Metropolitan bicycle-sharing system in the context of various needs of cities, towns, and villages

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2021-0036

Keywords

bicycle, bicycle sharing system, cycling policy, e-bike, metropolitan area, Poland

Abstract

Bicycle-sharing systems (BSSs) have started to play an important role in the transport systems of cities worldwide as a sustainable alternative to the dominant motorised mobility culture. BSSs have also expanded over time to include regions and metropolitan areas as well as small towns and rural areas. The purpose of this paper is to identify and compare the goals of connecting individual communes in a metropolitan area to a metropolitan bicycle system. The authors applied a case study of the MEVO metropolitan bicycle system consisting of electrically assisted bicycles, introduced in 2019 in 14 communes of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (GGSMA) in Poland. The study used GGSMA-designated metropolitan zoning to group the goals pursued by the participants when joining the project. This paper is the first to identify the goals that inclined small towns and rural areas to accede to the BSS. The results show that the largest cities in the metropolis that make up its core count on bike sharing to solve the problems of congested city centres, while small towns and rural areas see the BSS as an opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants, as the first mode of public transport, as an opportunity to be closer and more identified with the metropolitan core, and as a chance to develop tourism and recreation.

References

Arbis, D., Rashidi, T.H., Dixit, V.V., & Vandebona, U. (2016). Analysis and planning of bicycle parking for public transport stations. International Journal of Sustainable Transport, 10(6): 495-504. DOI: 10.1080/15568318.2015.1010668

Arsovski, S., Kwiatkowski, M., Lewandowska, A., Peshevska, D.J., Sofeska, E., & Dymitrow, M. (2018). Can urban environmental problems be overcome? The case of Skopje – world’s most polluted city. Bulletin of Geography Socio-economic Series, 40: 17-39. DOI: 10.2478/bog-2018-0012

Audikana, A., Ravalet, E., Baranger, V., & Kaufmann, V. (2017). Implementing bikesharing systems ins small cities: Evidence from the Swiss experience. Transport Policy, 55: 18-28. DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2017.01.005

Bao, J., Xu, C., Liu, P., & Wang, W. (2017). Exploring Bikesharing Travel Patterns and Trip Purposes Using Smart Card Data and Online Point of Interests. Networks and Spatial Economics, 17: 1231-1253. DOI: 10.1007/s11067-017-9366-x

Bi, H., Ye, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Analysis of the Integration Usage Patterns of Multiple Shared Mobility Modes and Metro System. Transportation Research Record, 2675(10): 876-894. DOI: 10.1177/03611981211013351

Biegańska, J. (2019). Społeczno-geograficzny wymiar przemian stref podmiejskich w Polsce. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika

Biegańska, J., & Szymańska, D. (2011) Fenomen urbanizacji i procesy z nim związane (The phenomenon of urbanization and processes connected with it - in Polish), Studia miejskie, 4: 13-38. Available at: http://www.studiamiejskie.uni.opole.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/bieganska_szymanska.pdf

Bieliński, T., Dopierała, Ł., Tarkowski, M., & Ważna, A. (2020). Lessons from implementing a Metropolitan Electric Bike Sharing System. Energies, 13(23): 6240. DOI: 10.3390/en13236240

Bieliński, T., Kwapisz, A., & Ważna, A. (2021). Electric bike-sharing services mode substitution for driving, public transit and cycling. Transportation Research Part D-Transport and Environment, 96, 102883. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2021.102883

Borowska-Stefańska, M., Kowalski, M., & Wiśniewski, S. (2020). Funkcjonowanie roweru publicznego w dużym mieście. Przykład Łodzi. Łodź: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.

