If We Clear Them, Will They Come? Study to Identify Determinants of Winter Bicycling in Two Cold Canadian Cities

This paper investigates the determinants of winter cycling in cold North American cities. For this purpose, two online surveys were implemented in the City of Ottawa and Montreal Canada during the winter season 2012. The main outcome of interest is whether the respondent cycles during winter. The variables collected in the survey included socio-demographics (age, gender, occupation, income, etc), as well as perceptions of winter maintenance and weather conditions with regards to willingness to cycle. Using a logistic regression method, the effects of adverse weather conditions, snow/ice on ground and winter maintenance are determined after controlling for socio-demographic factors and trip distance in both cities. From the results in the two cities, it is clear that the improvement of winter maintenance operations on bicycle infrastructure has a positive and significant impact on winter cycling. After controlling for other factors, increased maintenance of bike facilities in the winter months is expected to increase in 20% to 30% the propensity to bike in the winter in the study cities. Operations to produce facilities clear of ice and snow seems to be effective to encourage winter cycling rates in Ottawa and Montreal. Biking on facilities that are not completely free of ice and snow has a negative effect of 20% to 40% (Ottawa) and 30% to 50% (Montreal) in the likelihood to bike in winter. The probability of cycling during the winter is also associated to age, gender, cycling habits and adverse weather conditions.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHD65 Winter Maintenance.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Miranda-Moreno, Luis Fernando
  • Nosal, Thomas
  • Kho, Christopher
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2013-1-13 to 2013-1-17
• Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 16p
• Monograph Title: TRB 92nd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycle facilities; Bicycling; Demographics; Regression analysis; Surveys; Weather conditions; Winter maintenance
• Geographic Terms: Montreal (Canada); Ottawa (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; I62: Winter Maintenance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01473221
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-3153
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 19 2013 3:03PM