IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i20p8672-d431298.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Did Safe Cycling Infrastructure Still Matter During a COVID-19 Lockdown?

Author

Listed:
  • Jinhyun Hong

    (Department of Urban Studies, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK)

  • David McArthur

    (Department of Urban Studies, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK)

  • Varun Raturi

    (Department of Urban Studies, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK)

Abstract

The UK government introduced strict measures (including asking people to work from home and a lockdown) to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting people’s movement. This led to substantial reductions in traffic, making roads much safer for cyclists. This provides a unique opportunity to study the role played by safe cycling infrastructure. Many UK cities have provided cycling infrastructure to improve safety and encourage cycling. However, access to safe cycling infrastructure varies across neighbourhoods, potentially contributing to inequality. Since roads became safer due to the unprecedented reduction in traffic during the lockdown, safe cycling infrastructure may not play a significant role during this period. On the other hand, safe cycling lanes are often connected to amenities, potentially attracting cyclists even if they confer no additional safety benefit. That is, connectivity might matter more than safety. In this study, we utilised crowdsourced cycling data and regression models to examine the extent to which cycling intensity for non-commuting purposes changes with different types of cycling infrastructure in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. In addition, we selected some areas with large increases in cycling intensity and examined the surrounding environments using Google Street View. Our results showed that non-commuting cycling activities increased significantly after the government interventions on both typical roads and safe cycling lanes while much higher increases were observed on safe cycling lanes than on other roads. A further analysis showed that there were large increases in cycling volumes on both typical roads and safe cycling lanes with good amenities and connectivity, highlighting the importance of these factors when building new cycling infrastructure. Since safe cycling lanes are not equally accessible to people, providing temporary cycling lanes during the pandemic considering these conditions could encourage people to cycle more, and thereby improve their health.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinhyun Hong & David McArthur & Varun Raturi, 2020. "Did Safe Cycling Infrastructure Still Matter During a COVID-19 Lockdown?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8672-:d:431298
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/20/8672/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/20/8672/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Broach, Joseph & Dill, Jennifer & Gliebe, John, 2012. "Where do cyclists ride? A route choice model developed with revealed preference GPS data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(10), pages 1730-1740.
    2. Brownson, R.C. & Baker, E.A. & Housemann, R.A. & Brennan, L.K. & Bacak, S.J., 2001. "Environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(12), pages 1995-2003.
    3. Norwood, Patricia & Eberth, Barbara & Farrar, Shelley & Anable, Jillian & Ludbrook, Anne, 2014. "Active travel intervention and physical activity behaviour: An evaluation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 50-58.
    4. Kaczynski, A.T. & Potwarka, L.R. & Saelens P, B.E., 2008. "Association of park size, distance, and features with physical activity in neighborhood parks," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(8), pages 1451-1456.
    5. Jestico, Ben & Nelson, Trisalyn & Winters, Meghan, 2016. "Mapping ridership using crowdsourced cycling data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 90-97.
    6. Ipek Sener & Naveen Eluru & Chandra Bhat, 2009. "An analysis of bicycle route choice preferences in Texas, US," Transportation, Springer, vol. 36(5), pages 511-539, September.
    7. Wafic El-Assi & Mohamed Salah Mahmoud & Khandker Nurul Habib, 2017. "Effects of built environment and weather on bike sharing demand: a station level analysis of commercial bike sharing in Toronto," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 589-613, May.
    8. Gatersleben, Birgitta & Appleton, Katherine M., 2007. "Contemplating cycling to work: Attitudes and perceptions in different stages of change," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 302-312, May.
    9. Menghini, G. & Carrasco, N. & Schüssler, N. & Axhausen, K.W., 2010. "Route choice of cyclists in Zurich," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(9), pages 754-765, November.
    10. Hyndman, Rob J. & Khandakar, Yeasmin, 2008. "Automatic Time Series Forecasting: The forecast Package for R," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 27(i03).
    11. Kevin Manaugh & Geneviève Boisjoly & Ahmed El-Geneidy, 2017. "Overcoming barriers to cycling: understanding frequency of cycling in a University setting and the factors preventing commuters from cycling on a regular basis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 871-884, July.
    12. Tilahun, Nebiyou Y. & Levinson, David M. & Krizek, Kevin J., 2007. "Trails, lanes, or traffic: Valuing bicycle facilities with an adaptive stated preference survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 287-301, May.
    13. Wardman, Mark & Tight, Miles & Page, Matthew, 2007. "Factors influencing the propensity to cycle to work," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 339-350, May.
    14. Goodman, Anna & Panter, Jenna & Sharp, Stephen J. & Ogilvie, David, 2013. "Effectiveness and equity impacts of town-wide cycling initiatives in England: A longitudinal, controlled natural experimental study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 228-237.
    15. Nebiyou Tilahun & Kevin Krizek & David Levinson, 2007. "Trails, Lanes, or Traffic: Value of Different Bicycle Facilities Using Adaptive Stated-Preference Survey," Working Papers 200701, University of Minnesota: Nexus Research Group.
    16. Zhao, Pengjun & Li, Shengxiao, 2017. "Bicycle-metro integration in a growing city: The determinants of cycling as a transfer mode in metro station areas in Beijing," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 46-60.