Borowska-Stefańska, M., Mikusova, M., Kowalski, M., Kurzyk, P., & Wiśniewski, S. (2021). Changes in Urban Mobility Related to the Public Bike System with Regard to Weather Conditions and Statutory Retail Restrictions. Remote Sensing, 13(18): 3597. DOI: 10.3390/rs13183597

Buck, D., Buehler, R., Happ. P., Rawls, B., Chung, P., & Borecki, N. (2013). Are bikeshare users different from regular cyclists? Transportation Research Record, 2387: 112-119. DOI: 10.3141/2387-13

Castillo-Manzano, J.I., Lopez-Valpuesta, L., & Sanchez-Braza, A. (2016). Going a long way? On your bike! Comparing the distances for which public bicycle sharing system and private bicycles are used. Applied Geography, 71: 96-105. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.04.003

Caulfield, B., O’Mahony, M., Brazil, W., & Weldon, P. (2017). Examining usage patterns of a bike-sharing scheme in a medium sized city. Transportation Research Part A- Policy and Practice, 100: 152-161. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.023

Cheng, L., Mi, Z., Coffman, D.M., Meng, J., Liu, D., & Chang, D. (2021). The Role of Bike Sharing in Promoting Transport Resilience. Networks and Spatial Economics. DOI: 10.1007/s11067-021-09518-9

De Chardon, C.M. (2019). The contradictions of bike-share benefits, purposes and outcomes. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 121: 401-419. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2019.01.031

De Chardon, C.M., Caruso, G., & Thomas, I. (2017). Bicycle sharing system ‘success’ determinants, 100,: 202-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.04.020

DeMaio, P. (2009). Bike sharing: history, impacts, models of provision and future. Journal of Public Transportation, 12(4): 41-56. DOI: 10.5038/2375-0901.12.4.3

Dill, J. (2009). Bicycling for transportation and health: The role of infrastructure. Journal of Public Health Policy, 30(1): 95-110. DOI: 10.1057/jphp.2008.56

Dill, J., & Carr, T. (2003). Bicycle commuting and facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them. Transportation Research Record, 1828: 116-123. DOI: 10.3141/1828-14

Dzięcielski, M., Radzimski, A., & Woźniak, M. (2020a). Bike-sharing system in Poznan – what will Web API data tell us? Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 23(3): 29-40. DOI: 10.4467/2543859XPKG.20.018.12786

Dzięcielski, M., Woźniak, M., & Radzimski, A. (2020b). Exploring bike-sharing systems in Poland co-financed from the European Union funds. Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 23(4): 7-18. DOI: 10.4467/2543859XPKG.20.023.13125

Faghih-Imani, A., & Eluru, N. (2016). Incorporating the impact of spatio-temporal interactions on bicycle sharing system demand: A case study of New Your CitiBike system. Journal of Transport Geography, 54: 218-227. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2016.06.008

Fishman, E. (2015). Bikeshare: A Review of Recent Literature. Transport Reviews, 36(1): 92-113. DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2015.1033036

Fishman, E., Washington, S., & Haworth, N. (2013). Bike Share: A Synthesis of the Literature. Transport Reviews, 33(2): 148-165. DOI: 10.1080/01441647/2013/775612

Guler, D., & Yomralioglu, T. (2021). Location Evaluation of Bicycle Sharing System Stations and Cycling Infrastructures with Best Worst Method Using GIS. Professional Geographer, 73(3): 535-552. DOI: 10.1080/00330124.2021.1883446

Guo, Y., & He, S.Y. (2020). Built environment effects on the integration dockless bike-sharing and the metro. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 83: 102335. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2020.102335

Hamilton, T., & Wichman, C.J. (2018). Bicycle infrastructure and traffic congestion: Evidence from DC’s Capital Bikeshare. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 87: 72-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.03.007

Handy, S., van Wee, B., & Kroesen, M. (2014). Promoting Cycling for Transport: Research Needs and Challenges. Transport Reviews, 34(1): 4-24. DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2013.860204

Hansen, A.Y., Umstattd Meyer, M.R., Lenardson, J.D., & Hartley, D. (2015). Built Environments and Active Living in Rural and Remote Areas: a Review of the Literature. Current Obesity Reports, 4(4): 484-493. DOI: 10.1007/s13679-015-0180-9

