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Bicycle use in Germany: explaining differences between municipalities with social network effects
1University of Louisville.
Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|February 1, 2011
Summary
Social network effects significantly boost cycling for shopping and recreation, but not for commuting. Cycling infrastructure primarily impacts shopping and errand trips, with commuting being policy-independent.
Area of Science:
- Urban planning
- Transportation science
- Sociology
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing bicycle use is crucial for sustainable urban mobility.
- Previous research has not fully accounted for social network effects on cycling behavior.
- This study examines 20 German municipalities with varying bicycle mode shares.
Observation:
- A mode choice model for bicycling was developed using data from the Mobility in Germany 2002 survey.
- Social network or spillover effects, representing a city's bicycling culture, were incorporated.
- An instrumental variable approach was used to model these social network effects.
Findings:
- Social network effects positively influence the probability of cycling for shopping and recreational trips.
- These effects do not significantly impact cycling for school, work, or errands.
- Cycling infrastructure availability is a key factor only for shopping and errand trips.
- Bicycle commuting appears largely unaffected by policy variables.
Implications:
- Promoting cycling culture through social networks can increase its use for specific trip purposes.
- Targeted infrastructure investments are more effective for certain types of bicycle trips.
- Policy interventions for bicycle commuting may require different strategies than those for other trip purposes.
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