Cyclability in Lahore, Pakistan: Looking into Potential for Greener Urban Traveling

  • S. Atif Bilal Aslam University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of City and Regional Planning http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6536-1574
  • Houshmand E. Masoumi Technische Universität Berlin, Center for Technology and Society (ZTG) http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2843-4890
  • Muhammad Asim University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of City and Regional Planning http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6898-0290
  • Izza Anwer University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of Transportation Engineering and Management http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2986-8930
Keywords: Urban transportation planning, sustainable mobility, active transport, cyclability, Pakistan.

Abstract

Measuring perceived or objective cyclability or bikeability has drawn less attention compared to walkability, particularly in developing countries like those in South Asia and the Middle East. This paper presents the results of a survey about cyclability in Lahore, Pakistan, focusing on human perceptions rather than the built environment. The overall sample included a total of 379 respondents from three socio-economic classes: those from lower socio-economic backgrounds accessing traditional/older bazaars, respondents from the middle socio-economic class accessing uptown bazaars, and respondents of higher socio-economic status accessing pedestrian shopping malls. The exploratory data collection was conducted in spring 2018 in Lahore by means of a short standard questionnaire with 19 questions, resulting in 17 categorical/dummy variables, two open-ended variables, and two continuous variables targeting socio-economics, bike trip characteristics, biking barriers, and preferred travel specifications. The results showed that the middle socio-economic group was more inclined, flexible, and willing to bike compared to the lower and higher socio-economic-groups. The lower socio-economic group used the bicycle more frequently than the middle socio-economic group. Around half of the middle socio-economic group commutes via bike compared to the lower socio-economic group. There was little to no representation of 55-64 and 65+ age groups in the data. The descriptive findings of this survey indicate some preliminary signs of differences of decisions and perceptions about biking compared to high-income and European countries. These differences need to be tested in future statistical analyses.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

S. Atif Bilal Aslam, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of City and Regional Planning

Dr. S. Atif Bilal Aslam is Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan. He holds PhD in urban development planning from Technical University of Dortmund, Germany. His main scientific interests include urban planning, urban mobility, sustainable development and international migration.

Houshmand E. Masoumi, Technische Universität Berlin, Center for Technology and Society (ZTG)
Dr. Houshmand E. Masoumi is senior researcher at Center for Technology and Society of Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. His research insterests include statistical modeling of urban travel behavior, land use - transportation interactions, urban sprawl and travel behavior, and the travel behavior analysis of special demographic and age groups.
Muhammad Asim, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of City and Regional Planning

Dr. Muhammad Asim is an urban and regional planner, PhD in Urban Engineering, assistant professor at the University of Engineering and Technology in City and Regional Planning Department, where he teaches urban land management, Disaster Management and Estate Management. His research interest deal with the study of socio-economic disparities in growing regions, vulnerability assessment and climate change adaptation.

Izza Anwer, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan, Department of Transportation Engineering and Management

Dr. Izza Anwer is transport engineer and is Assistant Professor in the Department of  transportation engineering and management, faculty of Civil engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan. She holds a PhD in the field of Intelligent transport system technologies integrated with transport systems and disasters from Institute for transport studies, University of Leeds, UK. Her research interests include Intelligent transport systems, disasters, community building, urban planning, multi-modal transport planning and engineering and multiple data analysis techniques.

References

Adeel, M. (2018). Travel Behavior variations across urban and rural areas of Pakistan. TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Special Issue 1.2018, 83-94. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/5456

Aldred, R., Woodcock, J., & Goodman, A. (2016). Does More Cycling Mean More Diversity in Cycling? Transport Reviews, 36(1), 28–44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2015.1014451

Anand, A., Tiwari, G., & Ravi, R. (2006). The bicycle in the lives of the urban poor: Case study: Delhi. Delhi, IN: Lecture.

