The Go2School project for promoting cycling to school: A case study in Palermo
Abstract The identification of transport policy measures able to reduce the use of private cars for home-to-school travel is very relevant to reduce congestion during peak hours and to ensure that the areas around schools have livable environments. An action that policymakers could apply is promoting cycling to school through the introduction of bikesharing programs and creating safe routes to school through the construction of new cycle infrastructure. The aim of the paper has been, therefore, to assess if these policies could lead the high-school students to cycle to school, considering the city of Palermo as a case study. The goal is reached through the calibration of a modal choice mode…
School Bike Sharing Program: will it Succeed?
Abstract Encouraging active and sustainable transport modes in order to limit the excessive use of cars, as well as reducing pollutant emissions and creating livable urban environments, has become one of the priorities for policymakers in recent years. The introduction of innovative systems increasingly being introduced in modern cities, such as bike sharing, can certainly contribute to the spread of cycling and thus allow a radical change in the mobility habits of their citizens. This can be especially true for high-school students who are often otherwise accompanied by their parents with private cars. This article aims to assess the influence that a bike sharing program for students has o…
A GIS-based method for evaluating the walkability of a pedestrian environment and prioritised investments
Abstract Despite the large investments made in the construction and modernisation of railway infrastructure, poor quality pedestrian routes may discourage users from using public transport. In fact, very little attention is generally paid to pedestrian mobility. Therefore, a method for evaluating the quality of pedestrian paths and the accessibility to railway stations has been developed. This method considers the main factors influencing the walkability of an urban area and makes it possible to establish the priorities for intervention, i.e. to identify the arcs of a pedestrian network that require prioritised action. The methodology is a decision support tool that can be used by policymak…
A Hybrid AHP Approach and GIS-Based Methods as Fundamental Tools in the SECAP’s Decision-Making Process
Adapting to climate change and mitigating its impacts are the main challenges for cities today. One objective that the European Commission has set in recent decades is reducing climate change inaction, and several political actions have been implemented. Among these actions, the Covenant of Mayors led to the development and adoption of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) by many cities worldwide. A challenge that local authorities must face during the development of a SECAP is the identification of the policies to be included in the plan. This paper presents a case study to show the validity of using a hybrid analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach and various geographic …
The environmental benefits of carsharing: The case study of Palermo
Abstract The problems related to traffic emissions are becoming increasingly pressing and serious, especially in big cities where the private car plays the main role in the mobility of people, being excessively used, while walking, cycling and the use of public transport are often seen as secondary options and are hampered by a poorly urban environment. Therefore, solutions must be found to reduce the number of cars circulating in the city and to support the most sustainable modes of transport at the same time, in order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and harmful substances. A modal alternative which is of undoubted interest could be represented by carsharing, which is a mode comple…
A GIS-Based Methodology for Evaluating the Increase in Multimodal Transport between Bicycle and Rail Transport Systems. A Case Study in Palermo
Background: In a world where every municipality is pursuing the goals of more sustainable mobility, bicycles play a fundamental role in getting rid of private cars and travelling by an eco-friendly mode of transport. Additionally, private and shared bikes can be used as a feeder transit system, solving the problem of the first- and last-mile trips. Thanks to GIS (Geographic Information System) software, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of such a sustainable means of transport in future users’ modal choice. Methods: Running an accessibility analysis of cycling and rail transport services, the potential mobility demand attracted by these services and the possible multimodality bet…
A GIS-Based Methodology to Estimate the Potential Demand of an Integrated Transport System
In the design of a new public transport system or of an extension of an existing system, the choice of a suitable placement of stations and stops in the territory and the definition of the main axes are very important. The different choice in the number and distribution of the stops of a road transport system or of a railway transport system, in fact, makes the system more or less widespread and affects the consistency of the catchment area and the attractiveness of the system. The accessibility of a system, add to the reliability in providing the service, is the fundamental parameter influencing the modal split of the users. Therefore, the Public Administration must have tools able to eval…
Understanding the Key Factors of Shared Mobility Services: Palermo as a Case Study
The potential success of shared mobility services in the urban area strongly depends on careful tariff planning, adequate sizing of the fleet and efficient integrated public transport system, as well as on the application of policies in favor of sustainable modes of transport. The balance between earnings and expenses is not always an easy target for the companies in those cities where these services are not well-rooted in the citizens’ mobility habits. Often only large operators in the sector can continue to offer a service generating profit. However, several factors can determine the success or the failure of shared mobility services. The objective of this study is to identify, thanks to …
Using AHP methodology for prioritizing the actions in the transport sector in the frame of SECAPs
The drafting of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan, required for the local authorities joining the Covenant of Mayors initiative, is an opportunity to plan actions reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. Choosing the measures to implement requires the application of a methodology that compares them, considering costs and impacts in terms of energy consumption, emissions reduction, and social benefits. The paper aims to develop a method based on the typical approach of the Analytical Hierarchy Process, supporting decisions in the transport sector in the frame of the drafting of SECAP. The method allows determining the priority actions and the optimal allocation…
Cycling for Home-to-School Travel in Palermo: A Method for Assessing the Optimal Allocation of New Cycling Infrastructure
In order to reduce the number of cars on the road, one of the most incisive actions is to encourage cycling, e.g. through the introduction of bike-sharing systems. In particular, the activation of special bike-sharing programs for school students could lead students to choose this mode of transport to make their own home-school travel. The success of such initiatives is primarily linked to the presence of a continuous and functional cycle network, which can create safe routes to school. It is, therefore, necessary a cycle network design model that allows determining the optimal allocation of new cycle paths, maximizing the number of users and considering technical and economic constraints. …
The Current and Future Role of Carsharing in Palermo: Analysis of Collected Data and Results of a Customer Satisfaction Survey
In recent years many cities, both in Italy and abroad, have adopted Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, in which one of the key action is the developing of the sharing mobility. The aim of the paper is to define the role that carsharing plays in Palermo today and it will play in the future, thanks to the adoption of new strategies, such as the introduction of the free-floating system, and transport demand orientation policies, such as the increase in the parking fees for private cars or the expansion of the ZTL. The average user profile of carsharing in Palermo has been identified through a customer satisfaction survey and the potential demand of carsharing in Palermo has been studied using G…
GIS Infomobility for Travellers
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are essential systems to support decisions on territorial and environmental aspects. But they not always have been properly used for this purpose. Only in recent years GIS have been getting better used for the planning, management and control of the territory. The application of GIS to the transport sector has become relevant both for management and decision-making in support of Public Administration (PA) and citizens. GIS are particularly useful for roads and routing graphs management capabilities as well as for searching the most suitable path. The results achieved in this research activity aimed to evaluate different road graphs, proprietary and fre…
A GIS-Based Method to Assess the Pedestrian Accessibility to the Railway Stations
Modern cities, affected by congestion, atmospheric and acoustic pollution, land consumption, should change and return to being on a human scale, rather than designed for cars. Proper land-use planning, infrastructure improvement and implementation of targeted interventions have to ensure that there is a rapprochement of citizens about the public transport, in order to reduce these problems. An important aspect of modal choice by users of the public transport system is, however, linked to the quality of the pedestrian routes. In fact, every journey made by public transport begins and finishes on foot. Therefore, studying pedestrian accessibility to transit stations and the walkability of the…