ABSTRACT. Promoting sustainable mobility, particularly cycling, is crucial for combating climate change and enhancing overall well-being. Strategies range from 'hard' measures such as infrastructure design to 'soft' measures such as digital nudging techniques, including personalized travel planners, to promote cycling.

Despite both physical and digital interventions aiming for behavioral change, opinions diverge over whether the design of physical environments constitutes a nudge. This debate has led to a fragmented and inconsistent landscape of interventions, burdening their effectiveness in promoting cycling. Additionally, the success of digital nudges often hinges on how users perceive the physical environment, yet these interventions are rarely designed concurrently. This underscores the need for a cohesive approach to nudging as a multifaceted behavioral change strategy in the mobility domain, necessitating a clear and integrated definition of various nudging strategies.

We introduce the Spatial Nudging framework — a theory-based framework that delineates nudging practices in the mobility domain and clarifies what constitutes a nudge, using insights from the Nudge Theory and the Theory of Affordances. Our study involves a comprehensive review and mapping of existing nudging practices aimed at travel behavior change. Informed by behavioral theories, we define the role of the physical environment in shaping these strategies, emphasizing the importance of perceived affordances.

The framework offers an integrated perspective on nudging interventions for sustainable mobility. As a result, we identify four distinct types of nudging: physical, digital, context-aware, and spatial nudging. Additionally, the framework allows us to define applied nudging techniques along three dimensions: what nudges target, where they target, and how they target travel behavior. Ultimately, the work lays a theoretical foundation for future research on integrating physical and digital interventions to promote sustainable mobility. However, real-world use cases remain essential to gain empirical evidence to support the Spatial Nudging framework.

ABSTRACT. In dense urban environments, where congestion is a fundamental problem, the adoption of sustainable transport schemes is now imperative to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and air or noise pollution and decrease energy consumption. Among the sustainable mobility modes, e-bikes have earned significant popularity. They have emerged as a viable solution for cities seeking to shift away from car dominance. Yet, the complexity of the urban road environments, described by the cross-section design and the static (e.g., equipment, marking, etc) and moving objects (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians), creates safety concerns that impact the utility of e-bikes. Indeed, perceived safety acts as an intermediate parameter; it is influenced by the road environment while affecting travel behavior, i.e., mode and route choice. The Value-of-Safety (VoS), which refers to the additional distance a user is willing to exchange to avoid an unsafe path, has some interesting implications in shaping the predominant mobility culture in a city. Agent-based simulation experiments, which were run in the car-dominated central areas of Athens, Greece, revealed that the implementation of dedicated cycle lanes increases the mean accessibility and the share of e-bike trips. Simultaneously, traffic-calming networks can balance safety perceptions ensuring equitable conditions and a smooth travel experience for both car drivers and e-cyclists. Another application showed that the efficiency of an e-cargo bike logistic service is affected by spatial and temporal differences in perceived safety. In certain urban areas, the determination of optimal paths for e-bikes was proved to be extremely sensitive to the road environment. This once more results in prolonged distances and delivery times, thus undermining the comparative advantage of these services: flexibility.

ABSTRACT. Greenhouse gas emissions cause global warming threatening urban areas. The car-based transport sector is a major contributor, affecting urban quality of life and human health. Implementing strategies to promote active mobility and cycling can be an effective solution. The aim of our study is to investigate the likelihood of students to choose cycling as a mode of transport to get to university, specifically focusing on the role of linear green infrastructure along cycle routes. We conducted an online survey including a discrete choice experiment between April and June 2023 with 2,131 students at the University of Trieste (Italy). We estimated fixed parameter logit models. According to our results, the willingness to use a bike sharing service increases if the service is convenient and affordable, while it is not significantly affected by the presence of bike racks, charging stations for electric bicycles, and trees along cycle routes. With regard to the willingness to use private bicycle, instead, we found that it is significantly positively influenced by the presence of linear green infrastructure along cycle routes and by the availability of secured bicycle racks and electric bicycle charging points. Our findings are promising and contribute to the current European debate on how effectively promote cycling while maintaining the quality of urban life. Our study focuses on university students only, however, young people are the most promising segment of the population for bicycling due to their better physical fitness and lack of economic independence required to own or afford a car. Our research offers valuable insights for urban design and provides practical guidelines to promote cycling mobility and develop more resilient and environmentally friendly cities.

ABSTRACT. City Thread is a US-based national non-profit organisation who collaborate with diverse teams of elected officials, city staff, community leaders, funders, and residents to identify and address urban mobility problems in cities across the United States. A major component of City Thread’s work is the implementation of the Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP), a toolkit for successful urban mobility project delivery, implementation, and community engagement which is used by multiple cities. In February 2024, the Urban Cycling Institute commenced a multi-year research project which aims to assist City Thread in unpacking the mechanisms and conditions of change which impact their work. The project will employ a comparative case study methodology, situating the city of Bentonville in Northwest Arkansas as the primary city, and Carmel, Indiana as the comparator. The primary phase of the research, a mixed methods approach utilising policy and document analysis, interviews, and focus groups with key multidisciplinary stakeholders, will be conducted in Q2 2024 to understand the varying structures and systems in both cities. At the time of the Cycling Research Board Annual Meeting, it is anticipated that results from this preliminary phase of the research will be presented. Moreover, the overarching methodological approach for the remainder of the project will be presented. The overall anticipated outcomes for this research project are an understanding of the mechanisms of change of the work of City Thread which can be shared and scaled up to other contexts.

ABSTRACT. Introduction The multifaceted benefits of increasing physical activity levels in those who are inactive has been suggested to hold significant impacts for public health. Walking and cycling can act as an easy way to incorporate physical activity into daily life which can lead to substantial health and societal benefits. Data suggest there are low levels of physical activity in Bonaire, an island in the Caribbean Netherlands, where less than 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity.

Methods The Urban Cycling Institute, supported by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport began a 4 year research project to enhance active mobility on the island of Bonaire in January 2024. In year 1, a literature review, GIS mapping and interviews with key stakeholders in Bonaire will be employed to understand current levels, and barriers and facilitators, to active mobility on Bonaire. In year 2, particular focus will be placed on understanding the good practice interventions and areas for future focus within the system of active mobility on Bonaire. In the third year of the project, interventions addressing specific gaps outlined by stakeholders in year 2 will be co-developed. In the final year of the project, stakeholder consultations will be conducted to co-design an action plan and policy recommendations for active mobility on the island of Bonaire in 2028.

