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Bike fitting aims to optimize riders' positions to improve their performance and reduce the risk of injury. To calculate joint angles, the location of the joint centers of the lower limbs needs to be identified. However, one of the greatest difficulties is the location of the hip joint center due to the frequent occlusion of the anterior superior iliac spine markers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate a biomechanical model adapted to cycling (modified pelvic model, MPM), based on the traditional pelvic model (TPM) with an additional lateral technical marker placed on the iliac crests. MPM was also compared with a widely used model in cycling, trochanter model (TM). Thirty-one recreational cyclists pedaled on a roller bike while the movement was captured with a 7-camera VICON system. The position of the hip joint center and knee angle were calculated and compared with the TPM continuously (along 10 pedaling cycles) and discreetly at 90° and 180° crank positions. No significant differences were found in the position of the hip joint center or in the knee flexion/extension angle between the TPM and the MPM. However, there are differences between TPM and TM (variations between 4.1° and 6.9° in favor of the TM at 90° and 180°; P <.001). Bland–Altman graphs comparing the models show an average difference or bias close to 0° (limits of agreement [0.2 to −8.5]) between TPM and MPM in both lower limbs and a mean difference of between −4° and −7° (limits of agreement [−0.6 to −13.2]) when comparing TPM and TM. Given the results, the new cycling pelvic model has proven to be valid compared with the TPM when performing bike fitting studies, with the advantage that the occluded markers are avoided. Despite its simplicity, the TM presents measurement errors that may be relevant when making diagnoses, which makes its usefulness questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micromobility—including bicycles, electric bicycles, and electric scooters—is well-suited to address first- and last-mile connectivity with public transit by bridging the gaps of service for riders. This extends the geographic region where residents are likely to access and exit a transit station, facilitating access to more jobs, services, and recreation. However, public use of micromobility depends on a variety of factors. These include availability of secure parking facilities or other environmental design features at and around public transit stations. UC Davis researchers and urban design experts considered these issues in a case study of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail system. The study included environmental audits at 18 BART stations. The study also hosted an online survey of BART and micromobility users and included interviews with government, industry, and community stakeholders. This policy brief summarizes the findings from this study and provides policy implications. View the NCST Project Webpage

This study examined the sustainability of shared micromobility services using data from 48 cities in the US using a 21-day smartphone travel diary and survey data. Population-weighted analysis indicated a much smaller share of transit connection than in prior reported studies, with more reliable data. However methodological decisions could be a cause for such discrepancies suggesting a sensitivity analysis of this same data may be a good next research step. Results also indicated median VMT reduced per micromobility trip to be roughly 0.15 miles for e-scooter share trips and 0.25 miles for bike share (including e-bike) trips. Models of mode substitution confirm prior evidence of factors affecting car substitution including trip distance as the strongest factor. This study also proposed two frameworks for building a sketch planning tool for examining VMT reduction from future micromobility services. This tool could help cities and regions better plan for the micromobility services to achieve real VMT and GHG reduction goals. While more research is needed to employ this framework, it helps motivate a series of additional research topics to inform a decision support tool for shared micromobility planning. View the NCST Project Webpage

Cycling levels in cities keep increasing, which is accompanied with more cyclists being involved in serious road crashes. This paper aims to contribute to safer urban cycling by examining risk factors associated with cycling in the four largest Dutch cities, incorporating spatial and temporal variations in bicycle crash risk. For this purpose, the crashes and exposure metrics are analysed on an hourly temporal resolution. The results reveal that utilising an hourly temporal resolution in the exposure metrics and bicycle crash risk gives more detailed results compared to daily averages of these metrics. Moreover, the exposure to cyclists and motorised vehicles both have a significant impact on bicycle crash risk. The results also imply that separating cyclists from high-speed motorised vehicles might be more important than implementing a lower speed limit to curb the increasing severity of crashes. Despite some local differences, the overall results of the risk factors are remarkably similar across the cities, providing increased generalisability and transferability of the study. The findings indicate that concerns about the effects of increasing bicycle use and large flows of motorised vehicles on bicycle crash risk are valid, showing the importance of efforts towards improving bicycle safety in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluate changes in two-wheel cycling skills and biking participation goals for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) receiving a home visit and email following iCan Bike camp. Participants: 11 children with ND, 9–16 years, and one of their parents. A cycling skills checklist, two-wheel riding Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), and biking participation GAS were completed before camp (T1), at support visit after camp (T2), and three months following camp (T3). Parents completed biking practice logs. Participants received a support visit to provide instruction, coaching, and address questions, and an email to check progress. Significant changes were made in two-wheel riding GAS T1 to T2 (p = 0.01), biking participation GAS T2 to T3 (p = 0.02), and cycling skills T1 to T2 (p = 0.01) and T2 to T3 (p = 0.02). Practice frequency was related to cycling skills (0.72, p = 0.01) and biking participation (0.86, p < 0.001); cycling skills were related to biking participation (0.81, p = 0.003). Children improved cycling skills and biking participation following camp, support visit, and email check-in. Children who practiced more had greater cycling skills and biking participation. Encouraging weekly bicycling and providing support may promote cycling skills and participation following camp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycle sharing systems are becoming highly popular and there have accumulated a large volume of users' trajectory data. In a bicycle sharing system, most users' borrowing and returning behaviors are arbitrary. Importantly, the