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Background: Excessive car use hampers progress toward tackling global health challenges, including climate and sustainability issues, and is linked to lower physical activity. Local communities have been developing solutions through bike buses. This paper, one of the first on bike buses, explores how a bike bus is perceived by other road and place users. Methods: An interdisciplinary survey instrument with dialogic-style questions was distributed on flyers to road and place users on 1 bike bus route including when the bike bus was passing. Responses were thematically analyzed using analytic framing to identify themes and subthemes. This paper focuses on 2 domains related to physical activity's link to the global health challenges of climate change and sustainability issues of excess car traffic: climate actions and community-level activism. Results: Overall, 172 responses were received from 542 distributed flyers (31.8%). The climate actions domain identified a bike bus as a solution that creates a transport mode shift, reduces emissions, and improves air quality. Themes associated with community-level activism domain include perception that a bike bus is a form of activism or a protest and that it is a disruption to the status quo on the roads. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that this active mobility practice goes beyond the utility of getting children to school and being a way to promote physical activity. A bike bus is seen as local community action that could create a transport mode shift, draw attention to road space allocation, and help tackle global health challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the relationship between Walk Score index with walking to commuting, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and screen time in older adults. Georeferenced addresses were entered into the Walk Score platform. Walking to commute and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and categorized according to the World Health Organization recommendations. Screen time was analyzed through self-reported time watching television/being on the computer. We used binary logistic regression to estimate the association between variables. Older adults who lived in places with higher Walk Score had a higher prevalence of walking to commuting (odds ratio = 1.73; 95% confidence interval [1.18, 2.55]) and engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (odds ratio = 1.76; 95% confidence interval [1.05, 2.98]). A relationship also was observed between higher Walk Score and more time in screen time (odds ratio = 1.67; 95% confidence interval [1.19, 2.34]). The results showed that residing in a more walkable neighborhood increased the chances of the older adults spending 3 hr or more in front of a screen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street view imagery (SVI), an emerging geospatial dataset, is useful for evaluating active transportation infrastructure, but it faces potential biases from its vehicle-based capture method, diverging from pedestrians' and cyclists' perspectives. Existing literature lacks both an examination of these biases and a solution. This study identifies and quantifies these biases by comparing conventional SVI with views from the road shoulder/sidewalk. To mitigate such perspective biases, we introduce a novel framework with generative adversarial network (GAN)-based image generation models (Pix2Pix and CycleGAN), an image regression model (ResNet-50), and a tabular model (LightGBM). Experiments assessed model effectiveness in translating car-centric views to those from pedestrian and cyclist perspectives. Results show significant differences in semantic indicators (e.g. green view index) between road center and road shoulder/sidewalk SVI, with low Pearson's correlation coefficients r (0.35–0.55 for road shoulders and 0.45–0.47 for sidewalks) indicating bias. The framework succeeded in creating realistic images and aligning pixel ratios between perspectives, achieving strong correlation coefficients (0.81 for road shoulders and 0.83 for sidewalks), thus reducing bias. This work contributes by providing a scalable and model-agnostic approach to produce accurate SVIs for urban planning and sustainability, setting a foundation for improving bikeability and walkability assessments and promoting active transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In places with low overall cycling levels, the uptake by people of older ages tends to be especially marginal. This study observes that current cycling promotion in low-cycling cities does not change this tendency and argues that the ageing of urban populations increasingly requires action to address this gap. In response, it aims to understand the cycling trajectories of older adults who cycle or aim to take up cycling. The analysis focuses on their long-term mobility biographies, reporting from qualitative and mobile research methods applied in the city of Barcelona. This paper makes insightful how later life cycling is conditioned by interactions with the urban and social environment, but also how it carries essential qualities for positive ageing. The findings indicate that cycling currently relies on intrinsic mobile capacities that make it exclusive, less achievable as everyday transport mode, and less likely to endure over the lifecourse. The paper concludes that aspiring cycling cities should pay special attention to populations with less cycling representation and makes the case to advance age-friendliness in research and urban policies that wish to build-in and maintain cycling mobility across a wider demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractCities are still far from being child-friendly for cycling. Cycling with children in low-cycling cities poses specific challenges, requiring high confidence and skills. Active travel-to-school programs aim to promote cycling among children, and one of these programs, Bike Bus, has recently captured considerable attention. Bike Bus is an initiative