Cycling in Warsaw, Poland - Perceived enablers and barriers according to cyclists and non-cyclists

Health equity in urban and rural settings: implementation of the place standard tool in Spain

The physical, social, and economic characteristics of neighborhoods and municipalities determine the health of their residents, shaping their behaviors and choices regarding health and well-being. Addressing local environmental inequalities requires an intersectoral, participatory, and equity-focused approach. Community participation plays a vital role by providing deeper insights into local contexts, integrating community knowledge and values into processes, and promoting healthier, fairer, and more equitable actions. In recent years, various tools have been developed to assess places and transform them into health-promoting settings. One such tool, the Place Standard Tool (PST), facilitates discussions on Social Determinants of Health grouped into 14 themes, serving as a starting point for local health interventions. In this study, that took place between August 2019 and February 2020, we described the resident's perceptions of two municipalities in the Valencian Community, Spain, using the validated Spanish version of the PST. A mixed-method convergent-parallel design was used to gain a holistic insight into residents' experiences concerning their physical, economic, and social environment. A total of 356 individuals from both municipalities participated in the study through discussion groups, structured interviews, and online survey. Descriptive analysis of the individual questionnaire answers was conducted, and differences between municipalities were explored. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on structured interviews and discussion groups. Quantitative and qualitative data were integrated to facilitate their comparison and identify areas of convergence or divergence in the findings. Overall, rural areas received more favorable evaluations compared to urban ones. Public Transport as well as Work and Local Economy were consistently rated the lowest across all groups and contexts, while Identity and Belonging received the highest ratings. In the urban area, additional negative ratings were observed for Traffic and Parking, Housing and Community, and Care and Maintenance. Conversely, Identity and Belonging, Natural Spaces, Streets and Spaces, Social Interaction, and Services emerged as the highest-rated themes overall. In the rural context, positive evaluations were given to Walking or Cycling, Traffic and Parking, Housing and Community, and Influence and Sense of Control. Significant differences (p < 0.01) between urban and rural settings were observed in dimensions related to mobility, spaces, housing, social interaction, and identity and belonging. Our study illustrated the capacity of the PST to identifying aspects within local settings that influence health, revealing both positive and challenging factors. Successful implementation requires appropriate territorial delineation, support from local authorities, and effective management of expectations. Furthermore, the tool facilitated community participation in decision-making about local environments, promoting equity by connecting institutional processes with citizen needs.

Benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators to cycling: a narrative review

There is large potential to increase cycling participation worldwide. Participation in cycling is associated with lower risk of mortality from any cause, and incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as positive mental health and well-being. The largest potential for health gains likely to come from increasing participation amongst those who do not currently cycle regularly, rather than encouraging those who already cycle regularly to cycle more. Replacing car journeys with cycling can lead to reductions in air pollution emissions and lower pollutant exposure to the general population. Important gaps and uncertainties in the existing evidence base include: the extent to which the health benefits associated with cycling participation are fully causal due to the observational nature of much of the existing evidence base; the real-world economic cost-benefits of pragmatic interventions to increase cycling participation; and the most effective (combination of) approaches to increase cycling participation. To address these uncertainties, large-scale, long-term randomised controlled trials are needed to: evaluate the effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, of (combinations of) intervention approaches to induce sustained long-term increases in cycling participation in terms of increases in numbers of people cycling regularly and number of cycling journeys undertaken, across a range of population demographic groups; establish the effects of such interventions on relevant outcomes related to health and wellbeing, economic productivity and wider societal impacts; and provide more robust quantification of potential harms of increasing cycling participation, such as collision risks.

