Modern bike share systems (BSSs) allow users to rent from a fleet of bicycles at hubs across the designated service area. With clear evidence of cycling being a health-positive form of active transport, furthering our understanding of the underlying processes that affect BSS ridership is essential to continue further adoption. Using 286,587 global positioning system (GPS) trajectories over a 12-month period between January 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2018 from a BSS called SoBi (Social Bicycles) Hamilton, the number of trips on every traveled link in the service area are predicted. A GIS-based map-matching toolkit is used to generate cyclists’ routes along the cycling network of Hamilton, Ontario to determine the number of observed unique trips on every road segment (link) in the study area. To predict trips, several variables were created at the individual link level including accessibility measures, distances to important locations in the city, proximity to active travel infrastructure (SoBi hubs, bus stops), and bike infrastructure. Linear regression models were used to estimate trips. Eigenvector spatial filtering (ESF) was used to explicitly model spatial autocorrelation. The results suggest the largest positive predictors of cycling traffic in terms of cycling infrastructure are those that are physically separated from the automobile network (e.g., designated bike lanes). Additionally, hub-trip distance accessibility, a novel measure, was found to be the most significant variable in predicting trips. A demonstration of how the model can be used for strategic planning of road network upgrades is also presented. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Public bike share systems have been recognized as an effective way to promote active and sustainable public transportation. With the health benefits of bike share becoming better understood, North American cities have continued to invest in cycling infrastructure and impose new policies to not only encourage the usage of bike share systems but also expand their operations to new cities. The city of Hamilton, Ontario, implemented its own bike share system in March 2015. Using the system’s global positioning system (GPS) data for annually aggregated trip departures, arrivals, and totals in 2017, this research explores various environment factors that have an impact on users’ bike share usage at hub level. Nine predictive linear regression models were developed for three different scenarios depending on the type of hubs and members for trip departures, arrivals, and totals. In terms of variance explained across the core service area, the models suggested the main factors that attract users were distance to McMaster University and the number of racks available at hubs. Furthermore, the working population and distance to the Central Business District and the closest bike lane in the immediate vicinity (200 m buffer) also played important roles as contributing factors. Based on the primary predictors, this research takes one step further and estimates potential trips at candidate sites to inform future expansion of public bike share system. The candidate locations were created on appropriate land uses by applying a continuous surface of regularly shaped cells, a hexagonal tessellation, on the area of interest. The estimated potential usage at candidate sites demonstrated that the east part of the city should be targeted for future bike share expansion. / Dissertation / Master of Science (MSc)

This study examines the impact of the Mini-Holland Programme, an active travelinfrastructure intervention, on residential housing prices in Outer London boroughs.The programme, aimed at promoting walking and cycling, may have unintendedeconomic consequences. Employing a Difference-in-Differences approach and anevent study design, I analyse housing price data from 2002 to 2022. My findingsindicate a statistically significant 10% increase in housing prices in boroughs affectedby the programme, with the effect becoming evident post-announcement in 2014.These results suggest that while active travel infrastructure can enhance urbanmobility and health, it may also contribute to rising housing costs, potentiallyexacerbating socio-economic disparities. Further research at the micro-level isrecommended to fully understand the socio-economic long-term and distributionaleffects, while policymakers must aim for the benefits of improved infrastructure whilelimiting potential displacement effects on lower-income residents.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. Consequently, the promotion of it and particular types (e.g. walking and cycling for travel), have become a priority for governments seeking to improve health and constrain rising demand on health services. Despite this many uncertainties persist. The aim of this thesis is to address two particular areas of uncertainty: a) the association of walking and cycling for travel with indices of health and well-being; b) and the extent to which increases in physical activity will reduce need for health and social care. The first part of my thesis consists of three studies that describe the health benefits associated with walking and cycling to work among working age adults. The first is a longitudinal study of the associations between maintenance of active commuting with sickness absence and well-being using the Commuting and Health in Cambridge dataset. The second, using the same dataset, describes the longitudinal associations between maintenance of active commuting and self-reported body mass index. Building on this, the third study using a large cohort study (the Fenland Study) with detailed characterisation of diet and physical activity (including objective measurement) describes the baseline associations between active commuting and objective measures of adiposity. The second part of my thesis describes the development of a combined microsimulation multi-state life table model that is used to characterise the effects of a population ‘shift’ in physical activity on the burden of six major diseases at the population-level. Specifically, it seeks to better describe the effect of increases in physical activity on healthcare need considering not just the effect of physical activity on disease incidence but also the effect on healthcare need arising from consequent survival to an older age (at which disease incidence is higher), and contrasts this with a method that does not make allowance for increased survival. The findings of this thesis provide evidence of the importance of walking or cycling to work in maintaining or improving the health and well-being of working age adults. It suggests that increases in physical activity, even after allowance for increased survival, are likely to reduce need for healthcare, although the reductions in need are less than might be assumed when allowance is not made for increased survival. Taken together this work provides a stronger empirical basis to inform public health practice. A stronger ‘health case’ for active travel can be made. The benefits of which should be communicated to individuals choosing how to travel as well as policy makers and others who can influence the determinants of active travel. It also provides a more realistic and nuanced understanding of how increases in physical activity may affect future healthcare need.