Anticipated outcomes This project is intended to be pragmatic and iterative, where findings from research activities will be used to inform practice in Bonaire, and vice versa. Overall, the project will gather context-specific data to inform the development of an action plan and policy recommendations to increase active mobility on the island of Bonaire.

ABSTRACT. This study will investigate the potential of cycling as a catalyst for immigrant integration and social inclusion in contexts where cycling culture is absent and governmental support is lacking. Drawing on contrasting cases from South Africa and Perú, where immigrants face distinct challenges, this research seeks to examine why grassroots cycling initiatives thrive in one context while faltering in another. In South Africa, township residents, primarily immigrants from various countries of Africa endure long commutes to access employment opportunities amidst economic constraints and limited public transport, however, social stigma associated with cycling is prevalent among residents and hinders its potential. Conversely, in Perú, a group of Venezuelan immigrants initiated a cycling collective that rapidly gained traction among both Venezuelans and Peruvians, fostering a sense of belonging and social cohesion. By analysing the motivations, successes, and challenges of these initiatives, this research aims to identify key factors driving the Peruvian case's success and its potential to influence governmental support. This research underscores the significance of bottom-up approaches in promoting immigrant integration.

ABSTRACT. For a city that was established due to the development of transport infrastructure, Nairobi is lagging when it comes to catering to the ever-changing transportation needs of its residents.

Non-Motorized Transport(NMT) mode accounts for more than half of the trips made within the Nairobi CBD. Among these, cycling makes up a very small percentage. The major factors preventing the popularity of different modes of cycling are; the failure to uphold policies that have been created over the years, and the lack of safe, continuous cycling lanes and complementary cycling infrastructure. Do these policies even exist and what guides their formulation?

This study aims to understand the history of Nairobi’s cycling policy, to look at how the existing infrastructure can be leveraged to attract more cyclists and to provide information about cycling in African cities that are especially missing from major conversations being had around the topic in the global north.

The research adopts the literature review of papers done around the same topics, and a review of the Nairobi city plans as a method of data collection. We also use qualitative interviews of stakeholders working on cycling promotion and policies in Nairobi city.

This paper sheds light on the issue of cycling in Nairobi CBD and proposes questions on future research around the topic.

ABSTRACT. Multimodal integration is currently being discussed as a way to challenge the dominance of automobility by offering a vision of interconnected urban mobility that can provide an attractive alternative to private car ownership. In this article, we explore multimodal integration through a vélomobility lens by analysing the urban mobility system as a network of connected and disconnected actions, using the organisational concept of an action net. Combining critical organisation studies and a mobilities perspective, the article provides an insight into the role of cycling in the current and envisioned integrated urban mobility system. The analysis is based on actions taken with the intention to promote integrated mobility during one year in two Swedish cities.

We identify physical, digital and conceptual boundary objects that support (and hinder) actions to connect: (1) Bike & Ride facilities and bike-sharing docking stations operate and bridge the boundary between the cycling and public transport domains, providing a durable connection between the actions that support each mode; (2) the regional travel planning app plays a crucial role in coordinating the multimodal journey, but also in delimiting this multimodality in a way that excludes and marginalises cycling; (3) the ‘whole journey’ concept emphasises the role of cycling in the first-and-last-mile and acts, to some extent, as a counterpoint to fragmented responsibilities and modal share targets at municipal and regional level.

The results also show that while many actions have a future-oriented focus and relate to ‘innovative’ or ‘smart’ solutions, cycling integration is primarily achieved through everyday, mundane planning, thus challenging the pro-innovation bias in future sustainable mobility visions. Furthermore, while actions taken to support emerging forms of smart and shared mobility may help to challenge automobility and promote cycling, this is contingent on the mode being packaged into a commercial service.

ABSTRACT. Cycling is an essential component in making our cities more sustainable and livable. Numerous factors are shaping a city’s cycling culture. However, it is usually hard to grasp the term ‘culture’, not to mention trying to define it. This presentation offers a glimpse into which factors and stakeholders shape a cycling culture based on a master’s thesis completed at Aalto University in the autumn of 2023.

The case study for this thesis is the City of Oulu, commonly recognised as the winter cycling capital of Finland. Usually, Oulu’s success is traced back to its well-planned cycling infrastructure with a separated cycling lane network established in the 60s, alongside reliable and well-planned winter maintenance providing service 24/7 on the main routes during winter. However, what is interesting about Oulu is the fact that winter cycling is considered a convenient everyday means of transportation. Instead of the classic portrayal of a ‘sporty, tough, mostly male’ winter cyclist, the City of Oulu has succeeded in creating a picture of cycling being something fun, a social activity, for everyone and everyday purposes.

The idea for the CRB conference is to transform the framework from winter cycling to cycling culture in general. It includes a mixture of theoretical background, exploring the importance of including culture as an aspect of cycling planning, and practical insights into which factors and stakeholders shape the cycling culture. The main aim of the presentation is to provide food for thought/action on how to shape your city’s cycling culture.

ABSTRACT. Cycling is often framed as ‘active’ modes of transport and mobility around the category of a ‘standard’ non-disabled bicyclist. Such representations tend to marginalize people outside the cycling mobility norm, for instance, people with disabilities – including elderly people challenged to participate in ‘normal’ bicycling. Yet, mobilities scholarship has evidenced the importance of diversified cycling representations for inclusive and just mobilities. This study aims to foreground assisted cycling services for senior care-home residents. It departs from the work of the non-profit organization Cycling Without Age which offers cycling trips in adapted tricycles for people challenged to experience cycling on their own. It is empirically based in central Uppsala, Sweden, where we conduct trips with care-home residents from several care facilities using questionnaires to assess their general well-being before and after each trip to capture their cycling experience. We present preliminary findings from these trips. Our tentative results confirm previously established benefits of assisted cycling services on the well-being of care-home residents in other contexts. We identify benefits that revolve around a diversification of care-home residents’ mobilities and its corollaries, such as experiencing social interactions outside their everyday environments. Building on these findings, we see the potential to increase assisted cycling services in Uppsala further. More than 40 cycles are currently available at different care homes in Uppsala municipality. Their frequent utilization depends on, for instance, the active engagement of care workers volunteers to proliferate inclusive cycling services. Based on based on survey data from these groups, we identify both challenges and opportunities for care-home residents’ increased participation in cycling.

