SEGMENT - Segmentation in Mobility Management Tool (EU)

24th Apr 2013

SEGMENT is an Intelligent-Energy-Europe-funded project which tested consumer market segmentation techniques to persuade people to adopt more energy efficient forms of transport, such as walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing. The results show the potential and the limitations of segmentation, the difficulties in evaluation and the large learning potential within EU-projects.

Inactive Lifestyles Kill an Estimated 36,815 People in England Each Year (England)

15th Apr 2013

Lack of physical activity could cause as many as 36,815 premature deaths in England each year, according to statistics released today by the South West Public Health Observatory (SWPHO) and charity Sustrans.

The statistics have been produced to help local authorities estimate how much they could reduce death and illness by promoting physical activity.

They show that current levels of physical activity among people aged 40-79 are low across England and that major health gains could be made if they increased.

World Health: 5 Questions on How Transport is Related to Health

08th Apr 2013

TheCityFix interviewed EMBARQ Health and Road safety expert, Claudia Adriazola-Steil, for World Health Day 2013.

Q1. How can we tackle the problem of rising obesity and physical inactivity through transport?

Lack of physical activity contributes to 3.2 million deaths annually, yet just 150 minutes of physical activity per week – about 20 minutes per day – can improve health and reduce the risk of disease. A study by the New York City Department of Health showed that those who take mass transport, cycle and walk as their main form of transport, receive more physical activity than those who rely on cars.

Physical activity can be promoted in neighborhoods through access to mass transport, bike and pedestrian paths, safe streets, connectivity between different transport modes, and a compact mix of housing, retail, parks and offices. One study showed that Barcelona’s Bicing bike sharing system saved an estimated 12 lives per year, mostly by getting people out of their cars and active on the streets.

Triggers for Changes in Cycling: The Role of Life Events and Modifications to the Environment (UK)

05th Apr 2013

This paper, published in the Journal of Transport Geography in March 2013, presents findings from in-depth interviews that sought to understand the circumstances and factors that influenced people to start, stop or significantly change their amount of cycling. The interviews were held with residents of 12 towns and cities in England that were experiencing an unprecedented scale of investment in cycling by UK standards.

Go Pedelec (EU)

18th Mar 2013

GoPedelec is an EU cofinanced project between four municipalities, three non-profit-organizations and three private companies. The common goal of these partners is to raise awareness about pedelecs among citizens and decision makers. In October 2012 the project released a handbook detailing best practices for promoting pedelecs.

School travel behaviour in the Netherlands and Flanders (EU)

25th Feb 2013

The paper, published in the journal Transport Policy in Febraury 2013, presents an analysis of school travel behaviour in the Netherlands and Flanders, two European countries with high bicycle use. The study analyses two aspects of school travel behaviour: home-to-school distances and modal choice. Both are analysed for primary and secondary school students.

Uniquely satisfied: Exploring cyclist satisfaction (USA)

20th Feb 2013

This research report was published online in the journal Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour in February 2013. The study examines the effect of built environment characteristics, trip characteristics and season on cycling trip satisfaction. It groups respondents into “cyclist types” based on a cluster analysis of motivations for cycling and their alternate (winter) mode, and explores how these personal characteristics moderate the relationship between built environment, trip characteristics and expressed trip satisfaction.

Bicycling Choice and Gender Case Study: The Ohio State University (USA)

20th Feb 2013

This article, published in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation in 2012, concludes that women are less likely to feel safe on a bike than men — particularly in an area with lots of car traffic. The study looked at the on campus commute behavior of about 2,000 people, from faculty to undergrads. It recommends that adding off-road bike paths or improving bike lanes on general roads will make riding more appealing to women. 

A systematic review of the effectiveness of organisational travel plans: Improving the evidence base for transport decisions (International)

05th Feb 2013

This research reviewed the way organisational travel plans (OTPs) are assessed. OTPs aim to address health and sustainability goals in transport. Evidence for their effectiveness is lacking. The researchers recommend that OTP implementation needs to occur alongside robustly-designed epidemiologic studies. The research was published in the journal Transport Policy in January 2013.

Encouraging Equitable Access to Public Bikesharing Systems (USA)

18th Jan 2013

This paper, published in December 2012, provides an overview of the results of a survey of 20 current and planned North American bikesharing systems. The purpose of the survey was to collect basic information about the systems, and the current status and details about programs that attempt to lower access barriers to bikesharing experienced by low-income communities, and minority groups under-represented in bicycling.