where families cycle together to school following a fixed route and schedule. This study aims to trace the origins of this initiative worldwide, explain the current momentum behind the movement, identify their diversity, and reflect on their long-term sustainability. We reached 431 Bike Buses through a mixed-methods design, including archival analysis, an online survey, and 22 interviews. Bike Bus had a plural origin in Europe in the late twentieth century. Moving more than 35,000 children in a week, its expansion has been driven by the joy it brings to participants, the growing interest in climate action, and social media. This is the first study that examines the characteristics of different Bike Buses and analyzes the particularities of this initiative. On average, the rides have 29 participants and travel 2.8 km. We compare route characteristics, participants, goals, and relationships with their respective city councils. Finally, while not all initiatives aim to last, access to long-term funding and committed organizers are the best enablers for sustainability over time. Bike Bus’ powerful nature lies in its simultaneous purposes: active mobility to school, activism, and joy. To ensure longevity, organizers could collaborate with local administrations to secure resources while maintaining advocacy for child-friendly cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment-species relationships can be mediated by functional traits. In this study we investigated how the functional traits of periphytic community respond to environmental variation in streams along a gradient of anthropically modified landscapes in the Brazilian Cerrado. We expect the association of traits with flow gradients, turbidity, productivity, and nutrients directly impacted by changes in land cover around streams. We use the RLQ analysis to test this hypothesis. The first RLQ axis revealed a gradient associated with variation in the local physical and chemical characteristics, nutrients and productivity of the streams, while the second axis was associated with a gradient of impact on land use and nutrients related to the trophic state. The main traits associated with the first axis of RLQ (physical and chemical, and productivity gradient) were life form, substrate adherence, and active mobility, while size, life form, and substrate adhesion were associated with the second axis of RLQ (land use, primary productivity, and orthophosphate gradient). Our results highlight the importance of the trait-environment approach to predict community composition. Furthermore, they suggest that functional traits can be used to predict the responses of periphytic communities to environmental changes at local and landscape scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This article explores how psychology professionals understand and treat the mobility issues of people diagnosed with anxiety disorder. • The mobility problems their clients experience affect their daily lives. • Most of the interviewed psychology professionals suggest that adjustments in the mobility system could assist individuals with anxiety disorders to participate more fully in society. • Directions for interventions are suggested, each with a strong link to ongoing debates in the transport and urban planning professions. In this paper, we explore how psychology professionals understand and treat the mobility issues of people diagnosed with anxiety disorder, based on 13 in-depth interviews. All interviewees regularly treat clients facing challenges using various modes of transportation due to anxiety disorders. Their clients exhibit a range of mobility issues, with some struggling with driving or being a passenger in a car, while others encounter difficulties when using public transport, cycling, or being a pedestrian. The mobility problems their clients experience affect their daily lives. Next to applying individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) adopted by most interviewees, they also suggest that adjustments in the mobility system could assist individuals with anxiety disorders to participate more fully in society. Hence, we advocate for more research on the mobility system that integrates psychological perspectives on mobility-related problems caused by anxiety disorder to support a more inclusive mobility planning, design, and organization of the system. Inclusive planning implies (1) designing mainstream infrastructures and services enabling people with anxiety disorders to move around independently while reducing anxiety-triggering situations without them becoming disclosed; (2) enhancing walkability and cyclability through both transport and land use planning, since having destinations within a short distance from home seems to be especially beneficial for people with anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractA key factor for the use of bicycles for transportation is the presence of safe and pleasant infrastructure. While research mostly focuses on large cities, cycling infrastructure and use are still incipient in many small and medium-sized cities. Because of their spatial context and very low and demographically uneven cycle use, it is key to understand how the potential of growing infrastructure is perceived among the general population, as well as how these perceptions differ based on personal characteristics. We focus on Camp de Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain), a polycentric urban area where bicycles are used for transportation for less than 1% of trips, and where local authorities have shown renewed interest in expanding and improving the current infrastructure to increase bicycle usage. We examine the perception of residents in the study area regarding various bicycle infrastructure scenarios through a visual preference analysis using photo evaluation. The representative survey was conducted with over 1,000 individuals in 2022, which demonstrates a widespread willingness to cycle as a means of transportation. However, this desire remains unmet due to inadequate infrastructure and an urban