How do train -cyclists ? navigate Exploring bike-train route choice behavior in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area = ? Author: Pedro Nieves Student number: 11659912 Email: [email protected] Submission Date: 11 June 2018 Supervisor: Dr. Marco te Brömmelstroet Second reader: Dr. Pieter Tordoir Master’s program: Urban & Regional Planning How do train-cyclists navigate? Pedro Nieves University of Amsterdam Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences Graduate School of Social Sciences How do train-cyclists navigate? Exploring bike-train route choices in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area Supervised Research Project Written by Pedro Nieves In partial fulfillment of the graduation requirements for the Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning June 2018 2 How do train-cyclists navigate? Pedro Nieves Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Marco te Brömmelstroet (a.k.a. the fietsprofessor), for his guidance, inspiration, and constant feedback throughout my research. I am extremely grateful for his availability, attentiveness, and for his constructive criticism which challenged me to think outside of the box, encouraging me to write a better thesis within the timeframe. I would also like to thank my colleagues from the University of Amsterdam with which I had the chance to discuss my study. I really appreciated their personal support and remarks throughout these past six months. Their friendship, cheerfulness, and dedication have inspired me and made this an unforgettable experience. The past months living in Amsterdam have been very challenging yet rewarding – I came out of this program as a different person, feeling inspired and ready to contribute towards a better future in my home(is)land, Puerto Rico. Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my friends and family back home for their unconditional love, support, and comfort during my studies. Special thanks to my sister, Alexandra, and to my parents who have always been there for me throughout my academic career. I share this achievement with you. Gracias por tanto. Sincerely, _______________________ Pedro Nieves 3 How do train-cyclists navigate? Pedro Nieves Abstract Route choice studies have given attention to the factors that influence cyclists and transit users’ route decision making while disregarding the actual process of selecting a particular route from a different set of routes. This thesis has further explored this process by understanding the bicycle-train system as a distinct mode of transportation because it left open the question of how ‘train-cyclists’ make route choices, particularly from the complexity of train stations’ overlapping catchment areas. The study area which was chosen to delve into this aspect was the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in the Netherlands because of its highly developed and integrated bicycle and railway infrastructure. Results indicate that bike-train route options increase exponentially when traveling to or from overlapping areas. All-in-all, the main finding suggest that train-cyclists are willing to have longer cycling journeys in order to shorten their train journeys. Keywords: mobility, integrated transport, bike-train route choice, urban cycling, rail transport Resumen Los estudios de elección de ruta han prestado atención a los factores que influyen la selección ruta tanto de ciclistas y como de los usuarios de tránsito sin profundizar el proceso que involucra seleccionar una ruta particular sobre un conjunto de diferentes rutas. Esta tesis ha explorado este proceso conceptualizando el sistema bici-tren como un modo distinto de transporte debido a que dejó abierta la pregunta de cómo los/as ‘ciclistas-de-tren’ toman sus decisiones de ruta, particularmente desde la complejidad de las áreas de cobertura superpuestas de las estaciones de tren. El área de estudio que se eligió para explorar este aspecto fue el Área Metropolitana de Ámsterdam en los Países Bajos debido a que su infraestructura de ciclismo y ferroviaria está altamente desarrollada e integrada. Los resultados indican que las opciones de ruta aumentan exponencialmente cuando se viaja hacia o desde áreas superpuestas. En general, el principal hallazgo sugiere que los/as ciclistas-de-tren están dispuestos a tener viajes más largos en bicicleta para acortar el tiempo de viaje en tren. Palabras clave: movilidad, transporte integrado, selección de ruta, ciclismo urbano, transporte ferroviario 4 How do train-cyclists navigate? Pedro Nieves Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Abstract/Resumen ........................................................................................................................................ 4 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Bike-train system ................................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Route choice behavior ...................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Bicycle route choice ................................................................................................................... 13 2.2.2 Transit route choice ................................................................................................................... 14 2.3 Conceptual framework (preliminary)................................................................................................ 15 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Research Question(s) ........................................................................................................................ 17 3.3 Study Area ......................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Research Design ................................................................................................................................ 19 3.4.1 How does the current bike-train system perform? ................................................................... 19 3.4.2 What are the (in)direct attributes which influence potential bike-train route choices? .......... 20 3.4.3 To what extent are train-cyclists willing to trade-off travel time with other bike-train route choice attributes? ............................................................................................................................... 22 3.4.4 How are bike-train route-related attributes playing a role in train-cyclists’ route choice behavior? ............................................................................................................................................ 23 4. Bicycle-train system performance ...................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Preparing the data ............................................................................................................................ 25 4.2 Mapping the bike-train system ......................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Hypothetical travel situations ........................................................................................................... 28 4.4 Concluding remarks .......................................................................................................................... 38 5. Bike-train route choice attributes ....................................................................................................... 40 5.1 Socio-demographic attributes .......................................................................................................... 40 5.2 Bicycle route choice attributes ......................................................................................................... 41 5.3 Transit route choice attributes ......................................................................................................... 44 5 How do train-cyclists navigate? Pedro Nieves 5.4 Concluding remarks .......................................................................................................................... 48 6. Trade-offs between travel time and bike-train route choice attributes............................................. 50 6.1 Socio-demographic results ................................................................................................................ 50 6.2 Train-cyclists trade-offs ..................................................................................................................... 51 6.3 Concluding remarks .......................................................................................................................... 55 7. Train-cyclists route choice behavior ................................................................................................... 57 7.1 Introducing