This study investigates the changeability of transport-related attitudes and mode choice of early adolescents. Data on attitudes and travel behavior were collected in Austria and Germany in two consecutive survey waves with an interval of one year. The approach is based on a before-after control group experiment with an intervention promoting active travel modes. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior we used structural equation modeling analyzing effects of the intervention; the potential for behavioral changes was modelled as moderator variable between intention and behavior. Findings suggest that the intervention was effective in changing attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intentions to use non-motorized travel modes more, and car less. Difference models show that changes of attitude, subjective norm, and PBC accounted for 29% (car passenger) to 92% (walking) of the variance in changes in intention. The changes in intentions are however weak predictors of changes in reported behavior.

Purpose To strengthen our understanding of the impact of baseline variability in mode choice on the likelihood of travel behaviour change. Methods Quasi-experimental analyses in a cohort study of 450 commuters exposed to a new guided busway with a path for walking and cycling in Cambridge, UK. Exposure to the intervention was defined using the shortest network distance from each participant’s home to the busway. Variability in commuter travel behaviour at baseline was defined using the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, the number of different modes of transport used over a week, and the proportion of trips made by the main (combination of) mode(s). The outcomes were changes in the share of commute trips (i) involving any active travel, (ii) involving any public transport, and (iii) made entirely by car. Variability and change data were derived from a self-reported seven-day record collected before (2009) and after (2012) the intervention. Separate multinomial regression models were estimated to assess the influence of baseline variability on behaviour change, both independently and as an interaction effect with exposure to the intervention. Results All three measures of variability predicted changes in mode share in most models. The effect size for the intervention was slightly strengthened after including variability. Commuters with higher baseline variability were more likely to increase their active mode share (e.g. for HHI: relative risk ratio [RRR] for interaction 3.34, 95% CI 1.41, 7.89) and decrease their car mode share in response to the intervention (e.g. for HHI: RRR 7.50, 95% CI 2.52, 22.34). Conclusions People reporting a higher level of variability in mode choice were more likely to change their travel behaviour following an intervention. Future research should consider such variability as a potential predictor and effect modifier of travel and physical activity behaviour change, and its significance for the design and targeting of interventions.

No description available.

<p>Lack of physical activity participation is one of the greatest challenges facing health care providers and policy makers in Canada. Increases in health problems linked to inactive lifestyles, such as obesity, heart disease, and asthma, have led health promotion experts to engage Canadians to become more active. Despite these efforts, many Canadians remain inactive and at risk. Active travel (AT), defined in this study as walking for travel, is a key form of physical activity that continues to decline. This dissertation examines the decline of AT and role the individual, physical, and social environment have on AT.</p> <p>The individual environment is examined by providing evidence of how perceived barriers to walking influence the AT of population sub-groups by modeling each barrier comparing agreement versus disagreement. Results find females, senior citizens, and those with a higher body mass index identify the most barriers, while young adults, parents, those owning a driver’s license, and those owning a bus pass identify the fewest barriers.</p> <p>The physical environment is examined by providing an improved conceptualization of the built environment (BE). First, the BE-AT relationship is examined by comparing the relationship when measuring the BE using an aggregate method with a disaggregate approach of measurement. As a result, both aggregate and disaggregate BE variables are significant, but the aggregate approach hides the fact that only two of the five BE variables are significant when using the disaggregate approach. Second, the influence the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) has on the relationship between AT and the BE is investigated. The results find that the relationship between AT and the BE are influenced by scale zone effect of MAUP.</p> <p>The social environment is examined through the adoption of a conceptual framework from the physical activity literature that combines the social environment with individual and physical environments. A series of linear regression models evaluating the different components of the social environment find that only role models and neighborhood social cohesion influence AT, despite the fact that the social environment is significantly related to walking for exercise in the literature.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This research in the field of transport sociology explores how workplaces in Stockholm can become actors in managing transport demand and through soft measures contribute to an increase of sustainable and active commuting to work and short-distance travel on work purposes. It uses a mixed-method approach consisting of a review of official documents, publications and initiatives, a web-survey and semi-structured interviews with representatives of Stockholm’s public and private workplaces. The study uncovers the current role of workplaces in mobility management policies of Stockholm, analyzes internal and external factors that influence the likelihood of workplaces to encourage sustainable and active commute and travel to meetings within the city among their employees and provides recommendations on how workplaces engagement can be increased. Being occasionally mentioned in the policy documents or invited to take part in climate or cycling-focused initiatives, workplaces in Stockholm are now at different stages in their willingness to have travel policies and participate in on-site mobility management. Internal and external factors influence the motivation of public and private, larger and smaller workplaces differently. With further research, comprehensive communication, questioning the status quo and establishing a constant dialogue between the city and workplaces there is a big potential to involve workplaces as new actors into various existing initiatives.