Jappinen, S., Toivonen, T., & Salonen, M. (2013). Modelling the potential effect of shared bicycles on public transport travel times in Greater Helsinki: An open data approach. Applied Geography, 43: 13-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.05.010

Jonkeren, O., Kager, R., Harms, L., & te Brommelstroet, M. (2021). The bicycle-train travellers in the Netherlands: personal profiles and travel choices. Transportation, 48(1): 455-476. DOI: 10.1007/s11116-019-10061-3

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: 10.1016/j.tourman.2014.08.017

Karpinski, E. (2021). Estimating the effect of protected bike lanes bike-share ridership in Boston: A case study on Commonwealth Avenue. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 9(3): 1313-1323. DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.06.015

Krizek, K.J., & Stonebraker, E.W. (2010). Bicycling and Transit: A Marriage Unrealized. Transportation Research Record, 2144: 161-167. DOI: 10.3141/2144-18

Krzysztofik R., Dymitrow, M., Biegańska, J., Senetra, A., Gavriilidou, E., Nadolu, B., Kantor-Pietraga, I., Grzelak-Kostulska, E., Oureilidou, E., Luches, D., Spórna, T., Teodorescu, D., Wasilewicz-Pszczółkowska, M., Holmertz, G., Szczepańska, A., & Brauer, R. (2017). Landscapes with different logics: A physicalistic approach to semantic conflicts in spatial planning. Quaestiones Geographicae, 36(4): 29-45. DOI: 10.1515/quageo-2017-0034

Krzysztofik, R., Kantor-Pietraga, I., Runge, A., & Spórna, T. (2017). Is the suburbanisation stage always important in the transformation of large urban agglomerations? The case of the Katowice conurbation. Geographia Polonica, 90(2). DOI: 10.7163/GPol.0082

Kwiatkowski, M.A. (2018a). Bike-sharing boom – rozwój nowych form zrównoważonego transportu w Polsce na przykładzie roweru publicznego. Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 21(3): 60-69. DOI: 10.4467/2543859XPKG.18.007.10142

Kwiatkowski, M.A. (2018b). Urban cycling as an indicator of socio-economic innovation and sustainable transport. Quaestiones Geographicae, 37(4): 23-32. DOI: 10.2478/quageo-2018-0039

Kwiatkowski, M.A. (2021). Regional bicycle-sharing system in the context of the expectations of small and medium-sized towns. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 9(2): 663-673. DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.03.004

Kwiatkowski, M.A., Grzelak-Kostulska, E., & Biegańska, J. (2021). Could it be a bike for everyone? The electric bicycle in Poland. Energies, 14(16): 4878. DOI: 10.3390/en14164878

Kwiatkowski, M.A., & Szymańska, D. (2021). Cycling policy in strategic documents of Polish cities. Environment. Development and Sustainability, 23(7): 10357-10377. DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-01060-x

Lopes, M., Dias, A.M., & Silva, C. (2021). The impact of urban features in cycling potential – A tale of Portuguese cities. Journal of Transport Geography, 95: 103149. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103149

Lovelace, R., Beecham, R., Heinen, E., Tortosa, E.V., Yang, Y., Slade, C., & Roberts, A. (2020). Is the London Cycle Hire Scheme becoming more inclusive? An evaluation of the shifting spatial distribution of uptake based on 70 million trips. Transportation Research Part A-Policy and Practice, 140: 1-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2020.07.017

Ma, T., Liu, C., & Erdogan, S. (2015). Bicycle sharing and public transit: Does capital bikeshare affect metrorail ridership in Washington, D.C.? Transportation Research Record, 2534: 1-9. DOI: 10.3141/2534-01

Martens, K. (2004). The bicycle as a feedering mode: experiences from three European countries. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 9(4) 281-294. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2004.02.005

Martens, K. (2007). Promoting bike-and-ride: The Dutch experience. Transportation Research Part A – Policy and Practice, 41(4): 326-338. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2006.09.010

Martin, E.W., & Shaheen, S.A. (2014). Evaluating public transit modal shift dynamics in response to bikesharing: a tale of two U.S. cities. Journal of Transport Geography, 41: 315-324. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2014.06.026

