Heat, Hills and the High Season: A Model-Based Comparative Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Shared Bicycle Use in Three Southern European Islands

Abstract

Bicycle sharing systems (BSSs) have been implemented in cities worldwide in an attempt to promote cycling. Despite exhibiting characteristics considered to be barriers to cycling, such as hot summers, hilliness and car-oriented infrastructure, Southern European island cities and tourist destinations Limassol (Cyprus), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and the Valletta conurbation (Malta) are all experiencing the implementation of BSSs and policies to promote cycling. In this study, a year of trip data and secondary datasets are used to analyze dock-based BSS usage in the three case-study cities. How land use, socio-economic, network and temporal factors influence BSS use at station locations, both as an origin and as a destination, was examined using bivariate correlation analysis and through the development of linear mixed models for each case study. Bivariate correlations showed significant positive associations with the number of cafes and restaurants, vicinity to the beach or promenade and the percentage of foreign population at the BSS station locations in all cities. A positive relation with cycling infrastructure was evident in Limassol and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but not in Malta, as no cycling infrastructure is present in the island’s conurbation, where the BSS is primarily operational. Elevation had a negative association with BSS use in all three cities. In Limassol and Malta, where seasonality in weather patterns is strongest, a negative effect of rainfall and a positive effect of higher temperature were observed. Although there was a positive association between BSS use and the number of visiting tourists in Limassol and Malta, this is predominantly explained through the multi-collinearity with weather factors rather than by intensive use of the BSS by tourists. The linear mixed models showed more fine-grained results and explained differences in BSS use at stations, including differences for station use as an origin and as a destination. The insights from the correlation analysis and linear mixed models can be used to inform policies promoting cycling and BSS use and support sustainable mobility policies in the case-study cities and cities with similar characteristics.

1 Introduction

“…Concerns over road safety are the main barrier to promoting cycling in starter cycling cities (Felix et al, 2019;Maas et al, 2021). The creation of an integrated cycling network, comprising segregated cycling paths along high-speed or high-volume roads, as well as traffic-calmed streets, connecting residential, employment and entertainment areas, could further promote cycling and BSS use.…”

“…A second operator, Tallinja bikes started providing electric shared bicycles in Valletta and later in other locations including the University of Malta campus. A quick overview of the locations assigned for bicycle sharing stations shows how they are strongly linked to tourists, foreign residents and students (Maas et al, 2021;Maas, 2021).…”

“…The research into so called 'starter-cities' is very important to understand the role of bicycle sharing activities as a promoter of cycling. Maas et al (2021) report on the reasons for using bicycle sharing and cycling as mode of transport in Malta, Limassol, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. There is significant association, by frequent shared bicycle users, with use of other 'alternative' modes of transport such as public transport and taxis, the provision of cycling paths and lanes, and improved (perceived) road safety, short distances to location and frequency of home and work destinations, and motivating factors such as money-saving and convenience.…”

Future Low-Carbon Transport Scenarios: Practice Theory-Based Visioning for Backcasting Studies

“…And despite the wide range of islands across Europe and the world, Southern European Mediterranean islands share some common characteristics and challenges related to geography, socio-economic development, and transport. A comparative analysis done by Maas et al [79] shows how three islands share common objectives for sustainable transport but also share challenges in the implementation of policy aimed towards shifting to more environmentally friendly modes of transport such as cycling.…”

Unveiling Women’s Needs and Expectations as Users of Bike Sharing Services: The H2020 DIAMOND Project

“…This raises safety concerns particularly for users with dependants who considers the infrastructure unsafe for cycling with kids and identified as barriers to women in the use of bike-share services [21,30]. Similar to road network improvement, cycling infrastructure makes cycling and bike-share attractive to users and potential users [23,31].…”