Arora, A. (2013). Non-Motorized Transport in Peri-urban Areas of Delhi, India. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anvita_Arora/publication/317038954_Non-Motorized_Transport_in_Peri-urban_Areas_of_Delhi_India/links/5921bac8aca27295a8a63f63/Non-Motorized-Transport-in-Peri-urban-Areas-of-Delhi-India.pdf

Berloco, N., & Colonna, P. (2012). Testing and Improving Urban Bicycle Performance. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 53, 72–83. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.861

Blanc, B., & Figliozzi, M. (2016). Modeling the Impacts of Facility Type, Trip Characteristics, and Trip Stressors on Cyclists’ Comfort Levels Utilizing Crowdsourced Data. Transportation Research Record, 2587, 100–108. doi:https://doi.org/10.3141/2587-12

Chatterjee, K., Sherwin, H., & Jain, J. (2013). Triggers for changes in cycling: the role of life events and modifications to the external environment. Journal of Transport Geography, 30, 183–193. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.02.007

Christiansen, H. (2012). Documentation of the Danish National Travel Survey. Lyngby. Retrieved from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/13799137.pdf

Christiansen, H., & Haunstrup, B. (2012). The Danish National Travel Survey-declaration of variables. Lyngby. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/19183239.pdf

Christiansen, H., & Skougaard, B. Z. (2015). Documentation of the Danish National Travel Survey (2015 version).

Clifton, K., Currans, K. M., Muhs, C. D., Ritter, C., Morrissey, S., & Roughton, C. (2012). Consumer behavior and travel choices: A focus on cyclists and pedestrians. Retrieved from https://www.ledevoir.com/documents/pdf/etudeportland.pdf

El-Assi, W., Salah Mahmoud, M., & Nurul Habib, K. (2017). Effects of built environment and weather on bike sharing demand: a station level analysis of commercial bike sharing in Toronto. Transportation, 44(3), 589–613. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-015-9669-z

Ferwati, M. S., Shafaghat, A., & Keyvanfar, A. (2017). Path cyclability assessment index model using design tree making method: A case of Doha-Qatar. Malaysian Journal of Civil Engineering, 29. doi:https://doi.org/10.11113/mjce.v29.150

Gallup Pakistan. (2016). Short roundup on transport infrastructure in Pakistan: Year 2000-2015. Based on Pakistan Economic Survey 2015-16 (Big data analysis series No. Paper 2). Retrieved from http://gallup.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Gallup-Pakistan-Big-Data-Analysis-Series-Edition-2-on-Transportation-Infrastructure-in-Pakistan-2000-to-20151.pdf

Gössling, S. (2013). Urban transport transitions: Copenhagen, City of Cyclists. Journal of Transport Geography, 33, 196–206. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.10.013

Government of Pakistan (1998). Pakistan Census Report 1998. Islamabad.

Government of Pakistan. (2017). Provisional summary results of 6th population and housing census-2017. Islamabad.

Guthrie, N., Davies, D. G., & Gardner, G. (2001). Cyclist's assessment of road and traffic conditions: The development of a cyclability index.TRL Report 490.

Hickman, R., & Banister, D. (2014). Transport, climate change and the city. London, UK: Routledge.

Ibrahim, M., & Riaz, S. (2018). Lahore growth - Past and future. Retrieved from http://urbanunit.gov.pk/Upload/Photos/Urban%20Gazette%20Issue%202018.pdf

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (2011). The project for Lahore urban transport master plan in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Government of Punjab Project. Final Report.

Ji, Y., Fan, Y., Ermagun, A., Cao, X., Wang, W., & Das, K. (2017). Public bicycle as a feeder mode to rail transit in China: The role of gender, age, income, trip purpose, and bicycle theft experience. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 11(4), 308–317. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2016.1253802

Jones, T., & Novo de Azevedo, L. (2013). Economic, social and cultural transformation and the role of the bicycle in Brazil. Journal of Transport Geography, 30, 208–219. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.02.005

Kaplan, S., Manca, F., Nielsen, T. A. S., & Prato, C. G. (2015). Intentions to use bike-sharing for holiday cycling: An application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Tourism Management, 47, 34–46. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.08.017

Majumdar, B. B., & Mitra, S. (2015). Identification of factors influencing bicycling in small sized cities: A case study of Kharagpur, India. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 3(3), 331–346. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2014.09.002

Masoumi, H. E. (2013). Modeling Travel Behavior Impacts of Micro-Scale Land Use and Socio-Economic Factor. TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 6(2), 235-250. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/1484

Muñoz, B., Monzon, A., & López, E. (2016). Transition to a cyclable city: Latent variables affecting bicycle commuting. Transportation Research Part a: Policy and Practice, 84, 4–17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.10.006

Naeem, M. A., Shamsuddin, S., & Sulaiman, A. B. (2016). Policies and issues concerning urban sprawl and compact development paradigm adoption in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Retrieved from https://malaysiacities.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Naeem.pdf

Newman, P., & Kenworthy, J. (1999). Sustainability and cities: overcoming automobile dependence: Island press.

