Browsing by Author "Matias, Isabel"
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- Bicycle Solutions in Mountain Cities: CycloCable® in Trondheim-NorwayPublication . Matias, Isabel; Virtudes, Ana L.With the rising of soft mobility strategies among to the decision-makers regarding the city policies, the urban designers are developing new ways of improving the bicycles using solutions considering the urban spaces. In the particular case of the mountain cities, the bicycle is still seen as a problematic way of transportation, requiring deep transformations of the urban fabric features. This paper presents the case study of the Norwegian city of Trondheim, well-known by its hills, which is an enormous success in terms of bicycle solutions not only among the locals but also among the visitors. The system is called CycloCable® and it is the first cycle lift for collective transportation which aims to help cyclists, who wish to move more easily, to overcome the sleepiest slopes in urban areas. The methodological approach is based on the literature review, in order to identify the characteristics of this system, which could be used in other mountain cities with similar features of the urban fabric.
- EU and Portuguese cycling strategy for sustainable urban mobilityPublication . Matias, Isabel; Santos, Bertha; Gonçalves, Jorge; Kempa, Jan; Chmielewski, JacekSustainable mobility has become a central topic for reflection and debate when defining active urban policies. In opposition to traditional mobility focused on private cars, sustainable urban mobility aims to respond to society's travel needs of comfort, safety, and time with healthy, environmental-friendly, and economical solutions. Soft mobility modes, especially cycling, are an alternative capable of reversing the trend on private car use in urban areas. Cycling has been playing an important role in urban sustainable development in the last decade, being one of the main strategies of urban mobility plans. The present study presents a review of the main European Union (EU) and Portuguese cycling strategies. The methodological approach includes the collection and analysis of the main EU and Portuguese documents discussing the challenges and options for urban mobility, especially those focused on cycling. These strategies aim to promote the use of bicycles on commuting trips and the reduction of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, thus contributing to a more sustainable urban environment and healthier communities, the main objectives of the EU’s cycling strategies. Conclusions point out that it was mainly in the last 10 years that specific plans for the promotion of the use of bicycles and other soft modes emerged in Portugal, but only in the last 5 years, financing conditions were created to support municipalities in this task.
- Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis for Road Segment Cycling Suitability AssessmentPublication . Santos, Bertha; Passos, Sílvia Valentina González de; Gonçalves, Jorge H.G.; Matias, IsabelThe shift to low-emission mobility, embedded in a growing need for sustainable development, makes soft modes a highly promoted transport alternative in national and international mobility policies. Soft mobility modes, especially cycling, is an alternative capable of reversing the trend of private car use in urban areas, being one of the main strategies of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP). Several factors can influence travel mode choice, between them, demographic, economic, land use, travel distance and time, and climatic and physical factors are the most reported in the literature. This study presents a framework of the main European cycling strategies and focuses on the development of a methodological approach to assess the cycling suitability of existing road networks. The approach is based on a spatial multi-criteria analysis that combines population density, trip generation points service areas and road characteristics (hierarchy and slope). Consideration of the topography was particularly relevant in the cycling suitability model definition. The model was tested in the hillside city of Covilhã (Portugal) and compared with the recently planned and implemented city cycling network. The main conclusions point to the adequacy, flexibility, and applicability of the proposed model by municipalities, contributing to a more sustainable urban environment and healthier communities. Results obtained in the Covilhã case study also denote the possibility of implementing cycling mobility in hillside cities, especially using e-bikes. For future works, an expansion of the approach is proposed to include a detailed and sustained cycling network definition model and a process to assess cycling routes hierarchy/solutions.