configuration that generally discourages cycling. The results show a need for recognizable, safe and segregated cycling infrastructure, though with differing perceptions between gender and age groups and between levels of urban density. The understanding of diverse sociodemographic nuances in the preferences of non-cyclists emerges as vital for promoting cycling as a feasible and socially inclusive transportation choice, highlighting the importance of tailored infrastructure to encourage cycling and enhance accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With poor transportation infrastructure and increased reliance on motorization, fast-growing cities in the Global South that are experiencing rapid urbanization have received less attention in terms of sustainable transportation research. In this regard, it is imperative to support active mobility and public transit that help to reduce vehicle emissions, traffic congestion, road fatalities, and energy depletion while supporting public health, robust economies, and social equity. However, in the emerging cities context, the adoption of sustainable transportation options are constrained by various factors. This study aims to explore the key factors hindering the adoption of sustainable transportation options in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To do so, travel survey data were gathered from 720 households using stratified sampling and analyzed using factor analysis. The results from factor analysis indicated five groups of factors hindering residents' intention to adopt sustainable transportation options, including (1) infrastructure condition, (2) modal characteristics, (3) land use pattern, (4) policy framework, and (5) technology-related factors. The confirmatory factor analysis also depicts the five latent factors and the contributions of observed variables that are statistically significant (p < 0.01). More specifically, observed variables such as (i) inadequate pedestrian facilities, (ii) lack of bike facilities, (iii) poor public transit facilities, (iv) limited availability of reliable public transport, (v) long wait times, (vi) high public transport fare, (vii) discomfort, (viii) safety and security issues are the most significant factors. Another set of factors includes (ix) walking distance, (x) dispersed land use pattern, (xi) poor land use mix, (xii) inadequate policy support, and (xiii) lack of real-time information. Furthermore, the intention to adopt sustainable modes of transportation is influenced by socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, age, educational status, income, family size, and car ownership. The result contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into adopting sustainable transportation modes in emerging cities like Addis Ababa, which are characterized by several urban transportation challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, e-scooters have been introduced in many European cities. In several places we have witnessed a rapid uptake of this new mode of transport mainly as a result of public sharing schemes. A number of incidents, injuries and even fatalities have given rise to questions regarding the safety of these vehicles. These questions are being researched mainly using official crash data and data specifying injuries and hospital treatment. Until now, the research has focused on investigating typical injury patterns and estimating risk levels. Very little is known about exactly where conflicts and crashes occur. Knowledge of hazard hotspots is crucial when investigating risk levels and improving safety for all road users.Hence, this paper develops an approach to investigating locations with potentially dangerous interactions within the active mobility system in the city of Berlin. The approach consists of explorative expert interviews, an online poll, and quantitative analyses. For the latter we combine three datasets. First, we research crash hotspots using official data. Second, we use data based on acceleration sensors from cyclists' smartphones to find locations of sudden movements. Third, we use trip data from the operators of e-scooter sharing systems. The information gathered is used in a conclusive expert workshop to identify hazard hotspots.Results show that many of the conflicts with pedestrians are caused by parked e-scooters. Second, e-scooter trips are concentrated in the inner city and along specific routes. In moving traffic, various data sources are used to identify hotspots at intersections and in areas between intersections.The present research lays the foundation for important further studies to investigate interactions at hotspots in detail by determining nine specific locations in the city of Berlin.

This qualitative study uses Talanoa methodologies to explore the everyday experiences of Pacific elders travelling around Māngere Central, Aotearoa New Zealand. A suite of street infrastructure changes for walking and cycling took place in the area between 2015 and 2017. While the evidence linking attributes of urban street design to physical activity behaviour is strong, there is little research on the impact of the built environment on Pacific elders’ active mobility. The study seeks to address this knowledge gap by focusing on the impacts of streetscape changes on the active travel and social connectivity of this group of residents. Findings indicate that post-intervention, elders feel significantly safer while walking, with active travel increasing for some. All elders in the study feel that important amenities are now more accessible, with some of significant cultural and social importance. As such, opportunities for social connection appear to have increased. Furthermore, the enhanced look and feel of the local environment is important to the elders interviewed, enhancing feelings of community pride and well-being for some. Further desired changes to support active mobility are discussed, and a logic model highlighting factors theorised to be particularly important for achieving mode shift among Pacific elders is proposed.

