COVID-19 as a window of opportunity for cycling: Evidence from the first wave

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the behavior change of cyclists in Lisbon, using multinomial logit regression analysis

“…Loop trips had a special relevance during the pandemic period, as the bicycle was used for exercise and for recreation, when other activities were not allowed ( van Leeuwen et al, 2020 , Büchel et al, 2022 , Buehler and Pucher, 2021 , Nguyen and Pojani, 2022 ). Recreational trips are also an important step in the transition to becoming a commuting cyclist, as they allow for cycling experimentation, and positively influence bicycle commuting over time ( Muñoz et al, 2016 , Kroesen and Handy, 2014 ).…”

“…Previous work on the current pandemic has shown that interventions and increased walkability were associated with increased pedestrian activity ( Cambra and Moura, 2020 ) and interventions that increased the cycling network infrastructure in Lisbon, Portugal, lead to a 3.5-fold increase of cyclists ( Félix et al, 2020 ). Disruptive events may help reveal the potential changes to individuals’ mobility patterns as behavior adaptations are required, and thus the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic might act as a turning point in favor of a more sustainable urban transport system ( Nurse and Dunning, 2020 , Büchel et al, 2022 ).…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bike-sharing uses in two french towns

“…On weekend-days, rhythms in Lyon and Toulouse are very similar with more variability in 2020 between the two peaks and a drop in usage around 1:30 PM. The presence of two peaks was observed in [SS21] but not in [LZHA20], [GY19] or [BMC22] where continuous increase in usage from noon to the end of the afternoon is probably due to data aggregation. The afternoon peak occurs slightly later compared to the highest congestion hours in these cities, situated around 5:45 PM.…”

“…Cycling thus appears to be a resilient and reliable urban mobility option in the short and long term, compatible with both the health crisis as we know it and the objectives of sustainable development. Since mobility habits are difficult to alter [Roc15,MIFCM18,BMC22], taking advantage of changes in behaviors during the current health crisis and of a cognitive appropriation of cycling sometimes facilitated by the economic situation is an opportunity and a challenge for many cities to sustainably transform urban mobility practices and habits.…”

“…With a similar goal of analyzing traffic-bike changes during the lockdown, [BMC22] uses data collected through 13 and 20 bike counters respectively in Basel and Zurich (Swiss). To estimate daily cycling traffic, two Random Forest Regressors are used: one for Working days and one for Weekend days.…”