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Cities around the world are moving away from the car-centric infrastructure, urban design and planning policies prevalent since the 1950s and promoting sustainable mobility as an alternative, including cycling. As such, Bicycle Sharing Systems (BSS) have emerged as a transport innovation across the globe. Cycling modal share however remains low in most Southern European island cities. These cities exhibit certain characteristics considered as barriers to cycling, such as hot summers and high humidity, hilliness, and car-oriented culture and infrastructure. Despite this, BSS and policies promoting cycling have emerged in this region as well. These have the potential to provide alternatives for those marginalized by car-based mobility and to reduce traffic related diseases and injuries, noise and air pollution, which can contribute to an improved quality of life for all citizens. Using the Mediterranean island city of Limassol (Cyprus) as a case study, the utilization of bicycle sharing is investigated by constructing regression models to assess the influence of spatial and temporal factors on the demand for BSS use at stations. From the regression models it appears that land use factors such as residential, commercial and park land use, as well as the presence of the beach and cycling paths positively influences frequency of use, as does higher network connectivity. While higher tourist arrivals have a positive effect, the presence of hotels in a 300 m buffer around the stations does not. Higher rainfall, as well as higher temperatures, are associated with a decrease in BSS use. Explicitly incorporating spatial dependence, in Spatial Auto-Regressive (SAR) models, led to the formulation of models with comparable or better explanatory power, when compared to the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models. The insights from the regression models can be used to inform policies promoting cycling and the design and planning of BSS (expansion) in Limassol and other cities.
Suzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. Spatial and temporal analysis of shared bicycle use in Limassol, Cyprus. Journal of Transport Geography 2021, 93, 103049 .
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Paraskevas Nikolaou, Maria Attard, Loukas Dimitriou. Spatial and temporal analysis of shared bicycle use in Limassol, Cyprus. Journal of Transport Geography. 2021; 93 ():103049.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. 2021. "Spatial and temporal analysis of shared bicycle use in Limassol, Cyprus." Journal of Transport Geography 93, no. : 103049.
Bicycle sharing systems (BSSs) have been implemented in cities worldwide in an attempt to promote cycling. Despite exhibiting characteristics considered to be barriers to cycling, such as hot summers, hilliness and car-oriented infrastructure, Southern European island cities and tourist destinations Limassol (Cyprus), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and the Valletta conurbation (Malta) are all experiencing the implementation of BSSs and policies to promote cycling. In this study, a year of trip data and secondary datasets are used to analyze dock-based BSS usage in the three case-study cities. How land use, socio-economic, network and temporal factors influence BSS use at station locations, both as an origin and as a destination, was examined using bivariate correlation analysis and through the development of linear mixed models for each case study. Bivariate correlations showed significant positive associations with the number of cafes and restaurants, vicinity to the beach or promenade and the percentage of foreign population at the BSS station locations in all cities. A positive relation with cycling infrastructure was evident in Limassol and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but not in Malta, as no cycling infrastructure is present in the island’s conurbation, where the BSS is primarily operational. Elevation had a negative association with BSS use in all three cities. In Limassol and Malta, where seasonality in weather patterns is strongest, a negative effect of rainfall and a positive effect of higher temperature were observed. Although there was a positive association between BSS use and the number of visiting tourists in Limassol and Malta, this is predominantly explained through the multi-collinearity with weather factors rather than by intensive use of the BSS by tourists. The linear mixed models showed more fine-grained results and explained differences in BSS use at stations, including differences for station use as an origin and as a destination. The insights from the correlation analysis and linear mixed models can be used to inform policies promoting cycling and BSS use and support sustainable mobility policies in the case-study cities and cities with similar characteristics.
Suzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. Heat, Hills and the High Season: A Model-Based Comparative Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Shared Bicycle Use in Three Southern European Islands. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3274 .
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Paraskevas Nikolaou, Maria Attard, Loukas Dimitriou. Heat, Hills and the High Season: A Model-Based Comparative Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Shared Bicycle Use in Three Southern European Islands. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3274.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. 2021. "Heat, Hills and the High Season: A Model-Based Comparative Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Shared Bicycle Use in Three Southern European Islands." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3274.
Bicycle sharing systems (BSS) have been implemented in cities worldwide in an attempt to promote cycling. Cycling as a mode of transport has the potential to provide transport alternatives for those marginalized by car-based mobility, to reduce traffic related diseases and injuries, noise and air pollution, and to promote an active lifestyle and improve public health. The three Southern European island cities included in this research, Limassol (Cyprus), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and the Valletta conurbation (Malta), exhibit characteristics considered as barriers to cycling, such as hot summers and high humidity, hilliness and car-oriented culture and infrastructure. Thus far, cycling modal share is low: under 1%. However, bicycle sharing systems and policies promoting cycling have emerged in these cities too. In this research a year of trip data, shared by the BSS operators, is used to analyse the use of the BSS on a system and station level. An analysis of the origin-destination matrices highlights spatial patterns, and the assessment of different types of use captures user behaviour. Particular attention is paid to the influence of tourism on the system use, by analysing the spatial influence of tourist accommodation, points of interests and land use, by classifying BSS trips carried out for leisure or for transport, and by assessing the temporal influence of the tourist season. The comparative analysis between the three cities shows that despite sharing commonalities, the cities exhibit differences in their shared bicycle use.
Suzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. Classifying bicycle sharing system use in Southern European island cities: cycling for transport or leisure? Transportation Research Procedia 2021, 52, 565 -572.
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Paraskevas Nikolaou, Maria Attard, Loukas Dimitriou. Classifying bicycle sharing system use in Southern European island cities: cycling for transport or leisure? Transportation Research Procedia. 2021; 52 ():565-572.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. 2021. "Classifying bicycle sharing system use in Southern European island cities: cycling for transport or leisure?" Transportation Research Procedia 52, no. : 565-572.