Although children are the primary users of many spaces, their voices are often unheard in transport planning. We therefore do not know much about children’s barriers or wishes regarding mobility. What is known, however, is that children have become less independent in their daily mobility, with parents (or guardians) increasingly driving children instead of allowing them to walk and cycle. The decline in active mobility is worrisome, since active mobility is beneficial to children, but incorporating children’s voices in transport planning can be conducive to increased active mobility of children. The objective of this paper is to explore the wishes and barriers of children regarding school commuting. Data was collected from a survey completed by 1251 pupils and through workshops with four schools in a residential neighbourhood in Brussels, Belgium. We found that there is a significant gap between the current and desired transport modes of pupils, with an important untapped potential for cycling. We also found that traffic safety is a predominant worry of pupils. Additionally, when suggesting the re-design of their school neighbourhood, the most recurring suggestions from pupils included walking and cycling infrastructure, and reduced access to the school neighbourhood for cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since care is an essential part of our individual and collective survival, there is the challenge to explore how care operates through daily mobility patterns in urban settings. This paper utilizes the concept of 'mobility of care' to quantitatively assess care-related trips in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) using an official household travel survey. We analyse the factors linked to care-related trips at the individual, household, and territorial levels and examine their correlation with transportation modes. Our results reveal that care-related trips form a significant portion of everyday mobility in a Mediterranean metropolis such as Barcelona. Notably, mobility of care is more relevant among women, increases with age and the presence of dependents in the household, particularly minors. Active modes of transportation, primarily in densely populated urban areas, dominate care-related mobility in Barcelona. Finally, our findings suggests that while the concept of mobility of care helps to conceptualizing a key part of our daily reality and helps identifying possible social inequalities, it is still necessary to account and understand specific care-related purposes. The study's findings will contribute to advancing research on the mobility of care and informing urban policymakers in their pursuit of sustainable and equitable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though active mobility is considered a sustainable way of travelling in urban environments, this might not always be the case because of a lack of infrastructure and poor road safety standards. This study assesses, under an economic point of view, the health benefits of a shift from private cars to active mobility for urban travels in Italy, considering both mortality and morbidity effects. The overall health effect is the result of positive (increased physical activity) and negative effects (increased air pollutant intake and increased road injury risk). Health impacts are measured using disability-adjusted life years and translated into monetary terms using either the value of a life year or the value of a statistical life. On average, the overall health effect of the modal shift is negative. This is largely due to the very high pedestrian and bike road injury rates in Italian cities. The negative effect of increased air pollution intake is negligible if compared with the effect of road injuries. In the case of bikes/e-bikes, the overall health effect is positive in cities characterised by good cycling infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our knowledge of urban sprawl and its relationship with urban mode choices in the context of developing countries is limited. The present study aims to evaluate the influence of travel behaviour, socioeconomic features of residents in sprawling and compact areas as two different types of neighbourhoods Hamedan and Nowshahr, Iran. Also, this study analysed the relationship between street connectivity with the use of active mobility. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models were generated for trips in these two cities, which is complemented by chi-squared and Kruskal–Wallis tests to evaluate the similarities and dissimilarities of travel behaviour and other socioeconomic characteristics among the residents of compact and sprawling neighbourhoods. A significant relationship was observed between street connectivity and active mobility in all kinds of commuting and non-commuting trips inside and outside of neighbourhoods when age, gender, car ownership, and monthly income are controlled in the models of the two cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, e-scooters have been introduced in many European cities. In several places we have witnessed a rapid uptake of this new mode of transport mainly as a result of public sharing schemes. A number of incidents, injuries and even fatalities have given rise to questions regarding the safety of these vehicles. These questions are being researched mainly using official crash data and data specifying injuries and hospital treatment. Until now, the research has focused on investigating typical injury patterns and estimating risk levels. Very little is known about exactly where conflicts and crashes occur. Knowledge of hazard hotspots is crucial when investigating risk levels and improving safety for all road users. Hence, this paper develops an approach to investigating locations with potentially dangerous interactions within the active mobility system in the city of Berlin. The approach consists of explorative expert interviews, an online poll, and quantitative analyses. For the latter we combine three datasets. First, we research crash hotspots using official data. Second, we use data based on acceleration sensors from cyclists' smartphones to find locations of sudden movements. Third, we use trip data from the operators of escooter sharing systems. The information gathered is used in a conclusive expert workshop to identify hazard hotspots. Results show that many of the conflicts with pedestrians are caused by parked escooters. Second, e-scooter trips are concentrated in the inner city and along specific routes. In moving traffic, various data sources are used to identify hotspots at intersections and in areas between intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While various sensors have been deployed to monitor vehicular flows, sensing pedestrian movement is still nascent. Yet walking is a significant mode of travel in many cities, especially those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Understanding pedestrian volumes and flows is essential for designing safer and more attractive pedestrian infrastructure and for controlling periodic overcrowding. This