The contribution presents preliminary findings of the Formas-financed project “Inclusive Cycling Mobilities in Uppsala”, a collaboration between SLU, Uppsala Kommun, Cycling Without Age Sweden, and the Red Cross Uppsala.

ABSTRACT. Proposals for new infrastructure typically generate at least some opposition. Planners and other officials will often attempt to engage in outreach via public meetings in order to learn about potential stumbling blocks and address them. Unfortunately, by the time the public meetings take place, objections have already circulated on social media. Opponents leverage social media to gain support for their side, often by promulgating misinformation. This can leave public officials in a bind, as they may not be prepared to answer objections in a manner that can quickly tamp down counterfactual assertions. If they assume a defensive strategy, they risk further emboldening opponents, who may sense weakness, to fight the current proposal and, perhaps, ones yet to be proffered. Fortunately, objections to infrastructure for people on bikes tend to have some commonalities. This creates the potential for a ready-made strategy covering such proposals. This strategy should leverage social media to prepare the ground in advance of likely opposition, potentially muting it before it can build. Academia has a vital role to play in this, as practitioners have access to research that can back up arguments in favor of bicycle infrastructure. In order to make this research easily accessible, academic institutions must also use social media to create talking points that planners can use in their efforts. Given this, how best can academic institutions put forth their expertise on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and others? Each social media outlet has differences in audience and technical requirements which can affect a post’s length, format (such as video), and aggressiveness. This latter aspect can be particularly tricky, as it involves a political skill that some may not be comfortable with. This should be a workshop where audience participation is encouraged, as the social media landscape is constantly in flux.

ABSTRACT. While Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for cars are well-established in most high-income economies, the integration of advanced technologies in bicycles (ADAS-B) is less pronounced [1]. At a practical level, it is commonly assumed that ADAS-B offer an opportunity to improve the cycling experience, user behavior, and safety-related outcomes [2]. However, user-focused studies have shown that the adoption of technological advances for cycling highly depends on the willingness of cyclists to use and invest in these innovations [3]. Moreover, technology acceptance is influenced, among other factors, by cultural differences — even within different European countries [4]. Additionally, the quality of existing cycling infrastructure presumably influences attitudes towards novel bicycle technologies [5]. Differences in cycling cultures and infrastructure [6] thus require cross-country approaches to ADAS-B acceptance. The objective of the present study was to analyze the acceptance of ten different ADAS-B features using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework [7]. The study was conducted in four European countries: Spain (n=560), Germany (n=505), Austria (n=tba), and Switzerland (n=534). The data was collected as part of a large, international cycling behavior project (BikeBarometer2023). The study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Which ADAS-B features are most accepted by cyclists? (2) What factors influence the acceptance of ADAS-B? (3) Are there cross-country differences in the acceptance of ADAS-B, and if so, what are they? The outcomes can be summarized as follows: First, acceptance levels vary considerably between different ADAS-B features. The most accepted features are for warning other users, increasing visibility, and post-crash features. Secondly, the most relevant factors influencing the intention to use ADAS-B are their perceived contribution to safety, ease of use, and willingness to pay. Thirdly, cross-country comparisons reveal differences in acceptance ratings, which are also associated with cyclists’ individual characteristics, such as age, gender, and cycling experience.

ABSTRACT. The majority of bicycle accidents go unreported, posing significant challenges for accident research and infrastructure planning. In response, we are developing a new feature within the established platform bikeable.ch, a community-driven tool for reporting infrastructure issues.

The new accident reporting tool allows users to easily document (near) accidents online via both a mobile app and website and will have been online for about 3 months at the time of the conference. The reporting will be based on the federal highways police report template for bicycle accidents, which allows to compare the collected data with reported incidents.

The data will be made available to researchers and municipalities, enabling ongoing or project-based analysis of accident information. Benefits to stakeholders include access to a platform for the continuous collection of qualitative and quantitative data, with opportunities for stakeholder and community engagement in its development. Leveraging an existing and growing community of cyclists, stakeholders can improve research and planning practices by identifying hidden accident hotspots and preventing future incidents.

ABSTRACT. When seeking input data to create a model including cycling or, less elaborately, to answer a question concerning cycling in general, researchers and practitioners alike are looking for representative data. In contrast to the high demand, the literature scarcely provides consistent methods, whether the cycling data in question is representative. We focus on the representativeness of different sources for cycling indicators and the implications regarding their suitability to answer differing (planning)questions.

Representativeness is usually referred to in the context of sampling methods, i.e. reducing the sampling bias to obtain a representative sample of the population in question (e.g., Ortúzar and Willumsen (2024)). However, as Leao et al. (2019) argue regarding GPS data, a sample may be representative according to one or more criteria, while not being by other criteria. In extension to existing approaches, we investigate in which aspects different data sources can be considered representative (e.g., demographics, time, volumes).

Primary sources for cycling indicators as volumes, distances, etc. can be grouped into three parts: — Surveys with mobility focus in general or cycling in specific, — (Permanent)counters that provide the number of cyclists passing, — GPS tracks as part of campaigns or smartphone applications. We apply the methods for evaluation of the sources to exemplary data sets and interpret the results for implications regarding planning practices. The reference data sets (Figure 1) consist of cycling-specific data from about 500 permanent counters throughout Germany as well as GPS tracks and a user survey of a nationwide campaign. As general mobility surveys, we consult data from the nationwide household survey “MiD” and the urban-focused “SrV”.

As a result, we provide a framework on how to assess the representativeness of existing bicycle specific data sources, implications for applicability in different planning contexts and how best to combine data sources to maximize information.

