Abstract
The Good and the Bad – Bicyclists’ Experiences In Copenhagen
In order to design livable cities, a strategy of substituting motorized travel modes with non-motorized ones can be a solution to the problems of crowding/queuing and CO2 emissions.
Prior to investing into bike infrastructure, knowledge about bicyclists’ behavior and their needs has to be generated. In order to fulfill these needs, an investigation into the bicyclists’ experiences, whether bad or good is necessary. In this presentation we focus on a methodological approach to how bicyclists’ experiences can be spatially related to urban features. This way the proposed method extends approaches based on route choices only by assessment of how commuters feel and what they experience while underway along a chosen route.
In connection to a detailed survey bikers were asked to pinpoint three good and three bad places along their route as well as sketch the route itself within an interactive, online questionnaire built on Google Maps. Grouped into sub-classes the bikers’ responses were related to urban indicators such as scenic beauty, terrain, relation to other bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians etc.
By relating characteristics of the experience points and the routes to the traversed urban area in general, the significance of preconditions obtaining good or bad experiences can be evaluated. Thereby urban spaces can be mapped according to potential promotion of good or bad experiences. Further, the method could be applied to assess the effect of proposed changes to the urban design in terms of bicyclists’ experiences.
In order to design livable cities, a strategy of substituting motorized travel modes with non-motorized ones can be a solution to the problems of crowding/queuing and CO2 emissions.
Prior to investing into bike infrastructure, knowledge about bicyclists’ behavior and their needs has to be generated. In order to fulfill these needs, an investigation into the bicyclists’ experiences, whether bad or good is necessary. In this presentation we focus on a methodological approach to how bicyclists’ experiences can be spatially related to urban features. This way the proposed method extends approaches based on route choices only by assessment of how commuters feel and what they experience while underway along a chosen route.
In connection to a detailed survey bikers were asked to pinpoint three good and three bad places along their route as well as sketch the route itself within an interactive, online questionnaire built on Google Maps. Grouped into sub-classes the bikers’ responses were related to urban indicators such as scenic beauty, terrain, relation to other bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians etc.
By relating characteristics of the experience points and the routes to the traversed urban area in general, the significance of preconditions obtaining good or bad experiences can be evaluated. Thereby urban spaces can be mapped according to potential promotion of good or bad experiences. Further, the method could be applied to assess the effect of proposed changes to the urban design in terms of bicyclists’ experiences.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |
| Event | 2012 Cycling and Society Symposium - University of East London, London, United Kingdom Duration: 3 Sept 2012 → 4 Sept 2012 Conference number: 9 |
Conference
| Conference | 2012 Cycling and Society Symposium |
|---|---|
| Number | 9 |
| Location | University of East London |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | London |
| Period | 03/09/2012 → 04/09/2012 |
Bibliographical note
Bernhard Snizek, Hans Skov-Petersen, Thomas Sick Nielsen,The Good and the Bad – Bicyclists’ Experiences In Copenhagen 2012. 2012 Cycling and Society Symposium, hosted at the University of East London on 3rd and 4th September 2012.