study discusses a new approach to scale up urban sensing of people with the help of novel audio-based technology. It assesses the benefits and limitations of microphone-based sensors as compared to other forms of pedestrian sensing. A large-scale dataset called ASPED is presented, which includes high-quality audio recordings along with video recordings used for labeling the pedestrian count data. The baseline analyses highlight the promise of using audio sensors for pedestrian tracking, although algorithmic and technological improvements to make the sensors practically usable continue. This study also demonstrates how the data can be leveraged to predict pedestrian trajectories. Finally, it discusses the use cases and scenarios where audio-based pedestrian sensing can support better urban and transportation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate crisis, migration and urbanization may appear as three separate crises, but under Sheller's paradigm of Mobility Justice, they become part of a coherent whole that should be tackled as a single, complex and interconnected predicament. This paper observes rhetorical strategies employed in texts about the climate crisis, about cycling advocacy and about the "climate lockdown" conspiracy theory, which developed in Oxford, UK, in 2023. The metaphors, deictic pronouns and identity categories used are the main discourse features analysed through a qualitative approach, showing how mobility-related issues are often discussed through spatial metaphors, while deictic pronouns play a central role in the creation of identities. The findings are employed to contribute to the beneficial reframing of mobility-related discourses, whether global or local, and to react to climate inaction. The overall aim of this approach is to reveal the links between discourses about the climate crisis on a global scale and those on a local, urban scale concerning urban mobility policies. The prism through which both global and local discourses are observed is that of space and access to mobility. The aim of this investigation is to identify new patterns of language that can help us finding "new stories to live by". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Active travel to school is an important contributor to the physical activity levels of children and adolescents and the source of many health benefits. In this work, we model cycling to school in Finland. The probability to cycle on a given trip is modelled using a binary logistic regression model based on trip length, average route gradient, the cyclist’s gender, and age. Variables denoting the city regions were also included to account for differences in cycling cultures and infrastructure. In addition, weather variables were added as cycling levels in Finland are highly dependent on the season. Air temperature and the presence of snow were found to reflect well the observed seasonal variations. The observed influence of winter conditions on trip distances and the cycling of girls is also replicated in the model through interaction terms. This model is employed to explore two sustainable mobility scenarios: a scenario where the cycling of girls increases to the same level as that of boys and a scenario where all school children cycle as much as those living in Oulu, Finland’s top cycling region. Our results suggest that it would be possible to increase the number of trips by bicycle and cycled mileage significantly, up to 76 % in the Oulu scenario, even though school children already cycle much more than the general population.

In Sweden, the transport sector accounts for 32% of greenhouse gas emissions, with passenger cars contributing to 62% of these. In this context, electric bikes, commonly known as e-bikes, have emerged as a promising solution for reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector. This paper explores the potential of e-bikes in substituting passenger car trips and reducing transportation-related emissions. To achieve this objective, we use a synthetic population in the Västra Götaland (VG) region, Sweden, with daily activity schedules and simulate an average weekday of travelling with e-bikes instead of their private cars. For assessing the potential for e-bike substitution, the current literature often relies on trip-level analysis, which does not adequately consider people’s daily travel-activity plans, resulting in an unrealistic estimation of replaceable trips and their carbon emissions reduction. Combining an e-bike speed model by agents’ characteristics and an open-source routing engine, our simulation identifies potential car trips that can be replaced with e-bikes, considering all activities and the travel between them for an average weekday. The simulation results suggest that e-bikes could replace 57.6% of car trips. Building on this, we explore the potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from car trips taken by residents in the study area. If the top 70% of feasible car users, ranked by shortest to longest daily travel distances, switch to e-bikes, emissions could be reduced by 10.1% compared to 2018 levels. If all feasible car users adopt e-bikes, a reduction of up to 22.8% in emissions could be achieved, representing the upper limit presented by our study. The findings also reveal that males under 40 years old provide the highest e-bike substitution rates in their daily activity schedules, and in areas with a high population density, replaceable car trips are more common than in rural areas. This research provides valuable insights into e-bike substitution and its impact on emission reduction. It contributes to the existing literature through its modelling approach that realistically considers individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics and daily activity schedules when assessing the substitution potential.

In places with low overall cycling levels, the uptake by people of older ages tends to be especially marginal. This study observes that current cycling promotion in low-cycling cities does not change this tendency and argues that the ageing of urban populations increasingly requires action to address this gap. In response, it aims to understand the cycling trajectories of older adults who cycle or aim to take up cycling. The analysis focuses on their long-term mobility biographies, reporting from qualitative and mobile research methods applied in the city of Barcelona. This paper makes insightful how later life cycling is conditioned by interactions with the urban and social environment, but also how it carries essential qualities for positive ageing. The findings indicate that cycling currently relies on intrinsic mobile capacities that make it exclusive, less achievable as everyday transport mode, and less likely to endure over the lifecourse. The paper concludes that aspiring cycling cities should pay special attention to populations with less cycling representation and makes the case to advance age-friendliness in research and urban policies that wish to build-in and maintain cycling mobility across a wider demographic.