McAndrews, C., Tabatabaie, S., & Litt J.S. (2018). Motivations and Strategies for Bicycle Planning in Rural, Suburban, and Low-Density Communities: The Need for New Best Practices. Journal of the American Planning Association, 84(2): 99-111. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2018.1438849

Nikitas, A. (2019). How to Save Bike-Sharing: An Evidence-Based Survival Toolkit for Policy-Makers and Mobility Providers. Sustainability, 11(11): 3206. DOI: 10.3390/su11113206

Nordengen, S., Andersen, L.B., & Riiser, A. (2021). National trends in cycling in the light of the Norwegian bike traffic index. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12): 6198. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126198

Obszar Metropolitalny Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot, Available at: https://www.metropoliagdansk.pl/co-robimy/transport-i-mobilnosc/system-roweru-metropolitalnego-srm/

Palmowski, T., & Fedorov, G. (2019). The development of Russian-Polish cross-border region: the role of the Kaliningrad agglomeration and the Tri-City (Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot). Baltic Region, 11(4): 6-19. DOI: 10.5922/2078-8555-2019-4-1

Parkes, S.D., Marsden, G., Shaheen, S.A., & Cohen, A.P. (2013). Understanding the diffusion of public bikesharing systems: Evidence from Europe and North America. Journal of Transport Geography, 31: 94-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.06.003

Parysek, J.J. (2017). The city, its inhabitants and the urban living environment in the conditions of advancing motorisation (an example of Poznań). Bulletin of Geography, Socio-economic Series: 38, 109-118. DOI: 10.1515/bog-2017-0037

Parysek, J.J., & Mierzejewska, L. (2016). Spatial structure of a city and the mobility of its residents: Functional and planning aspects. Bulletin of Geography, Socio-economic Series, 34: 91-102. DOI: 10.1515/bog-2016-0037

Podgórniak-Krzykacz, A., & Trippner-Hrabi, J. (2021). Motives and factors that determine city residents’ use of public bicycles. The case of Lódź, Poland. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 9(2): 651-662. DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.03.003

Pucher, J., Dill, J., & Handy, S. (2010). Infrastructure, programs, and policies to increase bicycling: An international review. Preventive Medicine, 50: 106-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.07.028

Radzimski, A., & Dziecielski, M. (2021). Exploring the relationship between bike-sharing and public transport in Poznan, Poland. Transportation Research Part A – Policy and Practice, 145: 189-202. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2021.01.003

Ricci, M. (2015). Bike sharing: A review of evidence on impacts and processes of implementation and operation. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 15: 28-38. DOI: 10.1016/j.rtbm.2015.03.003

Rodriguez-Valencia, A., Rosas-Satizabal, D., Gordo, D., & Ochoa, A. (2019). Impact of household proximity to the cycling network on bicycle ridership: The case of Bogota. Journal of Transport Geography, 79: 102480. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.102480

Rodriguez-Valencia, A., Rosas-Satizabal, D., Unda, R., & Handy, S. (2021). The decision to start commuting by bicycle in Bogota, Colombia: Motivations and influences. Travel Behaviour and Society, 24: 57-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.tbs.2021.02.003

Sagan, I. (2017). Integrate to compete: Gdańsk-Gdynia metropolitan area. Urban Research & Practice, 7(3): 302-319. DOI: 10.1080/17535069.2014.966512

Saghapour, T., Moridpour, S., & Thompson, R.G. (2017). Measuring cycling accessibility in metropolitan areas. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 11(5): 381-394. DOI: 10.1080/15568318.2016.1262927

Shaheen, S., & Chan, N. (2016). Mobility and the sharing economy: Potential to facilitate the first-and last-mile public transit connections. Built Environment, 42(4): 573-588. DOI: 10.2148/benv.42.4.573

Shaheen, S., Guzman, S., & Zhang, H. (2010). Bike-sharing in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Past, present, and future. Transportation Research Record, 2143: 159-167. DOI: 10.3141/2143-20