<p>  </p> <p>Transportation and health are undeniably related. Transportation and its relationship with health are widely recognized as facing unique challenges in different geographic settings. However, research to date has mainly focused on understanding this relationship in urban areas. Remarkably, the importance of promoting physical activity through active travel (i.e., walking, biking, transit) is understudied in places other than urban areas. Increasing awareness regarding the ability of one's surroundings to encourage or inhibit active travel is critical to preparing us for the transformation of transportation habits. This issue takes on added significance considering telecommuting and the advent of autonomous vehicles.</p> <p>The overall goal of this dissertation is to examine the complex relationship between transportation and transport-related health determinants in diverse geographical settings (i.e., urban core, suburban, large rural towns, and rural areas) from an active travel perspective. To that end, four interdependent studies were conducted to address the following research questions: (i) Do the relationships among built environment, access to infrastructure, and physical activity differ across diverse geographic settings? (ii) What is the relationship among car usage, self-perceived health, and physical activity in rural areas? (iii) Which are the most significant pathways in the association between transportation and health in rural areas? (iv) What are the potential public health implications of adopting Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) in urban areas?</p> <p>First, the differences between various geographic settings regarding the built environment, access to infrastructure, and physical activity levels were assessed using individual-level data in the contiguous U.S. This dissertation employed behavioral science techniques (Structural Equation Modeling – Multi-group Analysis) to estimate how statistical constructs varied across multiple geographic settings. This dissertation concluded that the possibility of being physically active through active transportation, facilitated by the built environment and access, does not decrease linearly with the level of rurality defined in this study. Isolated Rural areas’-built environments and access to infrastructure were usually negatively associated with physical activity levels. This conclusion called for a deep analysis of rural areas regarding their ability to promote active travel.</p> <p>This dissertation studied rural areas' physical activity and its connection with socioeconomic determinants, perceived health, and car usage. Given that this relationship is described as non-linear, using statistical techniques such as path analysis allowed quantifying the direct and indirect effects among variables. This study concluded that high car usage and poor self-perceived health are mediators of physical activity levels. Therefore, efforts from both the transportation and health domain need to promote active travel in rural areas.</p> <p>Informed by transportation and health literature review, a conceptual framework was created by considering socioeconomic, personal, and physical transport-related health determinants. Structural equation models helped elucidate the complex relationships among determinants. The model results confirmed significant pathways among the various transport-related health determinants; hence comprehensive solutions need to be contemplated in future interventions to promote active travel. Interventions such as town center revitalization, heavy transit investments, and better broadband access that facilitate technology-enabled mobility services could significantly impact health outcomes in rural areas. Completing this objective fulfilled a pronounced research gap that has only been addressed using qualitative research. </p> <p>Finally, this dissertation examines how access to technologies, such as AVs, could impact the urban settings’-built environment and its potential to promote or inhibit active travel. Two urban settings were used as a case study since urban areas might be the first to experience this technology's deployment. This dissertation used cluster analysis and ordered probit models to understand AV adopters' individual and location-based characteristics. Our results suggest that AV implementation based only on the propensity to adopt might have adverse health outcomes (i.e., obesity). This dissertation points out the need for place-based interventions to enhance active travel and decrease the "obesogenic" environment that could arise in the AV era. </p> <p>Overall, we conclude that transportation's impact on public health cannot be seen as a "one exposure- one outcome- one solution" approach, and all-inclusive planning is needed to generate changes and prepare for transportation innovations to come. This dissertation proposed the ABC PATH framework that offers guidance to improve the population's health from transport-related changes comprehensively. The results of this research can help different organizations, such as planning organizations and rural health associations, advance communities' health through transportation.</p>