Bicycle networks are made up of different types of infrastructure for cars, bikes and mixed use, which has resulted in various definitions being used to describe them. However, it’s crucial to bring these definitions together to understand the structural differences among them and the impact of choices and investments in bike infrastructure. This study examines different definitions of bicycle networks in 47 cities, analysing scaling effects and various network metrics for four different definitions. Understanding structural characteristics of different bicycle networks definitions contributes to the body of knowledge necessary for design interventions by policymakers.@en

Similarly to Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, we theorize that cities have a pyramid of bicycle network needs that depends on their level of bicycle culture. As an increasing number of data sources emerge for bicycle data collection, transport authorities face the challenge of understanding how to use the data and which data sources are fit for their network needs. This article defines a framework that relates the bicycle network needs of cities with data collection systems. We showcase the need-driven framework through a case study of Melbourne, Australia, a bicycle ignorant city, and surveying 15 municipalities (and their consultancies) of the Netherlands. By using the proposed need-driven framework cities can understand how to fully exploit bicycle data collection systems and make a systematic plan.@en

Although many agree that the use of bicycles improves mobility and quality of life in a city, much less clear is how to assess the progress being made in this direction and how to plan bikeable cities. The bikeability of a city depends on many diverse and interrelated factors such as the land use and transport system, culture and social norms, as well as individuals’ perceptions. Among the many factors influencing bikeability the infrastructure network, made of streets and intersections, is a fundamental component to allow safe and convenient cycling in a city. For this reason, this thesis focuses on infrastructure-related bikeability aspects and how to assess them. Planning for bicycle infrastructure has been piece-wise and location-specific resulting in every city developing its own best practices without contributing to a more general theoretical guidance on how to assess and develop attractive and convenient bicycle networks. Since a systematic approach to bicycle infrastructure evaluation and planning is lacking we formulate the following research goal: To gain empirical knowledge on bicycle infrastructure networks and develop methodological tools to assess infrastructure-related bikeability.@en

A fully separated bicycle network from vehicular traffic is not realistic even for the most bicycle-friendly cities. Thus, all around the world urban cycling entails switching between streets of different safety, convenience, and comfort levels. As a consequence, the quality of bicycle networks should be evaluated not based on one but multiple factors and by considering the different user preferences regarding these factors. More comprehensive methodologies to assess urban bicycle networks are essential to the operation and planning of modern city transportation. This work proposes a multi-objective methodology to assess—what we refer to as—bikeability between origin–destination locations and over the entire network, useful for evaluation and planning of bicycle networks. We do so by introducing the concept of bikeability curves which allows us to assess the quality of cycling in a city network with respect to the heterogeneity of user preferences. The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on two cities with different bike cultures: Amsterdam and Melbourne. Our results suggest the effectiveness of bikeability curves in describing the characteristic features and differences in the two networks.@en

A tool for travel time estimation of cyclists approaching a traffic light can monitor level of service of intersections in bike crowded cities. This work represents a first step in developing such a tool. Neural Network models are evaluated on how they perform in estimating individual travel time of cyclists approaching a signalized intersection. Based on simulated scenarios, in cities with low bicycle levels (deterministic scenario), Neural Networks are good travel time estimators whereas, in places with high bike volumes (where cyclists depart with a discharge rate) information on queued cyclists is crucial for travel time information.

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The number of queued bicycles on a signalised link is crucial information for the adoption of intelligent transport systems, aiming at a better management of cyclists in cities. An unsupervised machine learning methodology is deployed to produce estimations of accumulation levels based on data retrieved from a bicycle street of the Netherlands. The use of a clustering-based approach, combined with a conceptual insight into the bicycle accumulation process and various data sources, makes the applied methodology less dependent on sensor errors. This clustering-based methodology is a first step in bicycle accumulation estimation and clearly identifies levels of cyclists accumulated in front of a traffic light.@en