Work

Design of bicycling suitability maps for hilly cities

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: Sustainability worries related to the intensive use of energy by automobiles and traffic congestion issues have encouraged decision makers to look for alternative solutions, leading to an emerging shift towards soft/active transport modes. The bicycle, a very efficient mode of transport, is a soft travel mode that can be adopted in most cities, contributing to urban sustainability given the associated environmental, economic and social advantages. Cycling, however, also has its deterrents. Among these, it is recognised that slopes play an important role in influencing the choice for this mode of travel. The purpose of this paper is to present methods to analyse a hilly city's suitability for cycling, in what concerns relief, with the aim of identifying locations for implementation of hard aid devices that restore connectivity between most parts, or even the whole, of the city. The methodology proposed makes use of appropriate service areas. Geographical information systems technology was used to implement the methodology and the approach is demonstrated with a case study for the city of Coimbra, Portugal. This combined approach helps decision makers to plan the city in a sustainable way.

Source: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer

DOI: 10.1680/muen.14.00009

Authors: Lino Tralhao, Nuno Sousa, Nuno Ribeiro, João Coutinho-Rodrigues

Institutions: Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Universidade Aberta, University of Coimbra

Language: English

Topic: Urban Transport and Accessibility

Subfield: Transportation

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: green

Funders: Universidade de Coimbra, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia