is urban cycling worth the risk?

Financial Times brings a not-so-idyllic experience when talking about the use of bicycles on urban environments; the health benefits, the low cost, the speed – versus the fact that you might be hit by an 18-tonne articulated lorry.

In 2014, 64% of people surveyed by the UK’s Department of Transport said they believed it was too dangerous for them to cycle on the road. These decisions are often based on gut feelings or anecdote, despite the fact that people in the UK are actually more likely to die walking than cycling, according to figures from the Department for Transport. For every billion miles cycled last year, 30.9 cyclists were killed, while 35.8 pedestrians were killed for every billion miles walked. Both activities are significantly safer than riding a motorbike – 122 motorcyclists are killed for every billion miles driven (the UK’s overall casualty rate for cyclists, a broader measure which counts serious injuries and slight injuries as well as deaths, was around 5,800 per billion miles in 2015, not far off the casualty rate for motorcyclists – and almost three times higher than the 2,100 per billion miles for pedestrians).

Researchers from the London School of Medicine looked into this issue in 2011. According to their findings, bicycle commuters inhale more than twice the amount of black carbon particles as pedestrians making a comparable trip. 

Good news are that at population level, the dangers faced are offset by the many benefits associated with an active commute, which will translate for most people into increased life expectancy overall.

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smart tactile paving for pedestrian crossings

A new safety system to make sure people don't walk into ongoing traffic while looking down is on the market. Called Smart Tactile Paving, the system will also flash red so you stop before getting yourself in a bad situation.

 Further info

Slovenia introduces interoperable public transport ticket

Slovenia has recently integrated (September 1st) its public transport system with the introduction of an interoperable ticket, which enables users to use different types of public transport without having to buy separate tickets.

The ticket integrates the use of regular rail and inter-urban bus transport in Slovenia and urban transport in the two largest Slovenian cities in a single system. The first phase introduces a single subsidised ticket for pupils, students and adult learners.

85% of the total value of the project of introducing integrated public passenger transport (IPPT) is financed through European funds.

Further information

USDOT report shows how big data can solve traffic problems

Big data is a popular term used to describe the massive amounts of information being produced by contemporary systems. These large data sets often require advanced analytical tools to process the data into information for decision making. One of these examples of a big data source is now being used by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to assist regional agencies in monitoring their transportation systems.

The USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published its 2015 Urban Congestion Trends Report (UCR), which provides the current state of road congestion and reliability in the largest urban areas of the USA. The new report marks the second year of calculating congestion and reliability metrics with the National Performance Management Research Data Set (NPMRDS), which is an example of a big data source, created from vehicles on the transportation system. It includes actual, observed travel times on the National Highway System (NHS) and is available for use by state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for their performance management activities.

The UCR documents several examples from state and local agencies using NPMRDS to better understand how their transportation system is operating. The report also highlights relevant successful operational strategies and performance management approaches implemented by state and local transportation agencies.

Operational strategies provide proven methods for improving the performance of the transportation system, whether through reducing congestion, improving reliability, or creating options for travelers. Operational strategies often result in other benefits, such as increased safety, and improved environmental outcomes, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The report includes highlights of innovative ways states and local agencies throughout the country have implemented effective operations and measured the impacts of congestion.

The report concludes with a discussion of the importance of traffic volume data when aggregating performance measures. The report offers detailed analyses of three examples of state and local transportation agencies that are using the NPMRDS to compute performance measures and evaluate their transportation systems: the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Further info and report

Personal Description

I am a curious and conscientious person who likes to take advantage of new challenges and adding my attention to detail whenever this is feasible.

One of my favourite hobbies is travelling; I inter-railed around Europe several times and have visited more than 40 countries around the world, while I have lived in three of them so far. This helps me to learn from different cultures and different approaches to problem solving, keeping my mind open. Have we been at any time quite close to each other? You can discover it in my map of visited places shown below.

I believe it is clear by now my passion for transportation engineering / traffic engineering (or traffic / transportation and engineering), computing and technology.

With regards of sports, I am far from being the best sports-man ever, but I confess I enjoy urban hiking and trekking. The picture is completed with my volunteering activities; Wikipedia editor and volunteer for different STEM† causes.

†STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

Descripción personal

Soy una persona curiosa a la que le gusta asumir nuevos desafíos; concienzuda y con atención al detalle siempre que esto último sea factible.

Una de mis actividades favoritas es viajar; he hecho varios interraíles en Europa y he visitado más de 40 países alrededor del todo el mundo, habiendo vivido en 3 de ellos de momento. Esta inquietud me ayuda a aprender de diferentes culturas y diferentes enfoques para la resolución de problemas, manteniendo mi mente abierta. ¿Hemos estado en algún momento cerca el uno del otro? Lo puedes ver en mi mapa de lugares visitados unos párrafos más abajo.

Creo que ya ha quedado clara por ahora mi pasión por la ingeniería de transporte / ingeniería de tráfico (o la ingeniería y el tráfico / transporte), la informática y la tecnología. Con respecto a los deportes, disto mucho de ser un fanático pero confieso que me gusta el senderismo y trekking urbano. Finalmente añadir mis actividades de voluntariado; editor de Wikipedia y voluntario en causas STEM**

** STEM: Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas, por sus siglas en inglés (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)