bicycle sharing system is affected by weather, time as well as other dynamic factors under non-classical conditions. These factors make the scheduling of shared bicycles imbalanced, which is a typical machine learning problem under non-classical conditions. In addition, imbalanced bicycle scheduling impacts user experiences and causes huge economic losses. In this study, we propose a three-in-one dynamic shared bicycle demand forecasting model under non-classical conditions. The proposed model contains three essential and specific techniques: (1) Clustering stations based on the idea of data field. The activity degree of a station is calculated by constructing a bicycle transition network. The stations' geographical locations and the bicycle transition patterns are taken into consideration. Then, nearby stations with similar transition patterns are aggregated into a cluster based on data field. (2) Modeling dynamic factors under non-classical conditions. The Pearson correlation coefficient is used to choose the most relevant dynamic weather features from real data. These features are transformed into a three-dimensional vector by taking into account the historical demand for bicycles in the station cluster. (3) Predicting bicycle demand using a LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) network with multiple features that learns the features from the three-dimensional vector. The bicycle demand in each cluster is forecasted in a real-time and dynamic fashion every ten minutes. These three techniques collectively achieve one goal: accuracy prediction with low errors in real-time response. Extensive experiments are conducted on real Citi Bicycle data to compare the proposed model with traditional machine learning algorithms as well as the state-of-the-art approaches. The results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed model in different evaluation measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a regression discontinuity design to systematically examine the governance effect of bike-sharing on urban traffic congestion, utilizing city-level data from Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan in China between 2016 and 2018. We discover that the introduction of bike-sharing services significantly mitigates traffic congestion in the short term. Our heterogeneity analysis reveals that the initial deployment of shared bicycles primarily alleviates urban congestion, while additional deployments have a limited impact. Further, mechanism test analysis demonstrates that bike-sharing leads to increased metro ridership in these cities, effectively explaining the reduction in road congestion. This study underscores the pivotal role of bike-sharing services in easing urban traffic congestion and provides vital policy insights for enhancing traffic management strategies in Chinese cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMobility as a Service is a potential game changer in the transition from individual motorized to sustainable and multimodal mobility in urban areas. These innovative concepts are an opportunity for existing forms of sustainable mobility to reach a broader user base and extend their service offerings. Although there are some practical examples of carsharing applications in such concepts, there is a lack of data-driven research about Mobility as a Service in practice and, above all, findings about the influence on usage behavior within such systems. We analyze usage data of the “Mobil-Flat”, a subscription-based mobility offer that integrates carsharing, public transportation, and bike sharing into a single service in a medium-sized German city, to determine the impact of Mobility as a Service on carsharing use. This results in a structured overview of the business model and the implications of such concepts on user behavior and acceptance in the context of carsharing, based on a real-world dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to address the limited consideration given to non-motorized transport facilities in current studies on shared bike travel demand forecasting. This study is the first to propose a method that applies complete citywide non-motorized facility data to predict bike-sharing demand. This study employs a multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model to examine the effects of non-motorized transport facility conditions, quantity of intersections, and land use per unit area on riding demand at various spatial scales. The results of comparison experiments reveal that riding demand is substantially affected by non-motorized transport facilities and the quantity of intersections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Docked Bike Sharing Systems often experience load imbalances among bike stations, leading to uneven distribution of bicycles and to challenges in meeting users' demand. To address the load imbalances, many docked Bike Sharing Systems employ rebalancing vehicles that actively redistribute bicycles across stations, ensuring a more equitable distribution and enhancing the availability of bikes for users. The determination of the number of rebalancing vehicles in docked Bike Sharing Systems is typically based on various criteria, such as the size of the system, the density of stations, the expected demand patterns, and the desired level of service quality. This is a determining factor, in order to increase the efficiency of customer service at a reasonable cost. To enable a cost-effective rebalancing, we have used a cluster-based approach, due to the large scale of the Bike Sharing Systems, and our model is based on Markov Chains, given their proven effectiveness in this domain. Degrees of subsystem load at station level were used for modeling purposes. Additionally, a quantization strategy around cluster load was developed, to avoid state space explosion. This allowed the computation of the probability of transitioning from one degree of system load to another. A new method was developed to determine the fleet size, based on the identified subsystem steady state, describing the rebalancing necessity. The model evaluation was performed on traffic data collected from the Citi Bike New York Bike Sharing System. Based on the evaluation results, the model transition rates were in accordance with the expected values, indicating that the rebalancing operations are efficient from the point of view of the fulfillment of on-time arrival constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divergent nitrogen‐containing fused polycyclic ring systems are constructed from simple starting materials via a one‐pot aldehyde‐alkyne‐amine (A3) coupling and intramolecular Diels‐Alder reaction. This domino reaction directly furnishes linear 5/5/5 and 5/5/6, or nonlinear 5/5/6/5, polycyclic rings containing an oxa‐bridged fused 5/5 bicycle and a 1,6‐enyne substructure. One‐step derivation of the oxa‐bridged 5/5 bicycle leads to a polyfunctionalized 5/5 bicycle with tetrahydrofuran fused back‐to‐back to pyrroline or a 6/5 bicycle with the hexahydro‐1H‐isoindole structure, while cycloisomerizing the enyne substructure adds an extra fused 5‐membered ring to afford functionalized linear 5/5/5/5 or 