E-Bikes

Bicycle Use in Latin American Cities: Changes Over Time by Socio-Economic PositionBicycle Use in Latin American Cities: Changes Over Time by Socio-Economic Position

Avila-Palencia, I
Gouveia. N
Jáuregui, A
Mascolli, M
Daniel Rodriguez
Slovic, A
Sarmiento, O
2023

We aimed to examine utilitarian bicycle use among adults from 18 large Latin American cities and its association with socio-economic position (education and income) between 2008 and 2018. Data came from yearly cross-sectional surveys collected by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). A total of 77,765 survey respondents with complete data were used to estimate multilevel logistic regression models with city as random intercept and year as random slope. Individuals with high education and high-income levels had lower odds of using a bicycle compared with participants with lower...

Comparing Methods and Data Sources for Classifying Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress: How Well Do Their Outcomes Agree?

Harvey, C
Daniel Rodriguez
Fang, K
2024

Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) metrics are widely used to examine how bicyclists may perceive stress along urban streets and identify opportunities for infrastructure improvements. The intuitiveness of the original method, which condensed 18 input variables into four levels, has made LTS very popular among practitioners. Nonetheless, it can be challenging to collect all required inputs. In response, numerous alternative methods have been developed with fewer or different inputs drawn from more general sources, such as OpenStreetMap (OSM) or GIS datasets from local agencies. These...

What Is the Connection? Understanding Shared Micromobility Links to Rail Public Transit Systems in Major California Cities

Susan Shaheen
Martin, Elliot
Ju, Mengying
2024

As shared micromobility (bikes and scooters) has proliferated throughout urban areas, there has been growing interest in how it facilitates connections with rail transit systems. This study explores the magnitude of interactions between shared micromobility and rail public transit systems using shared micromobility trip data and rail transit schedule data. We evaluate over one million trips from October 2019 to February 2020 in four California cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Jose) and develop criteria to identify trips connecting to rail transit. These include...

Local Governments Strategies to Improve Shared Micromobility Infrastructure

Susan Shaheen
Martin, Elliot
Cohen, Adam
2024

This brief explores how shared micromobility (bikesharing and scooter sharing) has evolved since the pandemic. Primary data for this report were collected through four surveys: An Operator Survey (n=25) and an Agency Survey (n=52) distributed between January 2022 and May 2022 to all known shared micromobility operators and agencies and included questions about the attributes of shared micromobility systems1 operating within those agency jurisdictions and operator markets; and a similar Operator Survey (n=29) and an Agency Survey (n=52) distributed between January 2023 and June 2023 to all...

A Comparison of Heat Effects on Road Injury Frequency Between Active Travelers and Motorized Transportation Users in Six Tropical and Subtropical Cities in Taiwan

Hsu, CK
Daniel Rodriguez
2024
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) pose significant public health threats, particularly for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. While recent studies have revealed adverse impacts of heat exposure on RTI frequency among motorized road users, a research gap persists in understanding these impacts on non-motorized road users, especially in tropical regions where their vulnerability can be heightened due to differential thermal exposure, adaptive capacity, and biological sensitivity. In this study, we compared associations between high temperatures and RTIs across four different...

Communities Are Experimenting with Microtransit to Fill Critical Gaps in Public Transit Service – What Have We Learned so Far?

Susan Shaheen
Cohen, Adam
Wolfe, Brooke
Martin, Elliot
2024

Microtransit is a technology-enabled transit service that typically employs shuttles or vans (Figure 1) to provide on-demand transportation with dynamic routing. While many rides are dispatched and paid via a smartphone, many services also provide a telephone booking option. A few services accept cash payment and street hails (similar to taxis). Variations of microtransit can include fixed schedules and routes and larger or smaller vehicles. Typically, microtransit services are operated by or provided on behalfof a government entity or nonprofit organization, although privately operated...

Planning and Accommodating the Micromobility Revolution and Its Impact on Public Health

Quistberg, Alex
Daniel Rodriguez
2024

Micromobility has grown immensely over the past decade, encompassing both public shared systems and private ownership, and, as Burford et al. have found, a surge in user injuries and deaths has accompanied the growth. Micromobility refers to the use of small vehicles, such as bicycles and scooters, that are either human powered or electric. These vehicles are ideal for short trips—although electric-powered micromobility has expanded the potential distance range.

What Makes the Route More Traveled? Optimizing U.S. Suburban Microtransit for Sustainable Mobility

Pan, Alexandra
Susan Shaheen
2025

Microtransit services that provide pooled on-demand transportation with dynamic routing have been used in low-density areas since the 1970s, but improvements to routing technology have led to a resurgence of interest in the past decade. Questions remain about the effectiveness of microtransit to serve riders in low-density, car-dependent suburban areas. Better understanding of the factors underlying microtransit ridership can improve usage of these services and shift travelers to more sustainable modes in suburban areas. We compile a database of suburban microtransit programs from 32...

The Relationship Between Bicycle Commuting and Perceived Stress: A Cross-sectional Study

Avila-Palencia, I
Nazelle, A De
Cole-Hunter, T
Donaire-Gonzalez, D
Jarrett, M
Rodríguez, Daniel
Nieuwenhuijsen, MJ
2017

Active commuting — walking and bicycling for travel to and/or from work or educational addresses — may facilitate daily, routine physical activity. Several studies have investigated the relationship between active commuting and commuting stress; however, there are no studies examining the relationship between solely bicycle commuting and perceived stress, or studies that account for environmental determinants of bicycle commuting and stress. The current study evaluated the relationship between bicycle commuting, among working or studying adults in a dense urban setting, and perceived...

Bicycle Level of Service: Accounting for Protected Lanes, Traffic Exposure, and Delay

Fournier, Nicholas
Huang, Amy
Alexander Skabardonis
Transportation Research Board
2021

Motorized traffic exposure and delay are two critical factors for bicycle level of service (LOS). Unfortunately, the current Highway Capacity Manual’s methodology for bicycle LOS fully accounts for neither. At the intersection level, motorized traffic speed and bicycle delay are not considered at all; and at the link level there is no account for one of the most effective traffic-exposure mitigating infrastructure types, separated bicycle lanes. This creates a systemic problem, enabling the design of roadways that ignore bicycle exposure and delay (i.e., comfort and safety), while giving...