Bicycle sharing systems (BSS) have been implemented in cities worldwide in an attempt to promote cycling. Analysing BSS usage in ‘starter’ cycling cities in Southern Europe (Limassol, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Malta) can aid in understanding how BSS use and cycling can be promoted in such a context. A year of trip data is used to understand to what extent the BSS is characterized by tourist use or by local residents, trips are classified based on trip type, trip duration and diurnal and seasonal usage patterns. An analysis of the origin-destination matrices highlights spatial patterns and temporal dynamics, and analysis of the spatial coverage is used to calculate what percentage of the city's population is served by the BSS. The comparative analysis shows that despite sharing commonalities, the cities exhibit differences in BSS use: while in Limassol BSS use is mainly for leisure, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Malta there is more cycling for transport. Investing in connections between the BSS, public transport, points-of-interests and cycling infrastructure can encourage more cycling. In all cities there is scope to integrate the BSS with public transport and promote the service amongst tourists and visitors.
Suzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. Examining spatio-temporal trip patterns of bicycle sharing systems in Southern European island cities. Research in Transportation Economics 2020, 86, 100992 .
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Paraskevas Nikolaou, Maria Attard, Loukas Dimitriou. Examining spatio-temporal trip patterns of bicycle sharing systems in Southern European island cities. Research in Transportation Economics. 2020; 86 ():100992.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Paraskevas Nikolaou; Maria Attard; Loukas Dimitriou. 2020. "Examining spatio-temporal trip patterns of bicycle sharing systems in Southern European island cities." Research in Transportation Economics 86, no. : 100992.
The 21st century has seen a cycling renaissance across Europe with many cities moving away from the car-centric infrastructure, urban design and planning policies prevalent since the 1950s. Southern European island cities, which exhibit certain characteristics considered as barriers to cycling, such as hot summers and high humidity, hilliness, and car-oriented culture and infrastructure however, have been lagging behind in this resurgence of cycling. Despite this, bicycle sharing systems (BSS) and policies promoting cycling have emerged in this region. These have the potential to provide alternatives for those marginalized by car-based mobility and to reduce traffic related diseases and injuries, noise and air pollution, which can contribute to an improved quality of life for all citizens. Using the coastal city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) as a case study, the utilization of bike-sharing is investigated through a questionnaire to users of the shared bicycles, as well as through spatial analysis of the BSS trip data. The analysis of the survey, through descriptive and inferential statistics, allows for an understanding of the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the users, and the inter- and intra-personal factors influencing the choice to use a shared bicycle as a mode of transport. Results show that distance to nearest station, money-saving and environmental concerns, satisfaction with the operating system, and provision of safe cycling infrastructure significantly influence BSS use. A regression model is constructed to assess the influence of spatial factors such as land use, socio-economic characteristics and network variables on the use of the BSS. From the regression model it appears that the presence of cycling infrastructure, proximity to a bus station and the density of tourism accommodation, and by proxy, the number of cafes and restaurants, near bicycle sharing stations positively influences frequency of use. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of the BSS in the promotion of cycling and the transition to sustainable and inclusive mobility policies, which are still contested in the car-centric transport system currently dominating the city.
Suzanne Maas; Maria Attard; Mark Anthony Caruana. Assessing spatial and social dimensions of shared bicycle use in a Southern European island context: The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 2020, 140, 81 -97.
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Maria Attard, Mark Anthony Caruana. Assessing spatial and social dimensions of shared bicycle use in a Southern European island context: The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. 2020; 140 ():81-97.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Maria Attard; Mark Anthony Caruana. 2020. "Assessing spatial and social dimensions of shared bicycle use in a Southern European island context: The case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria." Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 140, no. : 81-97.
Shared mobility services, such as (e-)bicycle and car sharing, are a recent introduction in Malta. Following the roll out of these services, the transport regulator (Transport Malta) implemented an information and awareness campaign to promote the use of shared mobility services, and to educate the general public about cycling safety and how to safely share the road. This paper presents the results of a repeated cross-sectional survey with a sample representative of the Maltese population, to understand the awareness and acceptance of these shared mobility services, and analyse the impact of the information and awareness campaign through a comparison of ‘before’ and ‘after’ results. The ‘before’ results show that the majority of respondents are not aware of bicycle sharing or car sharing. While the second wave of the survey showed an increase in awareness about shared mobility services, wave 3 did not show a continuation of this trend, and evidence for a strong impact of the information and awareness campaign is limited. Respondents consider reduction in traffic and pollution, as well as getting exercise as the main reasons for considering bicycle sharing. For car sharing, respondents view convenience and time savings, as well as financial savings, as the main considerations. Improved road safety and more specifically, segregated and safe infrastructure, investment in cycling skills, and education to promote cycling safety are the main factors identified that have the potential to encourage respondents to consider starting to use bicycle sharing. The exposure to and understanding of the information and awareness campaign is evaluated through additional questions in the second and third wave of the survey, during and directly following the most intensive part of the campaign. The paper ends with a discussion of the results and recommendations for action in support of further promotion of shared mobility services.
Suzanne Maas; Maria Attard. Attitudes and perceptions towards shared mobility services: Repeated cross-sectional results from a survey among the Maltese population. Transportation Research Procedia 2020, 45, 955 -962.
AMA StyleSuzanne Maas, Maria Attard. Attitudes and perceptions towards shared mobility services: Repeated cross-sectional results from a survey among the Maltese population. Transportation Research Procedia. 2020; 45 ():955-962.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSuzanne Maas; Maria Attard. 2020. "Attitudes and perceptions towards shared mobility services: Repeated cross-sectional results from a survey among the Maltese population." Transportation Research Procedia 45, no. : 955-962.