Research on the Covid-19 pandemic highlights it as a catalyst for significant changes in mobility patterns. The health crisis sparked a renewed focus on cycling as a viable mode of daily transportation and prompted new public policies, including support for bicycle repairs and the establishment of temporary cycling infrastructure known as "coronapistes". This article investigates the development of the pro-bike association network in the Île-de-France region, examining its evolution from 1970 to 2023 and analyzing its spatial dynamics. It poses the question: To what extent did the Covid-19 crisis act as a catalyst for ongoing processes, or did it serve as a driver for more transformative change? Drawing on both quantitative data (a census of associations) and qualitative insights (narratives of organizational histories, interviews with association members, local authorities, and institutions), the research compares two sets of data: one collected prior to 2020 and another gathered afterward. The findings indicate that the advocacy efforts of these associations have played a crucial role in establishing cycling as a legitimate mode of transport in the Paris region. Although the foundations of these pro-bike discussions were laid well before the Covid-19 crisis, the pandemic has significantly enhanced the legitimacy, structure, and effectiveness of the associated movements. The degree of this impact varies based on the level of action involved.

In the contemporary urban landscape, the rail mass transit system assumes a crucial role in shaping city tourism, primarily attributable to its commendable efficiency in ensuring safety and optimizing travel times. A comprehensive understanding of this system becomes imperative for formulating strategies aimed at augmenting the tourism potential it facilitates. Consequently, this study employs rigorous spatial analysis, concentrating on tourist attractions and their accessibility levels within the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) center and an area outside the TOD center (non-TOD). The empirical results of this investigation unveil that the distribution characteristics of a substantial proportion of tourist attractions manifest clustering tendencies (Z-score exceeding 1.65), particularly in areas synonymous with historical and recreational activities. In contrast, specific activities such as cultural and agricultural pursuits exhibit a random distribution characteristic (Z-score between −1.65 and 1.65). Notably, it becomes apparent that activities characterized by distinct distribution patterns also harbour varying potentials for accessibility. In essence, this scholarly endeavour contributes nuanced insights into the intersection of urban rail mass transit systems and tourism dynamics, shedding light on the intricate relationships between spatial distribution, activity characteristics, and accessibility levels within diverse urban contexts.

Abstract Promoting the shift from private cars to micromobility (e.g., bike, e-bike, scooter) can represent a valuable action to improve city sustainability and liveability. Micromobility can help to replace trips by individual private cars (e.g., daily short round trips) as well as to improve coverage and accessibility of transit services, and, subsequently, to reduce the traffic impacts (e.g., pollutant emissions). It can be seen as a potential solution to move people more efficiently in urban areas, as well as to push people towards a more active mobility behaviour, contributing to the well-being goals. In this context, the paper, rather than inferring the users’ propensity to change their travel mode, proposes a methodology to identify car trips that can be considered the most compatible with micromobility. Estimation of the potential demand (e.g., the upper level of car trips that could be replaced by micromobility) is carried out by exploiting the opportunity offered by floating car data (FCD) for characterising car trips. Its goodness is therefore evaluated through an application to a real case study (i.e., the city of Trani, Apulia Region, Southern Italy), divided into seventy traffic zones, and where a FCD dataset of about 5,200 trips was available. The FCD allowed the car trips to be characterised (e.g., origin and destination, path features) instead of using the traditional surveys. The results indicate that a significant share of daily car trips can be substituted (i.e., the most compatible) by micromobility (31% of car round trips in the case study), with considerable potential environmental gains (traffic emission reduction; less than 21% of total emissions from private cars). Results can be of interest to local authorities in integrating micromobility in urban mobility planning and promoting new sustainable transport alternatives, as well as to transport companies for designing new appeal services. The developed methodology is parametric and uses easy-to-obtain data available worldwide; thus, it can be easily transferred to other city contexts.