ABSTRACT. Efforts to improve cycling infrastructure are being discussed and implemented across cities around the world, including in Switzerland. The primary goal of this new infrastructure is usually to make cycling safer and more comfortable, thus better accommodating current cyclists while also attracting new riders, that is, incentivizing modal shifts. A key question in this context is whether, where, and how often cycling is an effective mode of transport in terms of travel time compared to alternative modes. The more effective cycling as a mode, the more sense it makes to actively promote cycling infrastructure from an integrated policy perspective. Here, we use a previously developed multi-scale travel time engine to estimate the travel time with different modes for millions of origin-destination pairs across several cities in Switzerland. Based on these estimations, we evaluate the access in terms of travel time that is provided by bicycle in comparison to other modes for different trip purposes. We conduct this analysis twice: once for regular bicycles, and once for e-bikes, yielding highly spatially resolved maps for the accessibility level of service provided with the two types of bicycles. Finally, we derive implications for citizens and policy makers in terms of for socio-economic benefits of a strengthened cycling infrastructure.

ABSTRACT. We want to present the findings of our study in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) on the evaluation of cycling guidance under constrained road conditions, conducted between 2022 and 2024 by an interdisciplinary and international research team. Guiding bicycle traffic under constrained conditions often presents a unique challenge, as optimal solutions are not realisable and conflicts tend to accumulate. However, finding the best solution possible is of great importance for the promotion of subjectively and objectively safe cycling. Although the guidelines allow for a wide range of measures, evidence-based recommendations are needed. Therefore, it was the goal to assess which infrastructural solutions are the best in such situations and to derive recommendations concerning measures for planning practice. Empirical data was collected on different routes with various bicycle traffic guidance measures. Mobile and stationary sensor technology (ultrasound, LIDAR, video) was used to measure objective safety (vehicle overtaking maneuvers) and surveys and human sensor data to assess subjective safety. The results show that regardless of infrastructure type, country, or speed regime, medians mostly range between 1.0m and 1.3m. The only infrastructure type where a median of more than 1.5m was observed was on a core carriageway with a narrow core and wide bicycle lanes of 2m. These results lead to the conclusion that cyclists should either be overtaken with a safe distance or not be overtaken at all. The infrastructure should clearly convey this to motor vehicle drivers, so that the principle is intuitively understood, and the desired behavior occurs. In order to improve cycling in constrained road conditions, it is consequently necessary to give priority to bicycles over cars by reducing the space for cars and increasing the space for bicycles. Depending on the road widths, we will present preference solutions that aim to be objectively and subjectively safe simultaneously.

ABSTRACT. As cities around the globe struggle with increasing traffic congestion, transport-related emissions, and the pressing need for sustainable mobility, cycling has become an effective mode of transport to mitigate these hurdles. Furthermore, despite the implementation of numerous political and traffic planning measures in various German cities, bicycle traffic has largely been overlooked in the realm of urban traffic control strategies. Instead, the focus has primarily been on addressing the operational requirements of motorized and public transport traffic. Traditionally, cyclists frequently encounter red lights at signalized intersections, forcing them to come to a halt and expend additional energy to regain momentum through physical effort, producing double disadvantages for them: prolonged travel delays and a sense of exclusion from traffic control measures primarily designed to accommodate motorized traffic. It is argued that it is perhaps more necessary to have the green wave for cyclists instead/in addition to motorized traffic to keep the bicycle delays and the number of bicycle stops as low as possible. It could also offer great potential to improve the overall bicycle traffic flow, reducing noise and air pollution, promoting general health, shifting the modal split in favor of cycling, and finally ensuring city-friendly traffic. However, there is hardly any reliable and detailed information on implementing bicycle green waves and their effects on other modes of transport. This study aimed to close the gap by exploring the applicability of green waves for cyclists in an urban corridor, focusing on gaining insights from global practices and highlighting an overview that enhances the general understanding. Finally, the study underscored that while designing green waves for cyclists is achievable, it necessitates comprehensive studies. More importantly, what is required are real commitments from policyholders to foster a greener and more sustainable urban environment.

ABSTRACT. Stated-preference (SP) mode-choice surveys are the basis for transport models therefore impacting behavioral forecasting, impacts of infrastructures and policies as well as on their evaluations. Typically these models as well as such SP surveys have a focus on public transport and motor vehicles. We intent to include contextual changes in street design in a SP experiment, in which more space is allocated to active mobility, especially cycling, to evaluate how these impact individual's preferences. Additionally, the significant increase in car travel times as well as externalities are included in the experiment. With the results, not only elasiticites for cycling demand in a context of significantly improved cycling infrastructure can be measured, but also the elasticities for car travel in a context of significant reductions in the attractivity of motor vehicle travel.

ABSTRACT. Cycling rates are rapidly increasing worldwide. Governments are promoting bicycles, especially electric bicycles (e-bikes), to improve sustainability in cities by mitigating transport externalities. Thus, many countries with little cycling infrastructure are investing in building new ones, and those with extensive cycling infrastructure, such as the Netherlands, are improving the existing infrastructure. However, many European countries with various cycling infrastructure levels are confronted with bicycle crashes, including e-bikes. For example, in the Netherlands, a country well known for its cycling policies, culture, and infrastructure, bicycle fatalities represented 40% of all road fatalities in 2022, and the e-bike rate of all cycling fatalities increased from 28% in 2017 to 34% in 2022. In contrast, in Switzerland, with scarce cycling infrastructure, there was an increase of 61.5% in cycling fatalities in 2020 compared to 2019, while e-bike user fatalities increased from 19% in 2017 to 55% in 2022, and bicyclists represent 17.4% of road fatalities. The aim of this project is to examine 1) differences in bicycling crashes between Switzerland and the Netherlands and to identify to what extent bicycle infrastructure affects bicycle crash patterns, and 2) the availability of transferrable learnings. Historical bicycling crash statistics will be analysed in both countries to explore the availability of transferrable learnings. Police reports of bicycle crash data and various built environment characteristics from the open-source database OpenStreetMap will be used. By identifying crash locations, crash types (e.g., bicycle to vehicle), and severity, and linking them with the built environment characteristics, we can examine the influence of infrastructure on bicycling crash risk. We expect to better understand the differences in cycling crash risk between Switzerland and the Netherlands, identify locations that need re-design of the cycling infrastructure, indicate learnings applicable to the Swiss road typologies, and create a transfer of learning from both countries.