Using machine learning models to predict the willingness to carry lightweight goods by bike and kick-scooter

The social transformation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic can help cities become healthier and more sustainable, with more space for active modes of transportation. This research addresses people's willingness to go shopping by bike or kick-scooter and to transport lightweight goods in cities with low maturity for cycling and scooting. Data collection was based on a survey, applied in the two largest cities of Brazil (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) and Portugal (Lisbon and Porto). The dataset was processed considering only two categories of respondents (i.e., potential users and regular users) and then four machine learning models (K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, and Random Forest) were applied to predict shopping by bike or kick-scooter. In terms of all performance measures, the Support Vector Machine model was the optimum. The results indicate that people are willing to transport lightweight goods by bike or kick-scooter, as long as the infrastructure is safe and comfortable. This research contributes to understanding mobility behavior changes and identifying barriers to going shopping by bike or kick-scooter. It also presents some policy recommendations for improving cycling and scooting use for shopping, which public authorities can carry out.

Active mobility versus motorized transport? User choices and benefits for the society

Measures promoting active mobility - walking or cycling - are often seen as an effective strategy to meet multiple urban objectives. The advantages of such behavioural changes cover multiple dimensions at public and individual level, including positive impacts on health, safety, climate, economy, environment and air quality. However, there is still a considerable potential for increasing the uptake of active mobility in urban areas. This paper explores the determinants of active mobility choice and compares the demographic, socio-economic and cultural factors that influence it. The methodology combines extensive survey data, an EU-wide transport model and detailed indicators of external costs of transport with a Gradient Boosting Machine Learning approach. The model based scenarios quantify the benefit in terms of external costs savings from increasing active mobility shares. Such savings - at EU level, can reach the amount of 15 billion euro per year for a shift of 10% of trips to active mobility modes.

Individual Characteristics Associated with Active Travel in Low and High Income Groups in the UK

Active travel (AT) has gained increasing attention as a way of addressing low levels of physical activity. However, little is known regarding the relationship between income and AT. The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics associated with undertaking AT in an adult population and by low- and high-income groups. Data collected from the Physical Activity and the Rejuvenation of Connswater (PARC) study in 2017 were used. Participants were categorised into socio-economic groups according to their weekly household income, and were categorised as participating in ‘no’ AT or ‘some’ AT and ‘sufficient’ AT. Multivariable logistic regression explored characteristics associated with AT in the full cohort, and the low- and high-income groups separately. Variables associated with AT in the low-income group were body mass index (BMI), physical activity self-efficacy, marital status, long term illness, difficulty walking and housing tenure. For the high-income group, BMI, marital status, housing tenure and education were associated with AT. For both income groups, there were consistent positive associations with the action/maintenance phase of the stage of change model across all AT categories. The findings suggest that population sub-groups may benefit from targeted initiatives to support engagement in AT and prevent further widening of inequalities.

Paint It Red - A Multimethod Study of the Nudging Effect of Coloured Cycle Lanes

Many countries colour their cycle lanes, but there is still a lack of research into the impact of this policy. Rather than constraining or regulating movement, coloured asphalt conveys information, and can serve as a good example of a “nudge”. In transport, there are few good examples of effective nudges for improved safety or sustainability. We used a multi-method approach to study the behaviour and experiences of cyclists before and after cycle lanes were coloured using red asphalt. Video data were collected and analysed to measure the extent to which motorists stopped in the cycle lane; motorist distance from the cycle lane on passing; and bicycle placement in the cycle lane. Cyclists (n = 1583) were asked how they experienced the cycle lane in field surveys. GPS data from cyclists (n = 2448) was used to measure whether colouring the cycle lanes resulted in a change of cyclists’ route choice. Video data showed no significant decrease in the share of passing motorists who stopped in the cycle lane. However, there was a significant decrease in the share of motorists stopping in the cycle lane rather than in the car lane or on the pavement. After recoating, motorists also kept a greater distance from the cycle lane; a greater share of cyclists chose to cycle in the cycle lane and a lower share cycled on the pavement. Analysis of survey data showed that visibility, perceived safety and ease of visualisation improved more in the recoated streets than in control streets. Analysis of the GPS data revealed a significant increase in cycling in the first streets to get red asphalt, with mixed results for the later streets. We discuss possible mechanisms behind the effects observed, and whether coloured cycle lanes can be considered as a form of nudging.