Objectives: Movement-friendly environments with infrastructure favouring active mobility are important for promoting physical activity. This scoping literature review aims at identifying the current evidence for links between mobility infrastructures and (a) behaviour regarding active mobility, (b) health outcomes and (c) co-benefits. Method: This review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA scoping review guidelines using PubMed and EMBASE databases. Studies included in this review were conducted in Europe, and published between 2000 and March 2023. Results: 146 scientific articles and grey literature reports were identified. Connectivity of sidewalks, walkability, and accessibility of shops, services and work are associated with walking. Cycling is positively associated with cycle-paths, separation of cycling from traffic and proximity to greenspaces, and negatively associated with traffic danger. Increased active transportation has a protective effect on cardiovascular and respiratory health, obesity, fitness, and quality of life. Co-benefits result from the reduction of individual motorized transportation including reduced environmental pollution and projected healthcare expenditure. Conclusion: Mobility infrastructure combined with social and educational incentives are effective in promoting active travel and reducing future healthcare expenses. A shift to active transportation would increase both individual and community health and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the benefits of commuting to school actively and autonomously, this is not a common habit shown by children in contemporary societies. One of the main determinants of deciding whether or not to walk to school alone is often the perception of risk that children and their families have of their environment. In this regard, this research aims to analyze the factors that children themselves consider important when assessing whether their neighborhoods, towns, or cities are safe environments. The results suggest that at least four key factors influence children's perceptions of safety: trusting (or not) people in the streets, the size of the village, police presence, and road safety. It was also found that girls were more concerned about the dangerous people they might meet along the way, and boys were more concerned about structural aspects such as the size of the town or the distance to be traveled to school. Thus, there is a need to develop policies and municipal plans linked to cultural and pedagogical approaches that work on children's fears in order to promote transitable and secure environments and neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in car domination, air pollution, traffic congestion, and urban sprawl, sustainable, livable, creative, and walkable cities are critical, now more than ever, for improving quality of life. The effect of neighborhood urban morphologies on walkability has received much attention in recent years. In this vein, the main research question is: how do different neighborhood urban morphologies impact the level of walkability in urban environments, and what are the essential elements impacting the walkability index? Thus, this research aims to determine the impact of urban morphology on walkability in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, as a case study by utilizing multi-spatial analysis. In particular, the study focused on assessing the walkability of four different study areas that vary according to their urban morphology: Kafr–Abdo, Smouha, Latin Quarter, and Roushdy areas. The analysis utilized GIS to calculate a number of indicators to reach the final walkability index for each study area. Results helped to identify the neighborhoods characterized by the lowest level of pedestrian walkability in relation to the area's urban morphology in an attempt to help decision-makers suggest the appropriate interventions for those areas. The aggregated index results showed that the highest walkability index was that of the gridiron morphology, followed by the linear morphology, with the radial and organic morphologies coming in behind them, respectively. The composite walkability index values were 0.364, 0.247, 0.232 and 0.225, respectively. The reason for this is mainly the presence of the commercial density, intersection density, street density, services density, BCR, and residential density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigating cyclist discomfort in shared spaces. • Varied discomfort in passing and meeting events among demographics. • Cycling experience enhances comfort for older adults. • Younger adults with e-scooter experience have lower cycling comfort. Shared spaces for active mobility prioritize the safety and comfort of vulnerable road users by segregating them from motorized vehicles. However, the diverse speed regimes of pedestrians and cyclists can lead to encounters that may affect their comfort. In addition, the very perception of comfort may vary across individuals depending on their demographics, and therefore the determinants of comfort and their effects may not be fixed across all individuals. Despite these complexities, there is limited research in understanding the heterogeneous interactions between cyclists and other road users in shared spaces. To bridge this gap, we conducted an intercept survey complemented by an experimental section involving 594 cyclists in Sweden. This study focuses on gaining insights into cyclists' experiences, particularly their comfort levels during 'passing' and 'meeting' events with other road users in shared spaces. We then used the collected data to develop a random effect latent class ordered probit model to scrutinize the determinants of cycling comfort in passing and meeting scenarios. The latent class specification is employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity in the data. Findings reveal that female cyclists generally perceive less comfort compared to their male counterparts in both scenarios. Passing events have a more negative impact on older adults, leading to less comfort compared to younger cyclists. We also found that previous cycling experience increases comfort in shared facilities, particularly for older adults. These results highlight the intricate nature of perceived comfort in interactions, particularly concerning demographic characteristics, contributing to the promotion of user diversity in shared spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the shift from private cars to micromobility (e.g., bike, e-bike, scooter) can represent a valuable action to improve city sustainability and liveability. Micromobility can help to replace trips by individual private cars (e.g., daily short round trips) as well as to improve coverage and accessibility of transit services, and, subsequently, to reduce the traffic impacts (e.g., pollutant emissions). It