Journal of Transport and Land Use

Slow motion in corona times: Modeling cyclists’ spatial choice behavior using real-time probe data

Karima Kourtit

Open Universiteit Nederland

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7171-994X

John Osth

Oslo Metropolitan University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4536-9229

Peter Nijkamp

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi and Open Universiteit Nederland

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4068-8132

Umut Türk

Abdullah Gül University

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8440-7048

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2024.2398

Keywords: Slow motion, Bicycles, COVID-19, Real-time probe data, Sensors, Spatial regression, Shapley decomposition, Spatial autocorrelation

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Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has provided a renewed impetus for empirical research on slow and active modes of transportation, specifically bicycling and walking. Changes in modal choice appear to be sensitive to the actual quality of the environment, the attractive land use and built environment conditions, and the ultimate destination choice. This study examines and models the influence of cyclists’ health concerns during the pandemic on their spatial destination and route choices. Using a large real-time dataset on the individual daily mobility of cyclists in the province of Utrecht, the Netherlands, collected through GPS-linked sensors on bikes (VGI, or volunteered geographical information), the analysis employs spatial regression models, Shapley decomposition techniques, and spatial autocorrelation methods to unveil the backgrounds of changes in spatial behavior. The results reveal that the perceived wellbeing benefits of bicycling in green areas during the pandemic have significantly influenced cyclists’ choice behavior, in particular route and destination choice.

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Author Biographies

Karima Kourtit, Open Universiteit Nederland

Karima Kourtit is at the Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands. Her main scientific research is in the field of creative industries, urban development, cultural heritage, digital technology, and strategic performance management. Her academic profile is characterized by a profound involvement in evidence-based urban and spatial research on smart city policy and data metrics, by a strong commitment to educational support to young researchers and by an active role in many international scientific and managerial activities. Furthermore, she has been an editor of several books and guest editor for many international journals, and has published a wide array of scientific articles, papers, special issues of journals and edited volumes in the field of geography and the spatial sciences. She is also managing director of The Regional Science Academy (TRSA).

John Osth, Oslo Metropolitan University

John ÖSTH is a professor in Human geography affiliated OsloMet (Norway). He originally trained as a teacher and geographer and has joined OsloMet in September 2021 to do research and to teach in GIS, spatial analytics and computer aided geo-techniques. He has long experience of microdata research, data creation in GIS, Spatial Big Data studies (primarely using Mobile phone data) as well as development of geo-software. His most widespread software is EquiPop which currently is used in 28 countries. He has published several papers and chapters in population geography, regional science, geo-computation, demography and economics. He has expertise in: GIS, Quantitative geography, Spatial analysis, population geography.

 

Peter Nijkamp, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi and Open Universiteit Nederland

Peter Nijkamp is emeritus Professor in regional and urban economics and in economic geography at the VU University, and associated with The Open University of the Netherlands (OU), Heerlen (The Netherlands), and the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Iasi (Romania). He has published more than 2000 articles and books in the field of regional development, urban growth, transport and the environment. He is a fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW). He has served as president of the governing board of the Netherlands Research Council (NWO). In 1996, he was awarded the most prestigious scientific prize in the Netherlands, the Spinoza award.  He is vice-president of The Regional Science Academy (TRSA) and involved in many international research activities.

Umut Türk , Abdullah Gül University

Umut Türk is currently working at the department of Economics, Abdullah Gül University, Turkey. He has extensively worked on the topics of (i) spatial economics (ii) regional science (iii) inequality of opportunity (iv) accessibility (v) social mobility and vi) tourism. He is particularly interested in geographical influences in distributional concerns. 

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