1. Project Summary
1.1. Motivation
Micromobility or personal mobility devices (PMD) such as bicycles, scooters, and skateboards, with or without electric-assist, are increasingly popular for urban travel, which poses challenges in the constrained spaces of cycling facilities and multi-use paths. Consequently, understanding the evolving usage of PMD and their impacts on other path users is essential to ensure safety and comfort for all users of off-street cycling facilities and multi-use paths.
1.2. Objectives
The objectives of this study are 1) to investigate longitudinal changes in the mode shares and speeds of personal mobility devices over 4 years (2019-2023) in metropolitan Vancouver, Canada and 2) to determine the implications of those changes for the comfort of travellers in off-street facilities. Classified count and speed data of PMD were collected at 12 sampling locations in off-street cycling facilities and multi-use paths in metropolitan Vancouver in summer of 2023.
1.3. Data and Results
Those data were combined with similar count and speed data as well as survey data collected at the same locations in 2019 and 2020. Our previous study provided a PMD taxonomy with baseline mode share and speed data from 12 locations in 2019 and 2020. We also previously assessed perceptions of comfort sharing paths with each type of PMD for travellers at the same locations. Those results provide a comfort model which can be applied to estimate the effects of changes in PMD use on path user comfort.
Results show that between 2019 and 2023 the mode share of conventional bicycles decreased from 91% to 74%, while electric bicycles increased from 4.5% to 16.4% and stand-up electric scooters increased from 0.4% to 4.2%. There has been a 17.2%pt shift from non-motorized to motorized PMD, dominated by a shift from non-motorized to motorized cycles (Figure 3). Mode share for motorized cycles has increase by a factor of 4, while mode share for other motorized PMD has increased by a factor of 5.
Overall mean speed in cycling facilities and multi use paths has increased by 11% (2 km/hr). Controlling for contextual factors, electric and conventional bicycle speeds became more similar, while electric skateboard speeds increased by 4 km/hr and self-balancing unicycle speeds increased by an alarming 10 km/hr.
Self-balancing unicycles are the fastest PMD in 2023, with an 85th percentile speed of 41 km/hr and nearly half of them exceeding 32 km/hr. The overall 85th percentile speed in off-street cycling facilities and multi-use paths has increased from 25.9 km/hr in 2019-2020 to 27.9 km/hr in 2023.
Overall, 33% of traffic on off-street cycling facilities and multi-use paths travel at speeds above 24 km/hr, and 5% above 32 km/hr—up from 23% and 2%, respectively, in 2019–2020.
motorized cycles (e-cycles) in the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Act
In 2019-2020, average path user comfort weighted by mode shares of PMD was 4.4 on the scale of -10 (very uncomfortable) to 10 (very comfortable). This study shows that in 2023, average path user comfort is reduced to 3.6. Isolating the comfort ratings of pedestrians, the volume-weighted average pedestrian comfort level decreased from 2.6 in 2019-2020 to 1.8 in 2023. Model results indicate that these mode share and speed changes will reduce comfort, but the average path user (including pedestrians) remains moderately comfortable with most PMD.
1.4. Key findings
- The mode share of motorized PMD has quadrupled in 4 years.
- Bikeshare represents a small but an increasing portion of PMD use – especially motorized PMD.
- The average speed in off-street facilities increased by 11% or 2 km/hr.
- Conventional and electric bicycle speeds are more similar now.
- Speeds increased dramatically for some less common motorized PMD.
- These mode share and speed changes will degrade path user comfort, although the average path user is expected to still be moderately comfortable with most other path users.
1.5. Conclusions
Our previous study concluded that the Vancouver region was ready to accommodate new PMD in off-street paths without major effects on speeds and with only slight reductions in path user comfort. That has proven to be largely true following a 4-fold increase in motorized PMD use over the intervening 4 years.
Significant increases in the mode shares of electric bicycles and stand-up electric scooters over 4 years reflect the impact of changing policy on micromobility use in the region, in addition to broader trends in motorized PMD growth. Along with a more than 10-fold increase in usage, average stand-up electric scooter speeds have risen to 25 km/hr, exceeding the electric scooter pilot program’s motor-assist limit. This finding suggests a need for mitigation measures in the market for private stand-up electric scooters. In contrast, we previously concluded that the 32 km/hr motor-assist limit for electric bicycles was effective, and that seems to still be the case.
We previously found that a 30 km/hr design speed was appropriate. Our new results suggest that a 30 km/hr design speed is still marginally conservative, but may require upward adjustment to 32 or 35 km/hr in the future if current trends continue, or in locations with particularly high shares of motorized PMD. In addition, to accommodate increased overtaking maneuvers safely and comfortably, wider paths may need to be provided, particularly on steep grades.
Continued monitoring is needed to see if shares or speeds for self-balancing unicycles, electric tricycles, electric skateboards, and sit-down electric scooters increase further. Results suggest that we should consider ways to mitigate the impacts of self-balancing unicycles and electric skateboards, either through speed management or removal from off-street facilities – particularly those shared with pedestrians.
In addition, the deterioration in comfort for pedestrians in multi-use paths further supports our previous recommendation to lower the volume thresholds for separating pedestrians from PMD when motorized PMD are allowed.
2. Reports
3. Project Information
3.1. Funding
This research was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance Grant #ALLRP 585929-2023, and TransLink, the authority responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. The views expressed in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the project funders.
3.2. Research Team
- Dr. Alexander Bigazzi, Principal Investigator and Corresponding Author (abigazzi@civil.ubc.ca)
Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia - Amir Hassanpour, Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia
3.3. Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the following people for offering valuable direction and advice on this project: Elmira Berjisian, Graham Cavanagh, Rick Du, Mirtha Gamiz, and Gurdiljot Gill.