Abstract
Peak-hour week-day traffic congestion is a common challenge in urban mobility. Promotion of commuter cycling can help in alleviating this problem in many cities. This paper takes a data analytics approach to propose policies for promoting commuter cycling in Singapore. It uses farecard data to assess the commuter cycling potential and develops a data-driven approach to policy making. A spatio-temporal analysis of farecard data helps in finding patterns in the potential demand for first-mile as well as end-to-end cycling. This analysis is used to suggest policies like cycling towns to promote first-mile cycling and cycling regions to enable end-to-end cycling by linking together the cycling towns. Furthermore, an optimization model is developed to make efficient choice of cycling towns and links for a given budget so as to maximize the potential number of commuter cyclists.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrade, K., & Kagaya, S. (2011). Cycling in Japan and Great Britain: A preliminary discussion. Research report, Louvain-la-Neuve. Belgium: European Regional Science Association.
Barter, P. (2008). The status of bicycles in Singapore. Position paper draft. Singapore: Clean Air Initiative Asia.
Brunsing, J. (1997). Public transport and cycling: experience of modal integration in Germany. In R. Tolley (Ed.), The greening of Urban transport: Planning for walking and cycling in western cities (pp. 357–370). Chichester: Wiley.
Buehler, R., & Pucher, J. (2010). Cycling to sustainability in Amsterdam. Sustain, 21, 35–40.
Buehler, R., & Pucher, J. (2012). Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: New evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes. Transportation, 39, 409–432.
Cheong, C. C., & Toh, R. (2010) Household interview surveys from 1997–2008—A decade of changing travel behaviors. Journeys, 52–61.
Ellison, R., & Greaves, S. (2011). Travel time competitiveness of cycling in Sydney. Working paper, Institute of Transport and Logistics, University of Sydney, Sydney: Institute of Transport and Logistics, University of Sydney.
EZ-link. (2012). Key statistics and milestones. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://www.ezlink.com.sg/corporate/keystats.php.
Heinen, E. (2011). Bicycle commuting. Delft: Delft university press.
Heinen, E., Van Wee, B., & Maat, K. (2010). Commuting by bicycle: An overview of the literature. Transport Reviews, 30, 59–96.
Keijer, M. J. N., & Rietveld, P. (2000). How do people get to the railway station? The Dutch experience. Transportation Planning and Technology,23, 215–235.
Koh, P. P., Wong, Y. D., Chandrasekar, P. & Ho. S. T. (2011). Walking and cycling for sustainable mobility in Singapore. In 12th international walk 21 conference (pp. 1–16). Vancouver: Walk 21 conference.
Krizek, K., & Stonebraker, E. W. (2010). Bicycling and transit: A marriage unrealized. Transportation Research Record, 2144, 161–167.
Lee, D. H., Sun, L. & Erath, A. (2012). Study of bus service reliability in Singapore using fare card data. In The 12th Asia Pacific ITS forum & exhibition. Kuala Lumpur.
LTA. (2010, July 15). News releases. Retrieved October 11, 2012, from http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltaweb/corp/GreenTransport/files/Changi-Simei-Bedok-Marina-Bay-To-Have-Cycling-Infrastructure-By-2014.pdf.
LTA. (2011). Annual report 2009/10. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltaweb/corp/PublicationsResearch/files/AnnualReports/0910/LTA-AR09-10.pdf.
LTA. (2012a, July 25). Adding bicycle racks at MRT stations. Retrieved October 11, 2012, from http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/projects/road-and-commuter-facilities/adding-bicycle-racks-at-mrt-stations.html.
LTA. (2012b, September). ANNEX A: Implementation timelines for cycling paths. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltaweb/corp/GreenTransport/files/implementation-timeline-cycling-path-sept2012.pdf.
LTA. (2012c). Annual report 2010/11. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltaweb/corp/PublicationsResearch/files/AnnualReports/1011/LTA-AR10-11.pdf.
Martens, K. (2004). The bicycle as a feedering mode: experiences from three European countries. Transportation Research D, 9, 281–294.
Mcclintock, H. (2002). The mainstreaming of cycling policy. In H. Mcclintock (Ed.), Planning for cycling: Principles, practice and solutions for urban planners (pp. 1–2). FL: Woodhead Publishing and CRC Press.
Midgley, P. (2011). Bicycle-sharing schemes: Enhancing sustainable mobility in Urban areas. New York: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Commission on sustainable development.
Ministry of Transport. (2011, July). Land transport: overview. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://app.mot.gov.sg/Land_Transport/Making_Public_Transport_a_Choice_Mode/Overview.aspx.
Ministry of Transport. (2012). Land transport: Cycling. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from http://app.mot.gov.sg/Land_Transport/Meeting_Diverse_Needs/Cycling.aspx.
Moreno Miranda, L. F., & Nosal, T. (2011). Weather or not to cycle: Temporal trends and impact of weather on cycling in an urban environment. Transportation Research Record, 2247, 42–52.
Nankervis, M. (1999). The effect of weather and climate on bicycle commuting. Transportation Research A, 33,, 417–431.
National Parks. (2012, October 7). Par connector network. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.nparks.gov.sg.
Prakasam, S. (2009). Evolution of E-payments in public transport-Singapore’s Experience. Journeys, 53.
Pucher, J., & Buehler, R. (2008). Making cycling irresistible: Lessons from Europe. Transport Reviews.
Pucher, J., Dill, J., & Handy, S. (2010). Infrastructure, programs, and policies to increase bicycling: An international review. Preventive Medicine, 50 106–125.
Rietveld, P. (2001). Biking and walking: Position of non-motorized modes in transport systems. In J. B. Kenneth & D. A. Hensher (Eds.), Handbook of transport systems and traffic control (pp. 299–319). Punta Gorda, FL: Emerald Group Publishing.
Shanmugaratnam. (2012, March). Retreived September 25, 2012, from http://www.mot.gov.sg/news/Budget_Debate_Round_Up_Speech.pdf.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Singapore-MIT alliance for research and technology (SMART) for this work. The authors also thank Professor Amedeo R. Odoni, MIT and professor Paul Barter, NUS, for their valuable advice.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumar, A., Nguyen, V.A. & Teo, K.M. Commuter cycling policy in Singapore: a farecard data analytics based approach. Ann Oper Res 236, 57–73 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-014-1585-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-014-1585-7