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Bicycle Infrastructure Design Principles in Urban Bikeability Indices: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Tufail Ahmed

    (UHasselt, The Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium)

  • Ali Pirdavani

    (UHasselt, The Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
    UHasselt, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium)

  • Geert Wets

    (UHasselt, The Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium)

  • Davy Janssens

    (UHasselt, The Transportation Research Institute (IMOB), Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium)

Abstract

Bicycling is a sustainable form of micromobility and offers numerous health and environmental benefits. Scientific studies investigating bikeability have grown substantially, especially over the past decade. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the developed urban bikeability indices (BIs). The paper provides insight into the scientific literature on bikeability as a tool to measure bicycle environment friendliness; more importantly, the paper seeks to know if the BIs consider bicycle infrastructure design principles. Data extraction included identifying the geographical location, essential indicators, sample size and distribution, data source, the unit of analysis, measurement scale, methods used to weigh indicators, and identification of studies using bicycle design principles in BIs. The database search yielded 1649 research articles using different keywords and combinations, while 15 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The studies were found to be conducted in various geographical locations. The unit of analysis for developing the index varied across studies, from street segments or bicycle lanes to zones within the city or even the entire city. The most commonly utilized method in developing urban BIs was a scoring and weighting system to weigh the indicators. The weighting methods include an equal weight system, survey-based and literature review-based methods, expert surveys, the analytic hierarchy process, and a weighted linear combination model. The essential criterion is bicycle infrastructure, such as bike lanes, routes, and bicycle paths as 14 studies considered it for the construction of the BIs. The review findings suggest a lack of consideration of all five bicycle infrastructure design principles, as only three studies considered them all, while others only included a subset. Safety and comfort are the most commonly considered principles, while coherence is the least considered principles in the BIs. It is crucial to consider all five bicycle infrastructure design principles to create a bicycle-friendly environment and attract more people to this sustainable mode of transportation.

Suggested Citation

  • Tufail Ahmed & Ali Pirdavani & Geert Wets & Davy Janssens, 2024. "Bicycle Infrastructure Design Principles in Urban Bikeability Indices: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:6:p:2545-:d:1360325
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giulia Reggiani & Tim Oijen & Homayoun Hamedmoghadam & Winnie Daamen & Hai L. Vu & Serge Hoogendoorn, 2022. "Understanding bikeability: a methodology to assess urban networks," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 897-925, June.
    2. Tufail Ahmed & Ali Pirdavani & Davy Janssens & Geert Wets, 2023. "Utilizing Intelligent Portable Bicycle Lights to Assess Urban Bicycle Infrastructure Surfaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Tufail Ahmed & Mehdi Moeinaddini & Meshal Almoshaogeh & Arshad Jamal & Imran Nawaz & Fawaz Alharbi, 2021. "A New Pedestrian Crossing Level of Service (PCLOS) Method for Promoting Safe Pedestrian Crossing in Urban Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Lina Wahlgren & Peter Schantz, 2014. "Exploring Bikeability in a Suburban Metropolitan Area Using the Active Commuting Route Environment Scale (ACRES)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Tijana Đorđević & Nemanja Tomić & Dajana Tešić, 2023. "Walkability and Bikeability for Sustainable Spatial Planning in the City of Novi Sad (Serbia)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    6. Khaled Shaaban, 2020. "Why Don’t People Ride Bicycles in High-Income Developing Countries, and Can Bike-Sharing Be the Solution? The Case of Qatar," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-18, February.
    7. Debra K. Kellstedt & John O. Spengler & Jay E. Maddock, 2021. "Comparing Perceived and Objective Measures of Bikeability on a University Campus: A Case Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, June.
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