ABSTRACT. OpenStreetMap is an universal, openly available, crowdsourced and free geographic database covering global street networks. Researchers utilize OSM for a diverse range of bicycle research topics, including route choice, bikeability assessment and simulation. However, the crowdsourced nature of OSM does reveal substantial gaps such as missing, mistagged cycling paths or land use attributes in certain areas. To mitigate this problem, georeferenced Street View Imagery (SVI) and computer vision (CV) tasks can be performed for feature extraction. Similar approaches have been utilized for bikeability (Ito & Biljecki 2021), walkability (Nagata et al. 2020) and bicycle infrastructure classification issues (Saxton 2022). These studies, however, do not focus on OSM data enrichment. This contribution presents a CV method, a fine-tuned Mask2Former approach (Cheng et al. 2022) that is deployed and used for inference on the SVI. It incorporates a Detection Transformer (Carion et al. 2020) fine-tuned on German traffic signs for further analysis. The features extracted (e.g. proportion of roads, buildings, greenery, visible sky) are matched to the OSM network and attributed to their respective network edges, which can be utilized for further research goals, such as route choice modeling. For the proof of concept, around 25.000 SVI were collected in the city center of Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, covering an area of around 4,1 km². Features were extracted using aforementioned CV methods, aggregated and attributed to the OSM network using valhalla. The developed method helps closing knowledge and data gaps and explore and identify novel attributes to enrich bicycle research. The next steps include a thorough adaptation of the CV tasks to German cycling infrastructure as well as validation between cycling infrastructure present in OSM and SVI. Prospectively, CV-enriched network data will be able to improve bicycle research tasks in general.

ABSTRACT. Terraced houses comprise 32% of Bristol’s housing stock, but they are not designed to accommodate cycles, nor are cycles designed to be stationary or parked outside. How cycles are stored in these houses and transitioned to the public highway presents immediate barriers to making cycle trips, irrespective of the quality of the highway infrastructure. Cycle parking in existing residential settings is an empirical gap that receives little attention from policymakers. This study undertook an inductive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with Bristol residents who live in terraced houses, using Social Practice Theory as the theoretical framework and interviews with experts and practitioners in this field to inform the discussion. The key findings were that the materials and competencies required of residents create barriers, which are overcome only by those who are already motivated to cycle but inhibit those less inclined to cycle. Those who rent their home face immediate barriers to owning and using cycles, but homeowners have greater agency to improve cycle storage and access arrangements; cycle hangars remove many of the barriers from terraced houses, but the current provision in Bristol does not suggest it radically changes travel behaviour or car ownership; and the provision of informal cycle parking is needed to supplement hangars. This study makes the following policy recommendations: (i) empower and incentivise homeowners and landlords to provide front-of-house cycle storage for terraced houses; (ii) increase the provision and variety of cycle hangars, bring the system in-house, and remove barriers to delivery; (iii) increase provision of informal/visitor cycle parking in residential areas; and (iv) develop a kerbside strategy for Bristol to reallocate and manage highway space.

ABSTRACT. In 2019, ECF published its latest estimation of the socio-economic impacts of cycling in the EU. The document provided evidence on the different benefits in all relevant fields, and quantified them at the level of the EU-28 wherever possible. The calculation of benefits was based on an estimation of the cycling volume in the EU from a study on active modes data carried out for the European Commission. For calculating the health benefits of cycling, an updated version of the World Health Organisation’s HEAT (Health Economic Assessment Tool for Walking and Cycling) with more detailed parameters has been used. The results showed that already at current levels, cycling produces benefits of around €150 billion per year in the EU-28. More than 90 billion euros of these are positive externalities for the environment, public health and the mobility system. In comparison, a recent study by the European Commission estimated the negative externalities, i.e. the costs for the environment, health and mobility, of motorised road transport at more than €800 billion per year. Since the publication of the document in 2019, significant amounts of new data and evidence for the impacts of cycling have emerged. This includes a comprehensive survey on the mobility patterns of Europeans, which gives much more detailed and harmonised data on the kilometres cycled in the EU and in all member states. The HEAT tool has also been updated and expanded in the meanwhile. ECF is therefore planning to update its estimations on the socio-economic benefits of cycling using these new sources of data and evidence, and would like to present preliminary results at CRBAM. Like its predecessor, the new report will also serve as an invitation by the cycling community for further research into the impacts of cycling, trying to bridge the gap between practice and research.

ABSTRACT. The Netherlands plays a prominent role in discussions about how to implement a bicycle city around the world. But way too often, the implementation work remains bogged down in good intentions. Many practitioners and activists know the feeling of disillusionment when all kind of reasons are credited in day-to-day business as to why "unfortunately it doesn't work for us". The necessary translation of best practice to local contexts is repeatedly underestimated. Pointing to the successes of other countries or cities does not guarantee success. What is true for "them" must be explained anew and adapted for "us". We have therefore “translated” the decades-long lead from the Netherlands to the Swiss and German context and realised that this meant that not only doing something for bicycles will be needed but a cycling turnaround (‘Velowende’), which means understanding human mobility as a whole. For this, we have based our work on the various roles that are responsible for a cycling transition: politics, administration, science, and civil society. To provide more than just a theoretical discussion, we have come together as a group of researchers and authors from the respective fields where we share a wide experience. For this project, we have compared the lessons we have learned over the years to identify key strategies to overcome the challenges to translate the Dutch best practices into Swiss-German cities. The result is a common book to foster urban cycling, published in May 2024.

ABSTRACT. Cities, states and higher-level government agencies have established broad goals for climate adaption, often which include a significant investment in more sustainable modes of transportation such as cycling and transit. The urgency around sustainability transitions has accelerated the trend of city-to-city learning, of which study visits are by far the most commonly used technique (Glaser, 2022) to 'exchange knowledge' or 'transfer knowledge' especially to capture 'best practices'. These tours vary in length and focus, and while the attendees may return home with lots of ideas, how do we know this educational approach is being successful?

This research builds on previous research by Glaser (2021, 2022) to understand and improve learning from study tours, using Kolb’s four stages of experiential education as a framework. Combining research from previous study tour participants, this workshop will present a typology of study tours, and then engage workshop participants to collaboratively assess three components:

1. How to structure study tours to deepen learning through focus on both infrastructure and governance within the individual and social context

2. Which decisionmakers can be influenced through learning to impact on communities? How do the characteristics of the participants affect the structure?

3. How do we as instructors create opportunities for reflection, embedded in a learning experience to encourage action and impact?

The future classroom for learning for transitions is not a classroom at all—and we want to hear from professionals, academics and elected officials what is needed to go from idea to action.