    17. An, Ran & Zahnow, Renee & Pojani, Dorina & Corcoran, Jonathan, 2019. "Weather and cycling in New York: The case of Citibike," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 97-112.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Saiz, Albert & Salazar-Miranda, Arianna, 2023. "Understanding Urban Economies, Land Use, and Social Dynamics in the City: Big Data and Measurement," IZA Discussion Papers 16501, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Langton, Samuel & Farrell, Graham & Dixon, Anthony, 2020. "Six Months In: Pandemic Crime Trends in England and Wales," SocArXiv t7ne8, Center for Open Science.
    3. Valenzuela-Levi, N. & Echiburu, T. & Correa, J. & Hurtubia, R. & Muñoz, J.C., 2021. "Housing and accessibility after the COVID-19 pandemic: Rebuilding for resilience, equity and sustainable mobility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 48-60.
    4. Alexandros Nikitas & Stefanos Tsigdinos & Christos Karolemeas & Efthymia Kourmpa & Efthimios Bakogiannis, 2021. "Cycling in the Era of COVID-19: Lessons Learnt and Best Practice Policy Recommendations for a More Bike-Centric Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-25, April.
    5. Haruka Kato & Daisuke Matsushita, 2021. "Changes in Walkable Streets during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Suburban City in the Osaka Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Mohammad Anwar Alattar & Caitlin Cottrill & Mark Beecroft, 2021. "Sources and Applications of Emerging Active Travel Data: A Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    7. Xiaozhou Ye, 2022. "Bike-Sharing Adoption in Cross-National Contexts: An Empirical Research on the Factors Affecting Users’ Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Naseri, Mahsa & Delbosc, Alexa & Kamruzzaman, Liton, 2023. "The role of neighbourhood design in cycling activity during COVID-19: An exploration of the Melbourne experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. McArthur, David Philip & Hong, Jinhyun, 2019. "Visualising where commuting cyclists travel using crowdsourced data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 233-241.
    2. Hong, Jinhyun & Philip McArthur, David & Stewart, Joanna L., 2020. "Can providing safe cycling infrastructure encourage people to cycle more when it rains? The use of crowdsourced cycling data (Strava)," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 109-121.
    3. Tomás Rossetti & Verónica Saud & Ricardo Hurtubia, 2019. "I want to ride it where I like: measuring design preferences in cycling infrastructure," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 697-718, June.
    4. Agarwal, Amit & Ziemke, Dominik & Nagel, Kai, 2020. "Bicycle superhighway: An environmentally sustainable policy for urban transport," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 519-540.
    5. Pucher, John & Buehler, Ralph & Seinen, Mark, 2011. "Bicycling renaissance in North America? An update and re-appraisal of cycling trends and policies," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 451-475, July.
    6. Anowar, Sabreena & Eluru, Naveen & Hatzopoulou, Marianne, 2017. "Quantifying the value of a clean ride: How far would you bicycle to avoid exposure to traffic-related air pollution?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 66-78.
    7. Ehrgott, Matthias & Wang, Judith Y.T. & Raith, Andrea & van Houtte, Chris, 2012. "A bi-objective cyclist route choice model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 652-663.
    8. Umer Mansoor & Mohammad Tamim Kashifi & Fazal Rehman Safi & Syed Masiur Rahman, 2022. "A review of factors and benefits of non-motorized transport: a way forward for developing countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1560-1582, February.
    9. Fitch, Dillon T. & Handy, Susan L., 2020. "Road environments and bicyclist route choice: The cases of Davis and San Francisco, CA," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    10. Ruiz, Tomás & Bernabé, José C., 2014. "Measuring factors influencing valuation of nonmotorized improvement measures," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 195-211.
    11. Lu, Wei & Scott, Darren M. & Dalumpines, Ron, 2018. "Understanding bike share cyclist route choice using GPS data: Comparing dominant routes and shortest paths," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 172-181.
    12. Damant-Sirois, Gabriel & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., 2015. "Who cycles more? Determining cycling frequency through a segmentation approach in Montreal, Canada," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 113-125.
    13. Park, Yujin & Akar, Gulsah, 2019. "Why do bicyclists take detours? A multilevel regression model using smartphone GPS data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 191-200.
    14. Rossetti, Tomás & Guevara, C. Angelo & Galilea, Patricia & Hurtubia, Ricardo, 2018. "Modeling safety as a perceptual latent variable to assess cycling infrastructure," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 252-265.
    15. Downward, Paul & Rasciute, Simona, 2015. "Assessing the impact of the National Cycle Network and physical activity lifestyle on cycling behaviour in England," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 425-437.
    16. Ralph Buehler & Jennifer Dill, 2016. "Bikeway Networks: A Review of Effects on Cycling," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 9-27, January.
    17. Kamargianni, Maria, 2015. "Investigating next generation's cycling ridership to promote sustainable mobility in different types of cities," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 45-55.
    18. Scott, Darren M. & Lu, Wei & Brown, Matthew J., 2021. "Route choice of bike share users: Leveraging GPS data to derive choice sets," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    19. Vedel, Suzanne Elizabeth & Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl & Skov-Petersen, Hans, 2017. "Bicyclists’ preferences for route characteristics and crowding in Copenhagen – A choice experiment study of commuters," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 53-64.
    20. Nkurunziza, Alphonse & Zuidgeest, Mark & Brussel, Mark & Van Maarseveen, Martin, 2012. "Examining the potential for modal change: Motivators and barriers for bicycle commuting in Dar-es-Salaam," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 249-259.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8672-:d:431298. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.