Research On The Relationship Between Urban Built Environment And Bicycle Usage

Under the concept of green travel,bicycles,as a low-carbon and environmentallyfriendly vehicle,can effectively alleviate traffic pressure and improve environmental pollution,and play an increasingly important role in urban residents’ commuting and recreation.However,the existing urban environment in China has insufficient support for cycling activities.The cycling environment needs further improvement.Therefore,it is important to understand the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of bicycle usage and the influence of built environment factors.In this way we can improve the built environment to guide the development of sustainable traffic in a better way,and then provide better support for urban residents’ cycling activities through planning and design.Utilizing public bicycle operation data and big data,this paper compares and analyzes the characteristics of cycling activities in London and Shanghai by using data analysis,model analysis and GIS spatial analysis and other research methods.This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of environmental factors on bicycle usage.The paper mainly studies from the following five aspects:(1)Based on the literature review,the spatial and temporal characteristics of the usage of bicycle sharing systems in the existing literature were summarized.The concept of the built environment was defined for the context of this research.The common research methods of studying the impact of the built environment on bicycle usage were discussed and the built environment indicators were selected.The above studies laid the theoretical foundation for the following research.(2)Based on data analysis with Python and spatial analysis in ArcGIS,the data from Santander Cycle Hire in London and Mobike dockless bike-sharing system in Shanghai were cleaned and pre-processed respectively.The overall characteristics,temporal and spatial characteristics of cycling activities were summarized by statistical analysis and spatial data visualization.The differences of these characteristics on weekdays and weekends were analyzed.The above analyses laid the foundation for modeling analysis.(3)Based on the scope of the overall research area,multiple linear regression(MLR)models were constructed to explore the correlation between built environmental factors and bicycle usage in London and Shanghai respectively.The overall impact of built environmental factors(including location conditions,public transportation facilities,road environment,land use and docking station facilities)on bicycle usage were analyzed in London and Shanghai respectively.The differences in the environmental effects on weekdays and weekends were discussed.And the differences in the purpose of cycling activities in London and Shanghai were inferred.The improvement strategies were proposed at the end of this section.(4)Based on the spatial differences of local regions,geographically weighted regression(GWR)models were constructed respectively to analyze the spatially varying effects of environmental variables on bicycle usage in London and Shanghai.Combined with GIS visualization,the spatial variations of the environmental impact(including the impact of bus stations,road environment and parks)on bicycle usage were respectively displayed and compared.Then the reasons for the differences were discussed and analyzed.A tailored and focused cycling promotion strategy was further proposed for Shanghai at the end of this section.(5)Based on the optimization strategy of the cycling environment and the improvement of the space environment,targeting on the main problems of the cycling environment in Shanghai which concluded from model analysis results,the successful experience of cycling environment improvement strategies in London were studied.The characteristics of the cycling-friendly streets and the environment of royal parks were analyzed respectively.Three main strategies were proposed separately for Shanghai: building a city-wide network system of cycle lanes,improving the cycling environment of streets in central city area,and enhancing the attractiveness of parks and green open space for recreational cycling.In the theoretical sense,this paper expands the research content and research methods in the fields of bicycle activities,slow traffic planning and cycling environment design through comparative studies between Shanghai and London.In practical terms,from the perspective of time and space,we can deeply understand the impact of built environment factors on bicycle activities.Learning from the lessons of the strategies of cycling environmental design in London,we can also provide novel solutions to create a cyclingfriendly environment as well as develop a sustainable traffic system for Shanghai and other cities in China in a better way.