ABSTRACT. The bicycle industry is faced with new challenges to reduce carbon emissions and achieve ambitious environmental and sustainability goals. In the pursuit of reducing carbon emissions, promoting active mobility among employees (and customers) remains a neglected, yet fruitful, strategy. Despite the acknowledged benefits of active mobility, there’s a lack of a comprehensive approach to assess how it impacts health & wellbeing, especially within workplace settings.

Methods This is a multiphase mixed methods project which aims to investigate the health and wellbeing impacts of active mobility for employees in the bicycle industry. In September 2024, preliminary results of a multi-country cross sectional health and wellbeing survey of employees in the bicycle industry will be available for presentation which will shine light on the engagement in active mobility behaviours and barriers and facilitators to active mobility for employees.

Anticipated outcomes The research project will aim to address a gap in the public health literature pertaining to health and wellbeing impacts of workplace public health interventions. Cycling Research Board will be used as a sounding board to co-create a set of indicators that would inform a methodology for evaluating health and wellbeing aspects of employee active mobility.

ABSTRACT. Cycling behavior is shaped by infrastructure design, weather conditions, other road users, and individual preferences. The human-powered motion in cycling indicates that physical capabilities and perceptions of effort play a key role in how bicyclists ride. In this study, we examine the behavior of bicyclists not influenced by other road users or traffic regulations, also known as free-riding behavior. Given the broad heterogeneity in the characteristics of bicyclists, free-riding behavior varies greatly in bicycle traffic. Understanding how free-riding behavior differs among bicyclists and how it correlates with the environment is critical for planning efficient, safe, and attractive transportation systems. However, collecting detailed and reliable free-riding data is challenging due to technical limitations, privacy regulations, and the presence of traffic rules and other road users. In this study, we introduce a data collection method using instrumented bicycles in a semi-controlled experiment for collecting detailed data on free-riding behavior (e.g., speed, acceleration, power output, heart rate, energy expenditure) over designated routes. The proposed method enables participants to use their own bicycles. Bicyclists who frequently commute are instructed to ride along a designated route and complete a survey to assess their experience and perceived effort. Based on the collected data, we characterize free-riding in connection to the longitudinal gradient of the route and identify clusters of bicyclists sharing common traits. We conduct the experiments in two locations, one in Germany and one in Sweden. Both locations differ in infrastructure design and longitudinal gradient. Preliminary findings demonstrate that route gradient significantly influences free-riding behavior. For example, increasing gradients tend to reduce speed and increase power output linearly on light to moderate uphill. Furthermore, gradients prompt tactical behaviors associated with energy expenditure. Findings can support bicycle traffic planning by providing data-driven insights that inform decision-making, traffic model development, and designing e-bikes that optimally support bicyclists.

ABSTRACT. Reliable cycling network data is a crucial element of bicycle research. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a global and open-source network dataset and several studies used OSM to classify the bicycle infrastructure, mostly as a means to achieve a further goal (e.g., modelling cycling). However, infrastructure classification varies across studies and common standards are lacking.

In this work, we focus sheerly on the categorization of OSM data, aiming to understand the patterns in the typification of the bicycle infrastructure in the German context. We differentiate between five categories: separate bicycle tracks, painted bicycle lanes, shared bus lanes, roads mixed with other non-motorized modes, and bicycle roads (Fahrradstraße). We further differentiate between three categories of roads which are not explicitly excluding cyclists: paths and tracks, dedicated pedestrian infrastructure, and roads mixed with motorized modes. The classification is based on a compilation and intertwinement of multiple queries across OSM key tags (Table 1). For the implementation, we draw inspiration from netapy — a Python library classifying different types of infrastructure in OSM — and refine and extend the code by conditions and categories relevant to Germany. As a result, we provide an easy-to-use framework for utilizing (often not clearly tagged) OSM data to infer information about bicycle infrastructure. Furthermore, we intend to make the results of this work publicly available in an easy-to-use interface format.

This work results in a standardized, widely-available data basis for modelling cycling in a network. Our approach is adjusted to capture the patterns in Germany, enabling region-specific insights and models. It aims to foster a conversation between municipalities, facilitating transferable and comparable results — a feature much desired in research. The next steps encompass a systematic comparison with other network sources and validation of the results by the authorities from different types of municipalities throughout Germany.

ABSTRACT. Recent studies on cycling behavior using GPS data have provided insights into factors affecting cycling speeds and delays, including infrastructure, traffic signals, and rush hour congestion (Clarry et al., 2019; Gillis et al., 2020; Pazdan & Kiec, 2023; Poliziani et al., Strauss & Miranda-Moreno, 2017). These works have identified critical aspects such as the presence of traffic signals and road design as significant contributors to delays, yet few have quantitatively modeled these delays across different urban settings, and no studies have examined the influence of different intersection designs in terms of both geometrical layout and built environment specifically. The "DataKrykke" project at the Technical University of Denmark leverages an extensive GPS dataset containing hundreds of thousands of bicycle trips. This master’s thesis, as a component of the broader project, focuses on modeling cyclist delays at urban intersections. A special emphasis is given on the role of traffic lane layouts at intersections, but incorporates geometric factors like road grade, characteristics of built urban and traffic design measures and surface type. Utilizing enrichment data from OpenStreetMap, in-person-documentation where appropriate and municipal data, the project aims to ensure accurate representation of real-life conditions of cyclists’ behavior immediately in front of, on, and after passing intersections. In the analysis, a linear regression model is employed to quantitatively assess the impact of intersection characteristics on average cyclist delay time. It takes into consideration variable cycling speeds influenced by diverse urban environments and incorporates both signalized and non-signalized intersections. A comparative analysis across different urban settings is conducted to derive generalizable findings and possibly produce an “urban designer’s handbook” with concrete recommendations. Additional variables will be assessed and discussed during the conference presentation, which will also include a discussion on how to use the measures to obtain better conditions for cyclists.

ABSTRACT. Several decades of infrastructure investments in the global north have produced unprecedented accessibility gains, fueling the productivity of modern economies and providing us with choices none of the previous generations had. Now, these benefits are at risk, as there are no robust solutions for reconciling our present traffic patterns with actions against climate change. As possible alternatives, in recent years scholars proposed multiple systemic transformations, such as 15-minute cities, or an E-Bike City. However, it remains unclear to which extent they can maintain today’s accessibility levels in the existing built environments.

