoissa muuttuu vauhdilla. Muutoksen taustalla on yhtäällä yliopistojen koulutusohjelmien yleiset muutokset ja toisaalta alan yleisen yleinen kehitysvauhti. Nopeasti muuttuvassa ympäristöstä nykytilan ymmärryksen rooli korostuu. Tämä raportti kartoittaa geoinformatiikan yliopisto-opetuksen tilaa Suomessa lukuvuonna 2016-2017. Se kokoaa yhteen opetuksen tarjontaa, sisältöjä ja laajuuksia kuudessa geoinformatiikkaa eniten opettavassa yliopistossa Suomessa. Selvitys laadittiiin geoinformatiikan yliopistoverkosto FIUGINETin puitteissa ja tarkastelussa ovat olleet mukana kaikki verkoston jäsenyliopistot. Tarkastelun kimmokkeena oli Helsingin geotieteiden ja maantieteen laitoksen tarve uudistaa geoinformatiikan opetusta syksystä 2017 alkaen, mutta tarkastelu tehtiin yhteistyössä geoinformatiikkaa opettavien laitosten kanssa. Tiedot kerättiin opetustaulukkoon, johon kurssien perustietojen lisäksi listattiin myös kuinka syvällisesti mikin kurssi käsitteli geoinformatiikan eri sisältöjä. Lopuksi vastuuhenkilöt kultakin laitokselta tarkistivat ja täydensivät taulukon tietoja. Tulokset osoittavat, että geoinformatiikan kursseja on paljon tarjolla Suomen yliopistoissa ja ylempään korkeakoulututkintoon geoinformatiikassa on mahdollisuus neljässä yliopistossa. Opetus painottuu syventäviin opintoihin ja se annetaan kanditasolla pääosin suomeksi, mutta maisterivaiheessa lähinnä englanniksi. Opetuksen painopiste on erilaisissa analyyseissa, datan keräämisessä ja tuottamisessa, sekä sen hallinnassa. Kaikkiaan geoinformatiikan teknisempiä osa-alueita opetetaan melko vähän, ja saattaa olla, että niille olisi enemmänkin kysyntää. Erikoistumista laitosten välillä on havaittavissa, sillä opetuksen sisällöissä on selvästi erilaisia painotuksia laitosten välillä. Geoinformatiikan opetuksen yhtenä haasteena onkin yhtäällä valmistaa opiskelijoita mahdollisimman hyvin työelämään ja toisaalta kehittää heidän kriittistä ajattelukykyään. Osaamisen tarpeiden muuttuessa yhteistyön lisääminen yliopiston ja yhteiskunnankin eri toimijoiden välillä on entistä tärkeämpää. Tulevaisuudessa geoinformatiikka todennäköisesti jatkaa leviämistään uusille aloille ja myös tässä kehityksessä geoinformatiikkaa opettavilla yksiköillä on tärkeä rooli