5/5/5/5/5 fused ring systems from selected substrates. In addition, the one‐pot product can be designed so that the alkyne moiety is hydroalkoxylated to form an additional heterocyle in a linear 5/5/5/6 or nonlinear 5/5/6/5/5 ring system. This diversity‐oriented synthetic approach thus allows rapid access to an under‐explored structural space for discovery of new biological or non‐biological activities or functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Improving cornering skill has the potential to improve overall cycling performance. However, clinically used balance tests do not reflect cornering performance. More cycling-specific balance tests need to be developed to better assess cycling performance. Balance is paramount to safe and successful cycling, both in competition and recreation. Balance has been investigated in the return-to-cycling context, but its relationship to cycling performance is unknown. Our study aimed to analyse the relationship between balance, measured by common clinical balance tests, and cycling performance. Seven competitive cyclists participated in this cross-sectional correlational study. We collected field-based measures of cycling performance, including mean velocity, minimum and maximum velocity, mean corner speed, average lap time, and lean angle. Also, we measured balance via the balance error scoring system, the star excursion balance test, the lateral reach test, and the modified Bass test of dynamic balance. Strong correlations between cornering performance and cycling performance (r = 0.65–0.87, p < 0.01) were detected. Weak correlations between clinical balance tests and cycling performance (r = 0.33–0.53, p < 0.05) were observed. In conclusion, our study showed that improving cornering performance has the potential to improve overall cycling performance. We also found no clear correlations between our clinical balance tests and cycling performance. These weak correlations between postural control in standing and cycling performance suggest that standing balance and balancing during cycling are distinct motor control processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycle simulators have been the subject of considerable research, however, few of these attempts have integrated direct balance control and realistic freedom of motion to deliver a real-world dynamic cycling experience. This study presents the BIKE (Bicycle Intrinsic Kinematics Emulator) system, a kinematic bicycle simulator, developed with the purpose of letting its users experience realistic steer, roll, yaw and sway motions. Motion is provided with Carvallo–Whipple bicycle model-based control of sway and yaw combined with passive steer and roll. This study validates the BIKE simulator by comparing cycling behaviour and subjective evaluation for the simulator with and without motion to outdoor tests with an instrumented bicycle. 15 participants of varying age and mass, performed straight-line cycling, at low ( $ 5\,\hbox {km/h} $ 5 km/h ) to high ( $ 40\,\hbox {km/h} $ 40 km/h ) velocities and zig-zag manoeuvres. Results show that users can successfully rely on existing cycling skills to use the simulator with motion. Objectively, in the kinematic sense, the simulator with motion performs similarly to an outdoor bicycle. Subjectively, the simulator performs better with motion and is experienced by riders as close to real outdoor cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollutants can have a substantial impact on health. Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) can penetrate the respiratory system and produce inflammation; chronic exposure can damage lung tissue. Several environmental and daily habits have been reported to increase the risk of disease and adverse health conditions. We carried out a study to assess the importance and effect of these factors on human health. The objective was to measure exposure to environmental pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and noise) by studying cyclists in Montevideo, Uruguay. We measured environmental pollutants on two urban routes with high and low values of the environmental variables and biometrics of participating cyclists. No significant differences were found between routes. Our results suggest that active transport benefits seem to outweigh health risks in Montevideo for the sampled cycling routes. Our study provides knowledge about characteristics of the environment, which is an important input when planning where to place bikeways in Montevideo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shared bikes, shared e-scooters, and public transit make up most public transportation modes in big cities. Their combination can provide a convenient, efficient, and flexible multi-modal transportation service. Despite the obvious similarity among them, differences exist in the roles that they play in a multi-modal transportation system. A case study in the City of Austin, where shared bikes, shared e-scooters, and public transit coexist, is used to explore their unique characteristics and how they spatially complement or compete with each other. The results show that public transit has more pronounced characteristics related to commuting than shared micromobility modes do, and that shared bikes are more likely to be used for commuting compared to shared e-scooters. Interestingly, the results suggest that there is spatial segregation between where shared bikes complement public transit and shared e-scooters complement public transit, i.e., only one shared mode complements public transit at a given area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This white paper presents the synthesis of the literature on the use of cargo bikes for urban goods movement with a particular focus on four barrier and opportunity domains: physical and spatial; economic; political and legal; and social and cultural. It also includes research particularly relevant to California cities, although many of the studies reported were conducted outside California because we found a lack of evidence within California. The barriers to shifting from trucks and vans to cargo bikes for a variety of good movements remain tall in California. They include, among many, a need for a significant shift in the delivery landscape that requires collaboration across different organizations, and support from the local and state level that includes the development of urban consolidation hubs, investment in bike infrastructure, and strict restrictions on larger delivery vehicles. In addition, it may also require initial incentives to freight operators to offset the costs of shifting to cargo bike logistics. Although the barriers are large, the need is paramount, given the rise in e-commerce and local goods movement. Motivated by this need, and with targeted efforts to overcome these barriers, synergistic benefits are possible including a safer and more bike-friendly road network supportive of both personal active transportation and cargo-bike goods movement. These outcomes will help achieve wide-ranging goals in transportation planning, including GHG reduction, improvements to public health through physical activity, and emission reductions, among others.