can be seen as a potential solution to move people more efficiently in urban areas, as well as to push people towards a more active mobility behaviour, contributing to the well-being goals. In this context, the paper, rather than inferring the users' propensity to change their travel mode, proposes a methodology to identify car trips that can be considered the most compatible with micromobility. Estimation of the potential demand (e.g., the upper level of car trips that could be replaced by micromobility) is carried out by exploiting the opportunity offered by floating car data (FCD) for characterising car trips. Its goodness is therefore evaluated through an application to a real case study (i.e., the city of Trani, Apulia Region, Southern Italy), divided into seventy traffic zones, and where a FCD dataset of about 5,200 trips was available. The FCD allowed the car trips to be characterised (e.g., origin and destination, path features) instead of using the traditional surveys. The results indicate that a significant share of daily car trips can be substituted (i.e., the most compatible) by micromobility (31% of car round trips in the case study), with considerable potential environmental gains (traffic emission reduction; less than 21% of total emissions from private cars). Results can be of interest to local authorities in integrating micromobility in urban mobility planning and promoting new sustainable transport alternatives, as well as to transport companies for designing new appeal services. The developed methodology is parametric and uses easy-to-obtain data available worldwide; thus, it can be easily transferred to other city contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With poor transportation infrastructure and increased reliance on motorization, fast-growing cities in the Global South that are experiencing rapid urbanization have received less attention in terms of sustainable transportation research. In this regard, it is imperative to support active mobility and public transit that help to reduce vehicle emissions, traffic congestion, road fatalities, and energy depletion while supporting public health, robust economies, and social equity. However, in the emerging cities context, the adoption of sustainable transportation options are constrained by various factors. This study aims to explore the key factors hindering the adoption of sustainable transportation options in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. To do so, travel survey data were gathered from 720 households using stratified sampling and analyzed using factor analysis. The results from factor analysis indicated five groups of factors hindering residents’ intention to adopt sustainable transportation options, including (1) infrastructure condition, (2) modal characteristics, (3) land use pattern, (4) policy framework, and (5) technology-related factors. The confirmatory factor analysis also depicts the five latent factors and the contributions of observed variables that are statistically significant (p

Healthy living and well-being at all ages are one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Active mobility is a must as a basic choice for healthy individuals and communities in sustainable cities. However, commuting by walking presents a critical challenge in the city with rapid urbanization, leading to auto dependency rather than a non-motorized mode of residents' daily mobility. By employing spatial configurations of urban physical elements, the interaction between its association and active mobility can be unfolded. Bangkok, a megacity in Thailand, is used as a case study for the objective assessments by generating data from on-street images and incorporating it into the analysis through geographic information systems (GIS). The finding based on the results of spatial configurations related to the pedestrian volume can then be quantified. The linkage between the physical environment—both sidewalks and their surrounding context—can demonstrate its significance in term of relationship. This information is useful for promoting compact urban development with consideration of the availability of transportation systems, especially public transport, which can lead to the promotion of healthy cities and environmental protection while solving traffic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1500 cities around the world created or expanded public spaces for walking, bicycling, recreation and outdoor commerce to accommodate requirements for physical distancing. These interventions often involved the reallocation of street space dedicated to cars to facilitate active mobility. While research on efforts to adapt street space during the pandemic is burgeoning, there has yet to be an in-depth analysis of the motivations behind these responses. Our international qualitative study conducted a thematic review of existing research on active mobility responses to understand them better. Specifically, our review considered why responses were chosen (four motivations: risk reduction, impact mitigation, demand accommodation and opportunity) and how they were implemented (four typologies: opportunism, crisis reaction, business-as-usual was also a crisis and agility). Opportunism was most common both as motivation and typology of approach. However, elements of the other motivations and approach typologies were critical for developing and implementing responses that more directly addressed community needs and concerns during the crisis. Our findings help inform the work of transportation professionals to make cities more resilient by building their capacity to respond quickly and equitably to future disruptions and ongoing crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is based on the analysis and the assessment of morphological and syntactic characteristics of the street network of a mid-sized city: Potenza (County Seat of Basilicata region – Italy). Based on the identification of sustainable mobility options related to the selected case study, the research identifies an active mobility infrastructure framework to improve sustainable mobility policies as a component of urban planning. This research presents the methodology used for creating a 'morpho-syntactic' scenario for the case study town. Traditional techniques for morphological analysis (including terrain and street slope) have been integrated by mathematical graph theory-based spatial configuration measurements using the Space Syntax Analysis and Place Syntax Analysis as an extended framework oriented to assess 'urban places'. The results obtained by this approach are useful for planning a more sustainable urban mobility scenario based on the pedestrian route network for Potenza town and represent a transferable analytical framework for similar cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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