E-Bikes

Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning in Rural Communities: Tools for Active Living

Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Evenson, KR
Rodriguez, DA
2011

Pedestrian and bicycle planning has traditionally been viewed from an urban design perspective, rather than a rural or regional planning perspective. This study examined the prevalence and quality of pedestrian and bicycle plans in North Carolina according to geography, regional planning, and sociodemographics. Plan prevalence was lower, but plan quality tended to be higher, in rural areas compared with urban areas. Correlations between plan prevalence and active commuting were strongest in lower-income rural areas. By engaging in the planning process, rural residents and other...

Improving Health Through Policies that Promote Active Travel: A Review of Evidence to Support Integrated Health Impact Assessment

Nazelle, A De
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
Anto, JM
Brauer, M
Briggs, D
Braun-Fahrlander, C
Cavill, N
Cooper, A
Desqueyroux, H
Fruin, S
Hoek, G
Panis, L
Janssen, N
Jerrett, M
Joffe, M
Andersen, Z
Kempen, E
Kingham, S
Kubesch, N
Leyden, K
Marshall, J
Matamala, J
Mellios, G
Mendez, M
Nassif, H
Ogilvie, D
Peiró, R
Perez, K
Rabl, A
Ragettli, M
Rodriguez, D
Rojas, D
Ruiz, P
Sallis, J
Terwoert, J
Toussaint, J
Tuomisto, J
Zuurbier, M
Lebret, E
2011
Substantial policy changes to control obesity, limit chronic disease, and reduce air pollution emissions, including greenhouse gasses, have been recommended. Transportation and planning policies that promote active travel by walking and cycling can contribute to these goals, potentially yielding further co-benefits. Little is known, however, about the interconnections among effects of policies considered, including potential unintended consequences. We review available literature regarding health impacts from policies that encourage active travel in the context of developing health...

Planning for Pedestrians and Bicyclists: Results from a Statewide Municipal Survey

Evenson, KR
Aytur, SA
Satinsky, SB
Kerr, ZY
Rodriguez, DA
2011

We surveyed North Carolina (NC) municipalities to document the presence of municipal walking- and bicycling-related projects, programs, and policies; to describe whether prevalence of these elements differed if recommended in a plan; and to characterize differences between urban and rural municipalities. We surveyed all municipalities with ≥ 5000 persons (n = 121) and sampled municipalities with < 5000 persons (216/420), with a response rate of 54% (183/337). Responses were weighted to account for the sampling design. From a...

Mindfulness, Time Affluence, and Journey-based Affect: Exploring Relationships

LaJeunesse, S
Rodriguez, D
2012
Behavioral travel research has neglected to examine the role of mindfulness in the context of the work commute. Mindfulness is a psychological construct that has been associated with improvements to mental health, social engagement, and behavioral regulation. We examined ways in which users of different travel modes perceive their journey to work from an affective stance, their dispositional mindfulness, and time affluence. Using survey data from 786 university employees, we estimated a structural equation model capturing the direct and indirect relationships between mindfulness and the...

Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans and the Incidence of Crash-Related Injuries

Kerr, ZY
Rodriguez, DA
Evenson, KR
Aytur, SA
2013

This study examined the association between the presence of pedestrian and bicycle plans to pedestrian and bicyclist nonfatal and fatal injuries from 1997 to 2009 among 553 North Carolina (NC) municipalities. We considered all municipal plans (n=92; 49 pedestrian; 34 bicycle; and 9 combined plans featuring pedestrian and bicyclist components) published through 2009. Counts of...

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of North Carolina Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans

Aytur, SA
Rodriguez, DA
Kerr, ZY
Ji, K
Evenson, KR
2013

Pedestrian and bicycle plans support community-level physical activity. In North Carolina, pedestrian/bicycle plans are becoming more prevalent. However, no studies have examined the spatial and temporal diffusion of pedestrian/bicycle plans. This study assessed (a) temporal trends associated with municipal pedestrian/bicycle planning from 1974 to 2011 and (b) spatial patterns associated with municipal plans, specifically, whether the publication of a pedestrian/bicycle plan in a given year was associated with the number of neighboring municipalities with plans. North...

Determinants of Bicycle Commuting Propensity: Findings from a Questionnaire-Based Investigation in Barcelona, Spain

Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Curto, A
Mendez, MA
Garcia-Aymerich, J
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, DA
Nazelle, A De
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2013
The current study (of the TAPAS project) aimed to ascertain which factors, both psychological (mental) and physical (practical), were acting as the greatest determinants for bicycle commuting propensity of the working (or studying) population of Barcelona, Spain. Methods: Adults [N=795; 51% female, 87% nationals. Mean ± standard deviation: age = 37 ± 10, body mass index = 23.5 ± 3.3] who commuted to work or school in Barcelona responded to a comprehensive questionnaire (via telephone) concerning their commute activity and attitude. Respondents were categorised as either frequent or infrequent...

Potential for Increasing Health-Beneficial Participation in Cycling for Transportation: A “Stages of Change” Perspective on Barcelona’s Bike Sharing Program

Nazelle, A De
Curto, A
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Mendez, MA
2013
The multiple benefits of active transportation, from non-communicable disease prevention to climate change mitigation, have led to increasing interests in developing multi-disciplinary health impact assessments (HIA) of walking and cycling strategies. However a fundamental uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of policies to change travel and physical activity behaviour remains. Our study aimed to assess the ability of bike sharing programs to facilitate contemplation and change in individuals to begin cycling for travel purposes. Methods: Participants living and working or attending school...

Costs for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Infrastructure Improvements

Bushell, MA
Poole, BW
Zegeer, CV
Rodriguez, DA
2013

Costs for pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure often vary greatly from city to city and state to state. This document (and associated database) is intended to provide meaningful estimates of infrastructure costs by collecting up-to-date cost information for pedestrian and bicycle treatments from states and cities across the country. Using this information, researchers, engineers, planners, and the general public can better understand the cost of pedestrian and bicycle treatments in their communities and make informed decisions about which infrastructure enhancements are best suited...

A42 Transportation, Air Pollution and Physical ActivitieS (TAPAS): A Comprehensive Research Programme on Active Travel

Nazelle, A De
Rojas-Rueda, D
Jerrett, M
Rodriguez, D
Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire, D
Andersen, Z
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2015
Encouraging walking and cycling as means of transportation may have diverse benefits, such as reduced pollutant emissions and increased physical activity in the population. At the same time, individuals who shift to active travel modes may also experience increased risks of traffic...