In bike sharing systems the quality of the service to the users strongly depends on the strategy adopted to reposition the bikes. The bike repositioning problem is in general very complex as it involves different interrelated decisions: the routing of the repositioning vehicles, the scheduling of their visits to the stations, the number of bikes to load or unload for each station and for each vehicle that visits the station. In this paper we study the problem of optimally loading/unloading vehicles that visit the same station at given time instants of a finite time horizon. The goal is to minimize the total lost demand of bikes and free stands in the station. We model the problem as a mixed integer linear programming problem and present an optimal algorithm that runs in linear time in the size of the time horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bike fitting is a rapidly developing profession in the field of sport and well-being. The profession is governed by the International Bike Fitting Institute, which recently announced the creation of a common education syllabus. Although this is a positive step forward, to ensure the integrity of the profession, it is important that the content of the syllabus be evidence based. This, however, may prove challenging as there is currently a paucity of research regarding certain aspects of the bike-fitting role. One area that appears to have been largely neglected is the relationship and importance of communication between the bike fitter and client. This scholarly commentary presents research from other professions that demonstrates both the importance of this omission and the necessity to include training on communication and interpersonal skills in the International Bike Fitting Institute's proposed education provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative analysis of well-known literary sources has been conducted to identify and summarize the main shortcomings of existing freewheel ball clutches used in bicycles. The need to improve the operational characteristics of existing clutches in order to completely eliminate ball slippage during transitional modes of operation has been convincingly demonstrated. This is due to the fact that they transmit torque through the frictional forces between the jammed balls and the working surfaces of the semi-clutches.

The range of an electrically assisted bicycle, which is constrained by the rider's cycling ability and the battery capacity, is heavily influenced by rolling resistance. Furthermore, the magnitude of rolling resistance affects commuters' motivation to decide whether to cycle or to choose another way to commute. This paper presents a way to simulate the transient rolling resistance of bicycle tyres as a function of ambient temperature. The significance of the change in driving resistance at different ambient temperatures is demonstrated through the range simulation of an electrically assisted bicycle at varying ambient temperatures. A representative driving cycle for bicycle commuters was created, enabling comparison of dynamic behaviour in a standardised set, to evaluate the effect of ambient temperature on the battery capacity and the increase in driving resistances. To the authors' knowledge, this kind of model has not previously been created for bicycles. The model calculates tyre temperature based on the heat transfer, considering the heating—i. e., rolling resistance—and cooling effects—i. e., convective and radiative cooling. The decrease in tyre temperature results in an increase in rolling resistance and a decrease in the battery capacity, which was considered in the simulations. The results show significantly increased energy demand at a very low ambient temperature (down to −30°C) compared to + 20°C. The novelty of this article is simulating energy expenditure of bicycle dynamically as a function of ambient temperature. This model includes a temperature-dependent transient bicycle rolling resistance model as well as a battery capacity model. The findings provide researchers with a better comprehension of parameters affecting energy expenditure of bicycles at different ambient or tyre temperatures. The models can be used as a tool during the design process of bicycles to quantify the required battery capacities at different climates. In addition, traffic planners can use the model to assess the effect of changes in infrastructure on motivation to utilise bicycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetically encoded libraries play a crucial role in discovering structurally rigid, high-affinity macrocyclic peptide ligands for therapeutic applications. Bicyclic peptides with metal centres like bismuth were recently developed as a new type of constrained peptide with notable affinity, stability and membrane permeability. This study represents the genetic encoding of peptide-bismuth and peptide-arsenic bicycles in phage display. We introduce bismuth tripotassium dicitrate (gastrodenol) as a water-soluble bismuth(III) reagent for phage library modification and in situ bicyclic peptide preparation, eliminating the need for organic co-solvents. Additionally, we explore arsenic(III) as an alternative thiophilic element that is used analogously to our previously introduced bicyclic peptides with a bismuth core. The modification of phage libraries and peptides with these elements is instantaneous and entirely biocompatible, offering an advantage over conventional alkylation-based methods. In a pilot display screening campaign aimed at identifying ligands for the biotin-binding protein streptavidin, we demonstrate the enrichment of bicyclic peptides with dissociation constants two orders of magnitude lower than those of their linear counterparts, underscoring the impact of structural constraint on binding affinity. Genetically encoded libraries are key technologies in peptide drug discovery, and the constraint of peptide structures by macrocyclization is known to improve their therapeutic properties. Here, the authors report biocompatible bismuth and arsenic bicyclization of genetically encoded peptide libraries displayed on phages. The resulting bicycles show improved binding affinity over their linear counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the vital role of engine dampers in reducing vibrations and enhancing ride comfort in quad bikes. Utilizing ANSYS modal analysis and CATIA V5 design, the research aims to optimize damper design by assessing natural frequencies and potential resonance in the cage structure and engine. Through extensive analysis, the study evaluates vibrations transmitted from the engine to the chassis, crucial for understanding and improving overall vehicle performance. Neoprene rubber emerges as the optimal material for vibration dampers, offering superior density, elasticity, stiffness, and damping coefficient. Comparative analysis reveals that Design 3 of the dampers significantly outperforms Design 2 and Design 1, showcasing a remarkable 62% reduction in vibration. However, the study underscores the influence of various factors, such as application specificity and vibration characteristics, on damper effectiveness. Thus, while Design 3 may excel under certain conditions, careful consideration of diverse a variable is essential for optimal damper selection and performance across different engine types