Shaheen, S., Martin, E.W., & Cohen, A.P. (2013). Public Bikesharing and Modal Shift Behavior: A Coparative Study of Early Bikesharing Systems in North America. International Journal of Transportation, 1(1): 35-54. DOI: 10.14257/ijt.2013.1.1.03

Si, H., Shi, J.G., Wu, G., Chen, J., & Zhao, X. (2019). Mapping the bike sharing research published from 2010 to 2018: A scientometric review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 213: 415-427. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.157

Skoczyński, P. (2021). Analysis of solutions improving safety of cyclists in the road traffic. Applied Sciences, 11(9): 3771. DOI: 10.3390/app11093771

Słodczyk, J. (2020). Wymiar społeczny w projektowaniu zrównoważonego rozwoju miasta. Prace i Studia Geograficzne, 65(3): 7-18.

Suchanek, M., Jagiełło, A., & Suchanek, J. (2021). Substitutability and Complementarity of Municipal Electric Bike Sharing Systems against Other Forms of Urban Transport. Applied Sciences, 11(15): 6702. DOI: 10.3390/app11156702

Szymańska, D. (2013). Geografia osadnictwa (Settlement geography - in Polish) (2nd Extended Edition), Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. Available at: http://repozytorium.umk.pl/handle/item/1025

Szymańska, D., & Matczak, A. (2002). Urbanization in Poland: Tendencies and transformation. European Urban and Regional Studies, 9(1): 39-46. DOI: 10.1177/096977640200900104

Szymańska, D., Korolko, M., Grzelak-Kostulska, E., & Lewandowska, A. (2016). Ekoinnowacje w miastach. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika

Tarpin-Pitre, L., & Morency, C. (2020). Typology of Bikeshare Users Combining Bikeshare and Transit. Transportation Research Record, 2674(10): 475-483. DOI: 10.1177/0361198120936262

Teixeira, J.F., Silva, C., & Moura e Sa, F. (2021). Empirical evidence on the impacts of bikesharing: a literature review. Transport Reviews, 41(3): 329-351. DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2020.1841328

Todd, J., O’Brien, O., Cheshire, J. (2021). A global comparison of bicycle sharing systems. Journal of Transport Geography, 94: 103119. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103119

Van Petegem, J.W.H., Schepers, P., & Wijlhuizen, G.J. (2021). The safety of physically separated cycle tracks compared to marked cycle lanes and mixed traffic conditions in Amsterdam. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 21(3): 19-37. DOI: 10.18757/ejtir.2021.21.3.5283

Vogel, P., Greiser, T., & Mattfeld, D.C. (2011). Understanding Bike-Sharing Systems using Data Mining: Exploring Activity Patterns. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 20: 514-523. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.08.058

Wolf, A., & Seebauer, S. (2014). Technology adoption of electric bicycles: A survey among early adopters. Transportation Research Part A – Policy and Practice, 69: 196-211. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2014.08.007

Wolny-Kucińska, A. (2020). Rower podmiejski – koncepcja roweru publicznego na obszarach codziennych dojazdów do miast na przykładzie Polski. Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 23(1): 41-57. DOI: 10.4467/2543859XPKG.20.012.12114

Yang, Y., Jiang, L., & Zhang, Z. (2021). Tourists on shared bikes: Can bike-sharing boost attraction demand? Tourism Management, 86: 104328. DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104328

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: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.006

Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series

Downloads

Published

2021-12-10

How to Cite

1.
KWIATKOWSKI, Michał Adam. Metropolitan bicycle-sharing system in the context of various needs of cities, towns, and villages. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series. Online. 10 December 2021. No. 54, pp. 97-111. [Accessed 12 July 2025]. DOI 10.2478/bog-2021-0036.

Issue

No. 54 (2021): December

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Michał Adam Kwiatkowski

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Title, logo and layout of journal Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series are reserved trademarks of Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series.

Stats

Number of views and downloads: 1125
Number of citations: 1