Conference Papers 2021

Seminar
Day 2 (14 Sep 2021), Session 6, SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY, 16:00 - 18:00

Status
Accepted, documents submitted

Submitted by / Abstract owner
Gabriel Dias

Authors
Gabriel José Cabral Dias, Paulo Jorge Gomes Ribeiro, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, ¹, Elisabete Arsénio, LNEC Department of Transport, Lisbon, Portugal

Short abstract
Micromobility research will be able to identify which areas require further improvement in the city of Braga and provide useful insights for policymaking and mobility planning purposes.

Abstract
The dissemination of diverse modes of shared micromobility (e.g., bike-sharing, and shared e-scooters) has impacted major cities around the world by enhancing transport accessibility to new opportunities while contributing to reducing personal vehicle ownership. Nevertheless, the recent expansion of e-scooter sharing services has led to a series of doubts on its future expansion, namely about whether this mode is feasible to be implemented regarding its advantages and disadvantages which are sensitive to each city context. Hence, some cities have already banned its usage, while others still rely on these mobility services to meet specific mobility and accessibility needs. Despite that shared e-scooters can replace car travel for short-distance trips, act as a first and last mile connecting mode, and consequently, contribute to decrease air pollution and traffic noise in urban areas shared e-scooters may also have other adverse social effects, for example on pedestrians’ accessibility (if these are often ridden or parked on the sidewalk) or on traffic safety, depending on individual’s behaviour and its riding street environment.
Given the above context, the main objective of this research work is to understand and determine how shared e-scooters can be best used in cities to reduce their negative social and safety impacts, and, to outline policy and planning recommendations to accommodate this mode in the transport system and promote sustainable urban mobility. To meet this purpose, a case study will be performed in the city of Braga, which is located in the North of Portugal and does not have yet a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan to cover its population of more than 180,000 inhabitants in an area of 183 km², where more than 170,000 commuting trips are generated daily mostly by cars, followed by walking and public transport. The analysis comprises shared e-scooters’ usage regarding its origin-destination, the length and number of trips made, trip frequency per week and hour, geographical data to identify where users usually ride it (street or sidewalk), and other transport and land use planning data (including major traffic generation poles), as well as the possibility to connect shared e-scooters to the public transport, once there is a lack of spatial coverage of the service added to the low frequency of some routes. Our preliminary results show that, in Braga, trip patterns have somewhat changed since 2019 (when the first e-scooters’ service started): during the first months of usage, most of the trips were restricted to the city’s downtown area, where there are specific parking spots for shared e-scooters, while in the following months the trip's destinations switched to other areas of the city, including the region where the University of Minho is located. It is also important to mention that most of the e-scooters' trips were made on the sidewalk, during the weekends, and in the evening. This usage pattern can be the reflection of the leisure purpose of the trips, instead of the commuting purpose, which could be a goal for shared e-scooters. Also, Braga has invested in e-scooters instead of shared bicycle systems because the first one can represent a reduction in implementation costs for the Municipality, along with the facility to be ridden in the city’s downtown area when interacting with the available space, shopping area, and pedestrians. The size of e-scooters and the possibility to have the speed controlled in some areas, through geofencing, has been shown to contribute to traffic management and improvement of urban mobility in the main solicited area of the city.
In short, through understanding the dynamics of shared e-scooter travel patterns in Braga, the research will be able to identify which areas require further improvement in the city and provide useful insights for policymaking and mobility planning purposes.
Keywords: city planning; micromobility; shared e-scooters; sustainable mobility.

Programme committee
Young Researchers' and Practitioners' Forum