Subjective experiences of bicyclists being passed by motor vehicles: The relationship to motor vehicle passing distance

BACKGROUND

Feeling unsafe when riding a bicycle is a key barrier to cycling participation. To better understand the experiences of cycling on-road, this study aimed to explore the relationship between cyclists' subjective experiences and the lateral passing distance of motor vehicles.

METHODS

An on-road observational study was conducted in Victoria, Australia. Participants had a custom device installed on their bicycle that measured the lateral passing distance of motor vehicles and included a handlebar mounted "panic button" that participants could press when they felt that a passing event was too close or unsafe. A random effects logistic regression model was used to investigate the relationship between cyclist sex, motor vehicle type and infrastructure characteristics, and button press events.

RESULTS

A total of 217 button press events were recorded (1.2 % of all passing events) from 60 participants. For events with a passing distance closer than 100 cm, 10.4 % of these events had a recorded button press. The adjusted odds of a button press event were over three-fold higher when the rider was passed by a truck, compared to when the rider was passed by a sedan. The predicted probability of a button press event was higher in events occurring in road environments with no bike lane and no parked cars (1.9 %) compared to no bike lane with parked cars (1.2 %), a bike lane with no parked cars (0.9 %) and a bike lane with parked cars (0.7 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The study identified important links between cyclists' subjective experience of unsafe events, motor vehicle types and infrastructure characteristics. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on capturing subjective experiences to inform and advance the development and implementation of safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure.

Is Red the New Black? A Quasi-Experimental Study Comparing Perceptions of Differently Coloured Cycle Lanes

Cities and road authorities in many countries have started colouring their cycle lanes. Some road authorities choose red, some blue, and some green. The reasoning behind this choice is not clear, and it is uncertain whether some colours are superior to others. The current study aims to examine whether coloured cycle lanes are viewed more positively than uncoloured lanes, and whether one of the typically chosen colours is perceived as safer and more inviting to cyclists or more deterring to motorists. Participants were invited to respond to a web survey. Respondents (N = 560) were from the four largest cities in Norway, both genders (42.1% women), and of a wide age range (79.6% between 30 and 70). Depending on cycling frequency, respondents were categorised as either motorist (n = 354) or cyclist (n = 206). All respondents rated different cycle lanes (uncoloured, blue, green, and red) on different attributes. The uncoloured lane was consistently rated least positively, with the lowest scores on visibility, perceived safety for both motorists and cyclist and how inviting it seemed to cycle in the lane. It was also estimated to be the lane that would experience the greatest degree of violation from motorists, in terms of driving or stopping in the cycle lane. The green and red lanes were consistently rated more positively than the blue lane, but whether green or red was preferred depended on whether the respondent had lived a place with coloured cycle lanes. People familiar with coloured cycle lanes, which in Norway are red, rated the red lane more positively than the green lane, while the opposite was true for people who were not used to coloured cycle lanes. The difference in ratings between different colours were similar to, or greater than, the difference from uncoloured to coloured, which implies that it not only matters that a lane is coloured, but also which colour it has.

Why Choose to Cycle in a Low-Income Country?

Research on the adoption of the bicycle as a means of transport has been booming in high-income countries. However, little is known about bicycle adoption in lower-income countries where air pollution is high and cycling infrastructure is poor. Understanding the drivers of cycling adoption in developing economies can increase the efficiency of transport policies while reducing local air pollution, improving health, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this study is to identify the factors affecting cycling uptake in a low-income country using the city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan as a case study. The analysis is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, a questionnaire-based survey of 900 respondents, factor analysis, and a logit model. In contrast to studies carried out in developed countries, this study finds that students are less likely to adopt cycling than other population groups. Other findings suggest that support for public transport, a desire for regular exercise and perceptions of the environmental benefits of cycling increase the probability of the use of cycling as a mode of transport in a low-income country. The paper also identifies positive and negative perceptions of cycling among cyclists and non-cyclists.

