Reproducible methods for modeling combined public transport and cycling trips and associated benefits: Evidence from the biclaR tool
Type: Journal Article Venue: Computers, Environment and Urban Systems Year: 2025
Abstract
A high proportion of car trips can be replaced by a combination of public transit and cycling for the first-and-last mile. This paper estimates the potential for cycling combined with public transit as a substitute for car trips in the Lisbon metropolitan area and assesses its socio-environmental impacts using open data and open source tools. A decision support tool that facilitates the design and development of a metropolitan cycling network was developed (biclaR). The social and environmental impacts were assessed using Health World Organization tools. The impacts of shifting car trips to public transport were also estimated and monetized. The results show that 10 % of all trips could be made by cycling in combination with public transport. Shifting to cycling for the shorter first and last mile stages can reduce annual CO2eq emissions from 3000 to 7500 tons/day, while for the public transport leg, the transfer from car avoids of up to 20,500 tons of CO2eq emissions per year. The estimated socio-environmental benefits are of €125 million to €325 million over 10 years. This evidence can support policymakers to prioritize interventions that reduce the reliance on private motor vehicles.
Citation
Rosa Félix, Filipe Moura, and Robin Lovelace (2025). Reproducible methods for modeling combined public transport and cycling trips and associated benefits: Evidence from the biclaR tool. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2024.102230
BibTeX
@article{felix_reproducible_2025,
title = {Reproducible Methods for Modeling Combined Public Transport and Cycling Trips and Associated Benefits: {{Evidence}} from the {{biclaR}} Tool},
shorttitle = {Reproducible Methods for Modeling Combined Public Transport and Cycling Trips and Associated Benefits},
author = {Félix, Rosa and Moura, Filipe and Lovelace, Robin},
date = {2025-04-01},
journaltitle = {Computers, Environment and Urban Systems},
shortjournal = {Computers, Environment and Urban Systems},
volume = {117},
pages = {102230},
issn = {0198-9715},
doi = {10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2024.102230},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0198971524001595},
urldate = {2024-12-12},
abstract = {A high proportion of car trips can be replaced by a combination of public transit and cycling for the first-and-last mile. This paper estimates the potential for cycling combined with public transit as a substitute for car trips in the Lisbon metropolitan area and assesses its socio-environmental impacts using open data and open source tools. A decision support tool that facilitates the design and development of a metropolitan cycling network was developed (biclaR). The social and environmental impacts were assessed using Health World Organization tools. The impacts of shifting car trips to public transport were also estimated and monetized. The results show that 10~\% of all trips could be made by cycling in combination with public transport. Shifting to cycling for the shorter first and last mile stages can reduce annual CO2eq emissions from 3000 to 7500 tons/day, while for the public transport leg, the transfer from car avoids of up to 20,500 tons of CO2eq emissions per year. The estimated socio-environmental benefits are of €125 million to €325 million over 10~years. This evidence can support policymakers to prioritize interventions that reduce the reliance on private motor vehicles.},
keywords = {Active transport,Environmental impacts,First and last mile,Health economic assessment,Intermodality,Open data and methods},
annotation = {0 citations (Crossref) [2024-12-13]},
file = {/home/robin/Zotero/storage/H8SRRRPU/S0198971524001595.html}
}Notes
Impact Statement
This output is highly significant for transport decarbonization. It presents the biclaR tool, the first reproducible framework to integrate public transport (GTFS) and cycling data for multi-modal “first-and-last mile” modeling. The rigour involves combining R5R routing with WHO Health Economic Assessment Tools (HEAT) to quantify the benefits of shifting car trips to intermodal active travel. The significance is demonstrated through the Lisbon case study, identifying that 10% of all trips could be replaced, yielding socio-environmental benefits valued between €125M and €325M over 10 years. It provides a blueprint for international metropolitan areas to prioritize infrastructure investment based on monetized health and carbon benefits.
Unit of Assessment: UoA 9 (Architecture, Built Environment and Planning).
Alternative UoA: UoA 17 (Geography and Environmental Studies).
PGR student co-author: False.
Potential for Double Weighting: No.
Author rating: Strong 3* or 4* based on impact and socio-economic valuation.
Author Contribution:
Félix and Lovelace co-developed the biclaR tool, adapting the Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) methodology for intermodal PT trips. Félix led the data curation for Lisbon and the HEAT analysis. Moura provided project oversight and expertise on the Portuguese transport policy context and cost-benefit analysis.