and operational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how eight London nurseries examined whether better use of bicycles would strengthen children's physical activity as a step to reducing child obesity. The nurseries are part of a social enterprise which offers one-third of the 4200 nursery places to children from poor and disadvantaged families/communities where rates of child obesity are high and increasing. The research was instigated because the nurseries built a partnership with Bikeworks which provided free bikes and staff wanted to ensure they were using them effectively to benefit children. Parents were involved but also asked a specific question about interest in a bike lending scheme. The paper concluded that staff became more observant of how they could enhance their practice using bikes to support children's physical and sociolinguistic development. It heightened the importance of observation of the children but also in identifying barriers such as poor cycling surface and state of bike repairs. Parents considered bikes to be a key part of their children's nursery life especially extending physical skills but were divided evenly about the value of introducing a bike lending scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 52 participants reached 4 predefined destinations via shared e-scooter or bicycle. • E-scooter riders prioritize road surface, safety, and rule compliance. • GPS riding data is comparable for both user groups. • E-scooter riders tend to take longer routes for routes with multiple turns. • Traffic planning should prioritize high-quality cycling infrastructure. Problem : The surge in popularity of electric kick scooters (e-scooters) poses new challenges for traffic planning, demanding a comprehensive understanding of route choice behavior to see how e-scooters are used, how they affect traffic flow, and where improvements can be made to the road infrastructure. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze route choices and preferences of e-scooter riders and cyclists in a quasi-experimental setup with both user groups having the same trip destinations. Method : Two groups of participants (n = 52) completed a ride with either a shared e-scooter or bicycle to reach four predefined destinations in Dresden, Germany. The riders were supposed to choose their routes and subsequently reported the difficulty of decision-making and the importance of several route choice factors related to the ride. Results : E-scooter riders rated road surface and safety as significantly more important for route choice than cyclists and tended to perceive the decision-making as more difficult. Riding data revealed broad comparability between the groups, with e-scooter riders tendentially having longer routes for complex decisions (unknown destinations, scenic routes, more turns required). Discussion : The study suggests that the route preferences of e-scooter riders may be influenced by a combination of road surface and safety considerations, highlighting the need for high-quality cycling infrastructure. Limitations exist regarding the naturally occurring differences in riding experience in e-scooter riding versus cycling. Practical implications indicate that planning for e-scooter riders can benefit from insights drawn from activities designed for cyclists. The provision of real-time road quality information is proposed, considering its potential impact on overall road safety. Summary : This study contributes to a better understanding of how e-scooter riders navigate through cities and delivers a valuable foundation for transport planners and engineers considering the rise in cycling and micro-mobility use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal challenges such as climate change and the energy crisis are putting bicycles at the centre of many people's mobility considerations ‐ but not all. In addition to the need for improved infrastructure, stability and comfort when cycling also play a major role. Simulations offer the possibility to investigate the influence of biometric differences on comfort and stability more cost‐effectively than the measurement methods currently used for bike fitting. Bicycle dynamics and multibody simulation of cycling motions have been the subject of research for a long time. Often data‐driven models are used that follow pre‐established measurement data. Moreover, optimal control simulations for competitive sports are available, where for example, the travel distance during a given time is maximised. However, such models are usually based on the biometric data of an average 18–25 year old male, while the influence of gender differences on cycling motions are rarely explored. Yielding towards closing this gender data gap, we use a discrete mechanics and optimal control framework (DMOCC), which benefits from its structure preserving formulation and has been successfully used for biomechanical applications before. The implemented multibody model of a leg performing a cycling motion can be adapted to individual 3D scans via the geometry parameters and the bounds on the joint angles and torques, providing the possibility to investigate the influence of biometric diversity on the resulting motions. In this first approach, we discuss several possibilities to formulate appropriate objective functions for cycling. The final aim of this study is to supplement a given bike frame by software chosen adaptations so that it optimally fits to individual biometric conditions, thus increasing comfort, the sense of safety and performance, which ultimately enables greater participation in the mobility transition for women, children, and seniors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bike sharing systems gain traction worldwide, but previous research pay less attention to the more detailed operating characteristics at station level. This study aims to fill this void in the literature by looking into the stations' performance with considering systemic intervention and user-driven usage. Methodologically, an innovative approach that captures the underlying relevance of trip records is proposed firstly to identify the bicycle-based operating states in its lifecycle, such as being redistributed, parked, or used. From bike to station, all the bicycle-based operating status information can be linked to associated stations, consequently, station vitality and station pattern are refined into stations' operating performance. In addition to rational classification and discussion of operating features, this study has explored the impact of surrounding built environment on these specific operating features instead of simple trip intensity. To test the proposed methodology, trip record data from the bike sharing system of Boston in 2019 is used. The results indicate that user-driven and manual-scheduling bike movements are all particularly relevant to keeping stations' sustainable daily operation, but vary across the stations in their ratio. In terms of station vitality and station pattern, some stations would embody the nature of high-output-scheduling, low-bike-turnover, or high-input-scheduling relative to the baseline scenario of operating performance. Heterogeneity of stations in operating is also proved to be caused by the surrounding built environment. The outcomes and methodological framework would facilitate the