Sustainable Transport:Cycling Policies And Proposed Models For Bike Sharing Stations Allocation And Path Network Design

Nowadays,the significance of developing sustainable transport systems is being reconsidered due to the impact produced by an extended use of private cars.In this scenario,cycling is becoming more popular due to its ability to mitigate congestion,enhance health and environmental benefits and provide flexible mobility.Bike is also an alternative travel mode able to compete with private cars in short distances while incurring relatively much lower cost.The construction of cycling facilities,building dedicated cycling infrastructure as well as developing bike sharing systems are part of the necessary policies to encourage urban cycling and increase cycling modal share.In these systems,users take a bicycle from one station and return it to any one they consider more convenient.Hence,it is a useful tool for short distance commuters' trips,as users do not have to return the bicycle to the origin point.Moreover,when combined with the existing transit system it becomes a feasible alternative to solve the last mile problem.Integration between different transport modes is considered to be one of the most important elements in the development of sustainable transport modes,as it encourages the use of transit which is much more efficient in terms of urban space required and consumed energy than private vehicles.However,considering safety is people?s main concern to avoid cycling,bike sharing systems should be part of an integral project that includes not only the location of the stations but also a dedicated cycle path network connecting them,providing commuters the opportunity to ride safely.This master thesis firstly describes cycling characteristics,highlighting its advantages and disadvantages,showing how communities and cities get benefited from its use.Secondly,two models are proposed that simultaneously consider the location of bike stations and a cycle path layout,from an optimization perspective,among other characteristics.The second model also considers integration with other transport modes based on the belief that intermodality collaborates toward the development of more sustainable transport systems.Case studies based on the city of Montevideo,Uruguay,are proposed.Results showed optimal location of stations vary whether the cost of building paths connecting the stations is considered or not.Finally,proposed models are compared with conventional ones,showing they are cost-efficient when developing safe cycling networks,as more demand can be covered with similar budgets.