In this work, we investigate the accessibility effects of such systemic changes. We have developed a network rebuilding software (https://github.com/lukasballo/snman) to transform the allocation of existing road space in existing cities according to hypothetical design rules. On the resulting networks, we calculate accessibility levels for different regions and sociodemographic groups.

To account for changes in all opportunities and modes of transport, we use Hansen accessibility, extended with a mode choice model as proposed by Ben-Akiva and Lerman. Changes in travel times due to reduced capacity are estimated using a MATSim simulation. To account for long-term changes in cycling preferences, as well as the uncertainty associated with mode choice, we use multiple alterations of an existing mode choice model and report the resulting accessibility changes of each variant.

The process is demonstrated in a case study of Zurich, rebuilt into an E-Bike City, allocating roughly 50% of road space to safe infrastructure for small modes such as bicycles and e-bikes. This presentation will explain the network rebuilding process, the accessibility methodology, as well as the preliminary results. Finally, we invite other researchers to use the software for testing systemic mobility transitions in other cities.

ABSTRACT. This research considers approaches to shifting the cycling practices of car-owning individuals in a low-cycling, highly stratified, developing economy – in this instance, Cape Town. Segmenting user groups is key to promoting behaviour change: where car-oriented cities with little cycling tradition have grown bicycle share, this is partially because they have identified distinct user groups (Buehler, Teoman and Shelton, 2021). In Cape Town, TDM strategies need to be targeted rather than take the general approach they currently do (Behrens et al., 2015). In research and advocacy applications, cyclists are mostly segmented in terms of frequency of cycling, motivations for cycling, or the extent of choice (choice or captive). The City of Cape Town divides bicycle users into utility users and recreational users, and further divides utility users into commuters, or service, learner, or commercial users. Commuters travel to work, service users travel outside peak, learners travel to education institutions, and commercial users transport goods. The Stages of Change Model has recently become more commonly applied to segment cycling behaviour and to understand what could shift people towards action. This research uses the above model and takes a longitudinal approach, using mobility biographies and narrative analysis to understand transitions from contemplation stage to action and maintenance stages among car-owning (‘choice’) ‘commuters’ or ‘service users’ in Cape Town. It explores whether motivations differ at different stages of change. Findings are that what influences individuals to start a cycling practice and then maintain it are significantly different, but that policy or advocacy approaches are undifferentiated and frequently do not reflect individual motivations. The research suggests that Cape Town’s segmentation approach is not appropriate for ‘choice’ users, and that segmentation by underlying motivation – personal benefit, normative needs, or altruism – has greater potential to catalyze cycling shifts among this cohort.

ABSTRACT. In recent years, developments in the society (e.g., demographic change, urbanization, migration) have influenced the modal share of cycling, prompting the need to discern whether these changes stem from observable factors like age and income or from unobservable ones like attitudes.

To decompose the impact of the (un)observables on the modal shift, previous studies used conventional approaches like Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition. We propose employing Entropy Balancing, a method rooted in causal inference literature. This technique aims to compare groups, balancing observable characteristics to mimic controlled randomized trials from medical research.

Applying this method on German Microcensus data spanning from 1980 to 2020, we assess changes in commuting behavior, particularly focusing on bicycle traffic. By treating respondents from 1980 as the "treatment group" and subsequent years as "control groups", we aim to understand how travel habits would differ if people today had similar characteristics to those in 1980 for varying scenarios.

Our findings indicate that if the residential structures today would on average equal the residential structures of 1980, 13% of the employed respondents living in Western Germany would use the bicycle on their way to work (instead of 10.4% of the respondents in the raw data). Likewise, only 8.4% of the employed respondents living in Western Germany would use the bicycle on their way to work if female labor market participation would equal the year 1980. The raw data indicate an increase in bicycle usage of 3.9 pp from 1980 to 2020. When controlling for all observable characteristics in the data, the increase amounts to 4.5 pp. We assign the difference (-0.6 pp) to unobservable characteristics in the data. Next to subjective factors like attitudes, these can include pricing of alternative modes or changes on the supply side (e.g., infrastructure).

ABSTRACT. With the urban climate initiatives, 1 percent of the road surface in eleven Swiss cities is to be converted each year within 10 years. One half - i.e. 0.5% per year - for more space for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. The other half for more green spaces with trees. There is usually not enough space to create a safe cycling infrastructure. This is why the areas need to be redistributed. In principle, the lower the speed and traffic volume of cars, the safer it is for all other road users. Instead of expensive infrastructure projects, car traffic can therefore also be reduced in order to improve the situation for cyclists. This also frees up space for green areas and trees, which benefits the majority of the population. The urban climate initiatives define the political framework for this process.

ABSTRACT. In 2018, a cycling referendum, endorsed by over 40,000 individuals, called for improved cycling infrastructure in Frankfurt. A cornerstone of this referendum was the proposal for "Bicycle-Friendly Side Streets." These are streets set apart from primary traffic arteries, designed to be especially appealing for cyclists. By 2019, this proposal gained substantial endorsement from a significant majority of the city council. Consequently, the development of these Bicycle-Friendly Side Streets started with strong political and societal backing. After initiating the preliminary steps, the city of Frankfurt decided to have three streets scientifically evaluated in order to assess the acceptance among different user groups and the impact on traffic, safety, quality of stay, and business activity. However, as the implementation progressed, scepticism and critiques in media and political circles intensified. The inaugural Street, "Oeder Weg”, evolved into a topic of debate at both municipal and state levels. A year post-implementation, the initiative faced critical coverage from both national and local media, which led to many heated debates among the population and the street becoming a symbolic image in the mayoral election. Subsequent assessments, including two surveys with more than 2,900 participants only on Oeder Weg, suggested that this criticism predominantly echoed the sentiments of a vociferous minority. Through an in-depth meta-analysis of the quantitative findings, our objective is to clarify the extent which media narratives shaped the opinions of the survey participants. Establishing a timeline-based correlation between media publications and survey feedback reveals how strong the influence of the media is on public perception, even when confronted with misrepresentations or isolated opinions in the press. Using a media analysis by defining key words of the media reports, date of publication and the tone of the coverage we discover similar keywords and attitude mirrored in free-text responses in the raw data of two surveys.