Trip and Personal Characteristics towards the Intention to Cycle in Larnaca, Cyprus: An EFA-SEM Approach

Mobility is one of the most important and challenging aspects that influence climate change, air quality, and especially the quality of citizens’ lives. Therefore, creating sustainable transport solutions makes way for different modes of transport such as the bicycle, which is continuously gaining more supporters, due to the health, economic, and environmental benefits that it provides. However, cyclists are facing several barriers (e.g., lack of infrastructure), a fact that keeps away commuters from using a bicycle for their daily trips. Investigating the factors that reflect on the commuters’ intention to use a bicycle is a sine qua non for the promotion of sustainable mobility. Therefore, the objective of this paper is the investigation of the factors that prevent residents with low experience or with no cultural/lifestyle background in regards to cycling from cycling. The case study of the city of Larnaca (Cyprus) is deployed by exploring the socio-demographic and trip characteristics of the city’s residents and their relation with the intention to cycle. A two-step approach is developed, namely Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Despite the promotion of cycling that education is attempting to do (successfully), other factors (such as age, distance, and time) appear to prevent Larnaca’s residents from cycling. Among the actions that local authorities should undertake is that of safety prevention of the vulnerable users of the road network. This group includes elderly people, who need major encouraging interventions by local policymakers and stakeholders.

The Bike-Sharing System as an Element of Enhancing Sustainable Mobility—A Case Study based on a City in Poland

The bike-sharing system allows urban residents to rent a bike at one of the rental stations located in the city, use them for their journey, and return them to any other or the same station. In recent years, in many cities around the world, such systems were established to encourage their residents to use bikes as an element of enhancing sustainable mobility and as a good complement to travel made using other modes of transport. The main purpose of this article is to present the results of an analysis of the functioning of the bike-sharing system in Warsaw (Poland). Moreover, the article presents an analysis of the accessibility to individual stations. An important aspect is that the bike-sharing system has been popular among users and that more people use it. Therefore, the city should be provided with a dense network of conveniently located bike-sharing stations. Also, the quality of the bike-sharing system should be an adjustment to the user’s expectations. In connection with the above, the article also presents the results of the analysis of factors affecting bike-sharing system usage as well as the level of satisfaction connected with bike-sharing system usage. The results of the analysis showed that there is a strong positive correlation between these variables. The obtained results can be helpful for carrying out activities whose purpose is to increase the bike-sharing system usage as well as to increase the level of satisfaction connected with bike-sharing system usage.

The Effectiveness of Urban Cycle Lanes: From Dyscrasias to Potential Solutions

This paper studies the effectiveness of urban cycle lanes, with cycling being one of the most common practices for promoting sustainable mobility in urban areas. Despite a growing interest, the use of cycling in Italian cities has not gained a large consensus yet. Nevertheless, the presence and the extension of cycle lanes are considered as quantitative indicators for measuring the livability of cities. Actually, the lack in assessing the global quality of cycle networks asks for a major attention in the definition of these indicators. Starting from these considerations, the present study tries to propose a different approach to assess the real effectiveness of an urban cycle network. By defining some typological clusters of anomalies (dyscrasias) that can impede a safe and comfortable use of bicycles, the study achieves the definition of a method to evaluate the real effectiveness of an urban cycle lane. The case study of Naples represents a first trial both to check the method and to assess the state of the existing urban lane in order to verify its effectiveness.

Association of injury related hospital admissions with commuting by bicycle in the UK: prospective population based study

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether bicycle commuting is associated with risk of injury.

DESIGN

Prospective population based study.

SETTING

UK Biobank.

PARTICIPANTS

230 390 commuters (52.1% women; mean age 52.4 years) recruited from 22 sites across the UK compared by mode of transport used (walking, cycling, mixed mode versus non-active (car or public transport)) to commute to and from work on a typical day.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

First incident admission to hospital for injury.