Nielsen, T. A. S., Olafsson, A. S., Carstensen, T. A., & Skov-Petersen, H. (2013). Environmental correlates of cycling: Evaluating urban form and location effects based on Danish micro-data. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 22, 40–44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2013.02.017

Nielsen, T. A. S., & Skov-Petersen, H. (2018). Bikeability – Urban structures supporting cycling. Effects of local, urban and regional scale urban form factors on cycling from home and workplace locations in Denmark. Journal of Transport Geography, 69, 36–44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2018.04.015

Parkin, J. (2009). The humps and the bumps: objective measurement using an instrumented bicycle. Paper presented at the Research and Innovation Conference. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John_Parkin2/publication

/44789368_The_humps_and_the_bumps_objective_measurement_using_an_instrumented_bicycle/links/53e86ebd0cf21cc29fdc45bf.pdf

Pinto, F. & Sufneyestani, M. (2018). Key Characteristics of an Age-Friendly Neighbourhood. Tema. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Special Issue Elderly Mobility, 117-132. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/5754

Pirlone, F. & Candia, S. (2015). Cycle Sustainability. TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 8(1), 83-101. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/2921

Rebecchi, A., Boati, L., Oppio, A., Buffoli, M., & Capolongo, S. (2016). Measuring the expected increase in cycling in the city of Milan and evaluating the positive effects on the population’s health status: a community-based urban planning experience. Annali di Igiene Medicina Preventiva e di Comunità, 28(6), 381–391. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7416%2Fai.2016.2120

Replogle, M. (1992). Bicycles and cycle-rickshaws in Asian cities: issues and strategies. Transportation Research Record, 76–84. Retrieved from http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1992/1372/1372.pdf#page=82

Sagaris, L. (2015). Lessons from 40 years of planning for cycle-inclusion: Reflections from Santiago, Chile. Natural Resources Forum, 39(1), 64–81. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12062

Smethurst, P. (2015). Mobility: The Practical and Cultural Impact of Bicycling in the West. In P. Smethurst (Ed.), The Bicycle—Towards a Global History (pp. 67–104). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137499516_3

Soltanzadeh, H., & Masoumi, H. E. (2014). The Determinants of Transportation Mode Choice in the Middle Eastern Cities: the Kerman Case, Iran. TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 7(2), 199-222. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/2518

Srivastavaa, A. K., Mishrab, S., & Chakravartyc, D. (2017). Analysis of Bicycle Usage in India: An Environmental Perspective. International Journal of Innovations & Advancements in Computer Science, 6(8), 27-37. Retrieved from http://academicscience.co.in/admin/resources/project/paper/f201708081502181251.pdf

Strömberg, H., & Karlsson, I. M. (2016). Enhancing utilitarian cycling: a case study. Transportation Research Procedia, 14, 2352–2361. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2016.05.264

Tandogan, O., & Ergun, N. (2013). Assessment of the Child-Friendliness of the Küçük Ayasofya Neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey. Children, Youth and Environments, 23(3), 164. doi:https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.23.3.0164

Vandenbulcke, G., Dujardin, C., Thomas, I., Geus, B. de, … & Panis, L. I. (2011). Cycle commuting in Belgium: spatial determinants and ‘re-cycling’strategies. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 45(2), 118–137. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2010.11.004

Wray, J. H. (2015). Pedal power: The quiet rise of the bicycle in American public life. New York, USA: Routledge.

Xiao-jiang, L. (2011). Thoughts on Urban Transportation Policy [J]. Urban Transport of China, 1, 7–11. Retrieved from http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-CSJT201101009.htm

Zhang, L., Zhang, J., Duan, Z.-y., & Bryde, D. (2015). Sustainable bike-sharing systems: characteristics and commonalities across cases in urban China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 97, 124–133. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.006

Published
2018-12-28
How to Cite
AslamS. A. B., E. MasoumiH., AsimM., & AnwerI. (2018). Cyclability in Lahore, Pakistan: Looking into Potential for Greener Urban Traveling. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 11(3), 323-343. https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/5806