assessment of bike sharing system operating state at station level, as well as instilling new insights into bike sharing system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities worldwide are promoting bicycling as a sustainable mode of transportation. However, bicycle theft remains a significant deterrent for potential riders, and also influences the behaviors of existing cyclists. Understanding the impact of theft on bicycling behaviors provides a foundation for developing strategies to address the negative impacts of bicycle theft. Our goal is to characterize if and how bicycle theft changes individual bicycling behavior. We gathered responses from 1821 individuals in a survey focused on bicycle theft in North America. We employed bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression models to explore the relationships between demographic factors, bicycle attributes, and pre-theft behavior to explain post-theft bicycling behavior. The results show that 45% of survey respondents reduced or ceased bicycling post-theft, while 6% increased their bicycling. Additionally, 40% transitioned from bicycling to unsustainable modes of transportation for their post-theft trips. Also, 69% of people eventually replaced their stolen bicycles, of which 46% selected models of equal/higher value. Pre-theft bicycling activity emerged as the most influential factor on ridership behavior after a bicycle theft, with occasional riders experiencing the most negative impact, compared to frequent riders, who remained committed to bicycling. Recovery of the stolen bicycles, e-bicycle usage, number of bicycles owned, and income levels were also predictors of future bicycling patterns. The insights from this research can inform targeted interventions for populations most at risk to reduce the negative impact of bicycle theft, such as secure parking for new and low-income bicyclists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green spaces are important elements of cities due to their benefits to residents' physical health, mental health and development, and social connections. Residents are more likely to experience green space benefits when they use them frequently and usage increases when amenities are accessible. Because lower-income households often have less reliable access to automobiles, examining access solely on the road network is inadequate. Do households across the socioeconomic spectrum have access to green space on pedestrian and bicycle networks? After estimating residential locations (origins) from U.S. Census data and park and other green space locations (destinations) from the City of Albuquerque data, we connect the two using service area network analyses in a geographic information system (GIS). Findings suggest that overall green space access is a concern since less than 50% of Albuquerque residents have access to a green space within 400 m, indicating levels below those recommended by the World Health Organization. Park accessibility is relatively equally distributed for low-, middle-, and high-income households across both pedestrian and road networks. Access to other green space is a source of possible inequity with high-income households having more than five times the access to non-park green spaces than low-income households. The bike network presents another source of possible inequity as 39% of high-income households have access to the bike network versus only 30% of low-income households and an expansion of the bike network is a primary recommendation for increasing access in an equitable fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of childhood overweight and obesity among 10-year-old schoolchildren in Hoavang, Danang City. Methods: From January to May 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out utilizing a structured self-administered questionnaire to collect data. The height and weight measurements of 518 children were recorded. Bodymass index for age Z scores (BAZs) were employed to classify children's nutritional status following theWorld Health Organization criteria. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: The study encompassed a cohort of 518 students, 110 (21.2%) classified as overweight and 64 (12.4%) as obese. Significantly, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) demonstrated that male subjects exhibited a 3-fold higher risk of overweight and obesity than female subjects (aOR = 2.9, P < .0001). Skipping breakfast and confectionery/sweet food consumption were defined, demonstrating significant associations with elevated odds of being overweight and obese. Conclusion: The findings revealed that approximately onethird of primary schoolchildren in Hoavang, Danang City, were affected by overweight and obesity. This alarming prevalence underscores the urgent need for interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Jaywalking of electric bicycles (e-bikes) is dangerous because it can catch drivers of motor vehicles off guard and lead to collisions between e-bikes and motor vehicles. Hence, this study set out to investigate e-bike rider-injury severity in collisions between jaywalking e-bikes and cars. Based on large-scale simulation experiments using PC-Crash, the effects of collision angle, relative position, and car speed on rider-injury severity were examined. Dynamic response of e-bike riders’ head, chest, and lower extremity at different influencing factor levels were compared using boxplots and a one-way analysis of variance. The least significant difference test was further performed for posthoc pairwise comparisons. The results showed that crossing the road perpendicular to the car direction is the safest crossing angle for e-bike riders. Riders are less injured when hitting cars’ left front corner. As car speed increases, e-bike riders’ head and chest injuries become more severe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports a remote carbon‐to‐carbon boryl migration via an intramolecular 1,4‐B/Cu shift, which establishes an in situ stereospecific electrophilic trap on the alkene moiety. The synthetic application is developed to prepare functionalized cyclopentenes by means of a palladium‐catalyzed regioselective intramolecular coupling that completes a strategic cyclopropanation and generates valuable structural bicyclic systems. The mechanism is characterized by DFT (density functional theory) calculations which showed that the 1,4‐migration proceeds through an intramolecular, nucleophilic attack of the copper‐alkyl moiety on the boron atom bonded to the C(sp2), leading to a 5‐membered boracycle structure. The computation of the 1,3‐ and 1,4‐B/Cu shifts is also compared as is the impact of the endo‐ or exocyclic alkene on the reaction kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycles and other forms of micromobility have been anecdotally used in past disasters to help save lives and improve community recovery. However, research and practice are scarce on this resilient transportation strategy, which limits its usefulness and possible benefits. To fill this gap, our paper investigates the potential role bicycles and micromobility in facilitating (or limiting) disaster response and recovery. Given the lack of exploration on the topic, we convened an online workshop where we conducted brainstorming and focus group discussions with disaster experts from various