Method for Using Nonmotorized Modes of Transportation as a Sustainable Urban Mobility Index in University Campuses

Abstract

The use of nonmotorized modes of transportation, mainly cycling and walking, is essential for a sustainable transportation system. University campuses, considered important trip generation hubs (TGHs), because they promote a large number of trips, need to have adequate infrastructure to encourage the use of nonmotorized modes. The present study proposed a method to calculate an index from the data on nonmotorized modes, used in university campuses, through the mapping of field attributes, allied to a geographic information system for the application of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), emphasizing the comfort and safety of users. The following criteria, among factors and restriction, were proposed: the length of cycling structures, the physical characteristics of cycling infrastructure, the connectivity of cycling infrastructure, the location of bicycle parking lots, parking spaces for bicycles, road signs for nonmotorized modes, roads with sidewalks, and physical-territorial fragmentation. Among the criteria analyzed, the one of roads with sidewalks in the campus achieved the best evaluation, because of the higher level of adequacy for the calculation of the index. The first three infrastructure-related criteria for cycle tracks, cycle lanes, cycle routes, and shared use paths were not scored because of the short length of bike ways and the lack of other cycling infrastructure in the studied area. The representation of the results in thematic maps made it possible to identify, in the various sectors of the surveyed area, which places need more interference to meet the minimum safety and comfort conditions of users of nonmotorized modes.