ABSTRACT. While there is a global push towards active mobility, many regions have faced challenges in transitioning successfully. Nevertheless, there are intriguing exceptions, such as in the Netherlands, where individuals embrace active modes like cycling despite adverse weather conditions. This phenomenon validates what mobility research has long recognized: utility factors, such as cost and time, are not the only attributes that people consider when choosing how to travel. This paper contends that the social environment plays a crucial role in shaping the routinization of mobility practices through everyday experience, using cycling as a prime example.

Throughout this process, cognitive changes emerge as indispensable elements, constructed and adjusted through repeated practice, both consciously and unconsciously, thereby guiding subsequent individual practices. Addressing the research question of how the social environment impacts the iteration between cognition and everyday cycling practice, this paper proceeds in two main stages. First, we delve into the formation of routinized cycling practices, particularly examining adverse weather as a changeable condition. Within this formation, we pinpoint critical junctures where the social environment becomes influential. Second, we explore the role of the social environment during the iterative process of practice and cognition.

ABSTRACT. Introduction: Cycling Out of Poverty (CooP)-Uganda is a non-profit organization with a vision of improving on livelihood of African families by making bicycles and other mobility aids such as wheelchairs available and accessible for everyone. Through its flagship initiatives of Bike4School, Bike4Care and Bike4Work, the organisation is dedicated to addressing transportation barriers encountered by communities while accessing essential services such as education, healthcare, work, and Income in Jinja city Uganda.

Methods: CooP’s data collection process involves a robust mixed methods technique that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. We rigorously collect baseline and impact data from project beneficiaries (students, Village Health volunteers and small-scale entrepreneurs), including vital metrics like travel distance, commute duration, and mode of transportation used. Rigorous vetting, route mapping procedures are utilized to ensure data accuracy. Monitoring tracks bicycle usage, while periodic collection of impact data assesses changes in travel time, healthcare accessibility, and academic performance. This comprehensive methodology enables us to assess the project's effectiveness in improving mobility, healthcare access, and educational outcomes. We verify the impact of our initiatives on beneficiary communities through in-depth data analysis, reinforcing the significance of our programs in Jinja city.

Results: Preliminary findings show significant improvement in access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities in Jinja city. Through Bike4School, students’ commuting time to school have significantly reduced by 62%, resulting in improved school attendance of 72% and academic performance of 80%. Bike4Care has improved timely healthcare delivery and increased patient satisfaction in villages, while Bike4Work has enabled small scale entrepreneurs to increase and sustain on their daily incomes. The projects have contributed to environmental conservation efforts by promoting cycling as a sustainable mode of transport.

Conclusion: CooP’s initiatives demonstrate that a bicycle makes a difference in the livelihood of individuals and communities in Jinja City.

ABSTRACT. Repair and maintenance of cycles are essential to sustain cycling mobility. In recent years, the material and social infrastructures for material engagement with bicycle and maintenance practices have gained academic interest from various scholarly fields. Several of these investigations have explored Bike kitchens, and other more or less formal spaces for material engagements with bicycles. As alternatives to market-based repair, community bike spaces are part of the larger repair ecosystem, yet they supposedly prefigure radically different cycling practices; with the simple idea of providing people with the material and social infrastructure to maintain their bikes (Valentini & Butler 2023; Zapata-Campos, 2020). At the same time there is evidence that these ideals do not emerge automatically. This workshop will expand the knowledge base about how bicycle kitchens teach skills about community engagement and critical thinking and how bike repair like any other social practice remains marred by intersectional inequalities across gender, ethnicity, class and age (Arnold, 2013; Abord de Chatillon, 2020; Silonsaari, forthcoming).

The Bicycle kitchen concept has been around for almost 30-40 years. But despite long-term interest in these practices, and the evident connections with bicycle and mobility policy targets for more circular futures, there is a need to have a meaningful discussion about how to create and sustain community repair as established social practice. This workshop aims at gathering a diverse audience interested in topics intersecting with issues of cycling materialities and repair to: 1. Map the landscapes of initiatives and researchers that practically and/or engage with the topics outlined above, and – drawing on their experiences and knowledge–2. plot avenues for future research to consolidate and advance cycling materialities and repair as an intersectional research branch with strong practical grounding and relevance.

ABSTRACT. Cycling through road construction sites poses unique challenges for cyclists, often leading to safety concerns and increased risk of accidents. Despite this, research specifically focusing on the needs of cyclists at construction sites remains limited. The research project BRAVOUR (Needs of Cyclists at Construction Sites - Traffic Psychological Analysis on User-Specific Requirements) funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and Transport aims to fill this gap by investigating the factors that contribute to safety issues for cyclists at construction sites. This workshop will present preliminary findings from a quantitative survey conducted as a part of the BRAVOUR project. Participants will engage in discussion and brainstorming sessions to identify key criteria for enhancing cyclist safety at road construction site.

ABSTRACT. Private property takes center stage in this workshop on residential bicycle parking. We will focus on sites of existing apartment buildings and explore how they can be molded into bicycle parking dreamscapes. Most existing apartment buildings were not originally designed to have bicycle parking. While some sites have since been adapted, deficiencies are common. Barriers to leaving an apartment on a bicycle can be high. These include physical hurdles such as navigating narrow basement hallways or carrying a bicycle down multiple flights of stairs. Barriers can also be subtler. A resident faced with leaving a bicycle outside, vulnerable to weathering and theft, may select a bicycle that is lower quality and less comfortable or pleasant to ride. Yet, improving the situation can be challenging. In dense urban settings, there is high competition for limited space, and established uses can be resistant to change. Workshop participants will draw on knowledge of their own local contexts and lived experiences. Using a generic building typology as a base, the teams will develop creative alternatives, with the goal of making bicycle parking at existing apartment buildings irresistible. Through our conversations and discussions, we will bring to light challenges, identify constraints, and ultimately develop creative solutions. The resulting concepts will help us move toward a greater understanding of bicycle parking landscapes that creatively engage private actors, thereby reducing the pressure on public actors to be the main drivers of transformation. Bicycle parking dreamscapes take bicycles out of the shadows, making them highly visible, and giving them a prominent role in the types of private settings encountered by vast populations of urban residents.