government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, academia, and policy groups. We present a synthesis of that discussion, along with a review of the existing literature. We conclude there is strong potential for bicycles and micromobility for different disaster phases, hazard types, and groups of people. However, multiple barriers exist related to implementation and safety, suggesting a need for future research and policy in the transportation and emergency management fields and practices. • Feasibility of micromobility to aid evacuation is determined by disaster type, disaster phase, vehicle type, and geography. • Micromobility has the potential to aid both the short-term response and longer-term recovery from natural disasters. • Micromobility is flexible and cheap for resource movement and can navigate roads that are impassable for cars and trucks. • Availability of bikes and micro-modes is both a barrier and a facilitator for use during disaster response. • Many political and coordination barriers remain to make micromobility a part of disaster planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in travel behaviors and user attributes exist between bikeshare users and regular cyclists. However, little is known about the preference difference in cycling facilities and other built environment elements for regular cyclists and share-bike users, and how the cycling infrastructure and street pattern factors affect the choice between shared bikes and regular bikes. To address this gap, we applied t -test and mode choice generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) to explore the nonlinear effects of cycling facilities and street patterns on the selection of bikeshare and regular bikes. Additionally, we examined the heterogeneous effects across education levels, distinguishing between high and low education. By analyzing bike travel data from Xi'an, China, the GAMM model results reveal the diverse impacts of built environment elements on bike choices at different education levels. Notably, the average geodesic distance (a street pattern indicator) negatively correlated with the likelihood of choosing a shared bike over a regular one. While high intersection density encourages more bikeshare trips compared to regular trips, it has a more pronounced effect on encouraging highly educated cyclists to opt for regular bikes over bikeshare. Bikeshare riders exhibit a preference for riding in areas with a single type of bike lane. Especially, highly educated bikeshare users are more inclined to cycle in areas with a high proportion of bike lanes separated by lines, while less educated cyclists tend to favor areas with a specific type of bike lane without specifying the exact type. Our study has the potential to provide valuable recommendations for planning of cycling facilities to accommodate a substantial number of bikeshare trips. • Differences in the road infrastructures preferences of bikeshare and regular cyclists. • GAMM investigates the nonlinear impacts of road infrastructures on bike choice. • Heterogenous impacts of road infrastructures across education levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dockless bike sharing, also known as the shared bicycle industry, is booming, especially in China. Since cyclists are more vulnerable than motor vehicle drivers in traffic crashes, it is necessary to investigate shared bicycle traffic safety. Road network patterns and the proportion of different points of interest (POIs) are two critical macro-level factors influencing bicycle crashes. Therefore, it is necessary to consider bicycle traffic safety in road networks and land use policy in road traffic planning. This study investigated risk exposure, demographic data, proportion of different POIs, land use, road network features, and bicycle crashes in 124 census tracts in Beijing's Sixth Ring Road area. The betweenness centrality was calculated for the census tracts to classify the road network patterns. A negative binomial conditional autoregressive (NB-CAR) model was developed for bicycle total crashes, and bivariate negative binomial CAR (BNB-CAR) models were developed for bicycle single-vehicle (SV) and multi-vehicle (MV) crashes, property damage only (PDO) and injury crashes. The results show the following. 1) The BNB-CAR model had a better fit than the NB-CAR model. 2) The census tracts with parallel, mixed, and loops & lollipops patterns were associated with higher bicycle crash frequency than those with a grid pattern. The difference in the bicycle SV crash frequency between the mixed and loop & lollipop patterns was larger than that in the bicycle MV crash frequency. 3) Census tracts with higher proportions of POIs for subway and bus stations (T-POI) were associated with fewer bicycle crashes. 4) Census tracts with higher arterial proportions were associated with more injury crashes. This study provides a theoretical basis for formulating road network and land-use policies to ensure road traffic safety. • The relationship of road network patterns and points of interest to shared bicycle crashes were analyzed. • Betweenness centrality was utilized to classify road network patterns of census tracts. • A bivariate negative binomial CAR model was developed for shared bicycle single-vehicle, multi-vehicle, property damage only, and injury crashes. • Road network of grid pattern was the safest for shared bicycles compared with those of parallel, mixed, and loops & lollipops patterns. • Census tracts with higher proportions of POIs for subway and bus stations were associated with fewer bicycle crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transport injuries are a major cause of mortality among adolescents. Our aim was to evaluate the circumstances and trauma associated with fatal accidents involving adolescents and two-wheeled vehicles. Methods: We analyzed retrospective data from the Finnish Crash Data Institute from 2008 to 2019 involving 10- to 24-year-old victims of fatal traffic accidents who were injured while riding a bicycle, moped or motorcycle. We collected data on patient characteristics, accident circumstances and possible treatment. These fatalities were compared with national mortality rates among the respective age groups. Results: We identified 147 fatalities over the 12-year period involving 20 bicycle, 50 moped and 77 motorcycle riders. Most accidents involved males (n=121, 82%). Less than half of vehicles were in good condition (46%); motorized vehicles were often illegally tuned (37%) or had tire problems (31%). Most of the accidents were collisions with another vehicle (n=99, 67%) or other objects (n=35, 24%). In 94% of cases, the Injury Severity Score was >25. Head injury was the most common cause of death (62%). Among 15-year-olds, every fifth death was due to accidents on two-wheeled vehicles. Conclusions: Fatal transport accidents among adolescents comprise several elements that should be incorporated into driver's education and in case of minors, also communicated to parents. These include the condition of the vehicle, proper helmet use and effects of speed on both control of the vehicle and the consequences of a possible collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have explored associations between bicycle network characteristics and bicycle ridership. However, the majority of these studies have been conducted in inner metropolitan regions and as such, there is limited knowledge on how various characteristics of bicycle networks relate to bicycle trips within and across entire metropolitan regions, and how the size and composition of study regions impact on the association between bicycle network characteristics and bicycle ridership. We conducted a retrospective analysis of household travel survey data and bicycle infrastructure in the Greater Melbourne region, Australia. Seven network metrics were calculated (length of the bicycle network, betweenness centrality, degree centrality, network density, network coverage, intersection density and average weighted slope) and Bayesian spatial models were used to explore associations between these network characteristics and bicycle ridership. We demonstrated that bicycle ridership was associated with several network characteristics, and that these characteristics varied according to the outcome (count of the number of trips made by bike or the proportion of trips made by bike) and the size and characteristics of the study region. These findings challenge the utility of approaches based on spatially modeling network characteristics and bicycle ridership when informing the monitoring and evaluation of bicycle networks. Further efforts are required to be able to quantify network characteristics that reflect the myriad of factors that influence comfort and safety for people of all ages and abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much of the bikeshare boom has centered around larger cities, smaller, lower-density, and even some rural communities have also implemented bikeshare systems successfully. Using a bikeshare dataset of more than 14,000 trips that cover the period from July 2018 to December 2021 for both pedal and e-bikes, this paper describes the structure and performance of ROAM NRV, a bikeshare system in Montgomery County, Virginia—which is home to Virginia Tech university and has many areas classified as rural. The paper presents bikeshare users' travel behaviors and usage trends (including during the COVID-19 pandemic). Moreover, compares the usage of the system's pedal bicycles to electric bicycles (e-bikes) that were introduced in 2021. Findings indicated that residents of Blacksburg and Christiansburg regularly use and benefit from bikeshare much like their urban counterparts do. Ridership was noted to likely be more common among university affiliates with trips more likely to start/end on or around campus due to the number of stations located within campus grounds. Trail usage was also high among bikeshare users due to the extensive trail network within and between the towns. As rural bikeshare users tend to travel greater distances and encounter more varying terrains throughout their commutes, considering e-bikes instead of pedal bike systems should increase the utilization of such mobility systems in rural areas. When electric assist bicycles were first introduced to the system, initially replacing some and then all former pedal bicycles, utilization increased significantly compared to pedal bike usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research studies the potential of bikeshare services to bridge the gap between Affordable Housing Communities (AHC) and transit services to improve transport accessibility of the residents. In doing so, the study develops an agent-based simulation optimization modeling (ABM) framework for the optimal design of the bikesharing station network considering improving accessibility as the objective. The study discusses measures of accessibility and uses travel times in a multi-modal network. Focusing on the city of Sacramento, CA, the study gathered information related to affordable housing communities, detailed transit services, demographic information, and other relevant data. This ABM framework is used to run three stages of travel demand modelling: trip generation, trip distribution and mode split to find the travel time differences under the availability of new bikesharing stations. The model is solved with a genetic algorithm approach. The results of the optimization and ABM-based simulation indicate the share of bike and bike & transit trips in the network under different scenarios. Key results indicate that about 60% of the AHCs are within 25-minute active travel time when the number of stations range from 25 to 75, and when the number of stations is increased to 100, most AHCs are within 40 mins of active mode distance and all of them are less than an hour away. In terms of accessibility, for example, having a larger network of stations (e.g., 100) increases by 70% the number of Points of Interest (for work, health, recreation, and other) within a 30-minute travel time. This report then provides some general recommendations for the planning of the bikesharing network considering information about destination choices as well as highlighting the past and current challenges in housing and transit planning.View the NCST Project Webpage

This report presents preliminary findings from the American Micromobility Panel, the largest study of shared micromobility services in the United States incorporating riders from multiple major operators. Micromobility services (bike-share and scooter-share) have recently emerged in many U.S. cities. Given that the substitution of bicycling, scooting, and other small vehicle travel for car travel will help cities reach numerous planning goals (e.g., accessibility, emissions, climate, health, equity, etc.), there is a need for understanding the effects of these mobility services. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of micromobility services on travel behavior and outcomes such as mode shift, car ownership, access, equity, safety, and physical activity. The authors surveyed shared micromobility service users in 48 U.S. cities with two different surveys in Summer 2022: a 21-day smartphone-based travel diary (2206 participants with 183,483 trips), and an online follow-up survey of travel diary participants (657 valid responses). Car substitution rates, including private car and ride-hailing, show strong variation by city size and micromobility vehicle type. Through self-report, micromobility seems to have had at least a partial influence on the decision to purchase a car, perhaps as a part of a long-term car use reduction effort/plan. Participants showed positive attitudes toward using public transit, but a small portion of trips to access or egress from transit facilities were made by the participants. Instead, the participants more generally showed a transit substitution effect when using micromobility services. Results also suggest that bike-share and scooter-share use may be influenced in opposing ways by participant income. Half of participants had at least once experienced that they could not find an available vehicle nearby, suggesting a sizeable supply constraint on demand for the services to satisfy existing micromobility user needs. The effect of micromobility services on increasing physical activity was slight given the physical activity it often replaced. Additionally, concerning safety, participants tended to agree that bike-share is safer than scooter-share, and participants tended to agree with the view that using micromobility improved their mental health.View the NCST Project Webpage