RESULTS

5704 (2.5%) participants reported cycling as their main form of commuter transport. Median follow-up was 8.9 years (interquartile range 8.2-9.5 years), and overall 10 241 (4.4%) participants experienced an injury. Injuries occurred in 397 (7.0%) of the commuters who cycled and 7698 (4.3%) of the commuters who used a non-active mode of transport. After adjustment for major confounding sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors, cycling to work was associated with a higher risk of injury compared with commuting by a non-active mode (hazard ratio 1.45, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 1.61). Similar trends were observed for commuters who used mixed mode cycling. Walking to work was not associated with a higher risk of injury. Longer cycling distances during commuting were associated with a higher risk of injury, but commute distance was not associated with injury in non-active commuters. Cycle commuting was also associated with a higher number of injuries when the external cause was a transport related incident (incident rate ratio 3.42, 95% confidence interval 3.00 to 3.90). Commuters who cycled to work had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and death than those who did not. If the associations are causal, an estimated 1000 participants changing their mode of commuting to include cycling for 10 years would result in 26 additional admissions to hospital for a first injury (of which three would require a hospital stay of a week or longer), 15 fewer first cancer diagnoses, four fewer cardiovascular disease events, and three fewer deaths.

CONCLUSION

Compared with non-active commuting to work, commuting by cycling was associated with a higher risk of hospital admission for a first injury and higher risk of transport related incidents specifically. These risks should be viewed in context of the health benefits of active commuting and underscore the need for a safer infrastructure for cycling in the UK.

Digital Platform/Mobile App to Boost Cycling for the Promotion of Sustainable Mobility in Mid-Sized Starter Cycling Cities

According to the United Nations, cities will represent two-thirds of the world’s population in 2050, which presents some challenges, especially to the transportation sector. To improve the population’s quality of life and the sustainability of cities, mobility must be sustainable, and cycling will play an important role in achieving this. Literature shows that we can promote cycling with better infrastructures, through multimodality, and through behavioral changes. Promoting the use of bicycles through behavior can involve a number of aspects, but in this work, we explore what a digital platform should have in order to promote and increase bicycle usage, as well as to improve cycling conditions in a city. To evaluate what is needed, we conducted an analysis on different types of digital platforms that are available on the market in order to assess the main characteristics and outputs that they provide to cyclists, as well as the type of information that can and should be added to promote the use of bicycles in cities. Moreover, we also carried out a survey in a Portuguese mid-sized “starter cycling city”, which showed, among other data, the relevance and type of information that a digital platform dedicated to cyclists should have in such types of cities.

Why Don’t People Ride Bicycles in High-Income Developing Countries, and Can Bike-Sharing Be the Solution? The Case of Qatar

Although cycling is increasing in developed regions, such as Europe and North America, high-income developing countries in the Arabian Gulf region still have low cycling activities. Limited research has investigated the barriers to cycling in these countries. In this study, the barriers and motivators in Qatar, a high-income developing country, were investigated. Respondents were asked to report their bicycle usage during the last 12 months. The results indicated that approximately 15% used a bicycle during this period, but only 1.7% bicycled for transportation purposes. The analysis revealed the different barriers to cycling and their relative strengths. The study also compared the perceived challenges of cycling between males and females. The questionnaire results indicated that both groups considered the issues related to the weather conditions, bicycle ownership, lack of paths or connections, and driver behavior as important barriers to cycling. However, the female participants identified clothing, parental consent, and cultural and societal pressure as far more important. When asked about motivators for cycling, the results revealed that improving intersections, adding additional infrastructure facilities, planting trees for shading, affordable bicycles, and campaigns targeting potential cyclists and drivers are needed in order to increase cycling. To better understand how bike-sharing will be perceived if implemented in the future, the feedback was obtained from the participants, and their opinions indicated that there is a great deal of acceptance for this type of service. The outcome of this study can be of benefit to public agencies in developing countries that have the goal of increasing cycling use among their populations.

Cycling to work: Business people, encourage more physical activity in your employees!

BACKGROUND

Cycling to work has been promoted all over the world. Contemporary employers invest in human capital (create a friendly work environment, care about the quality of life and health of employees).

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the popularity of cycling to work and the motivations and barriers to this activity.

METHODS

The study used data obtained from the survey Using cycling in everyday transportation conducted at the request of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The data were collected by means of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI).

RESULTS

A mere 9.9% of Poles commute to work by bike, but they cycle to work on a regular basis (68.6% of respondents do this several times a week for 1 to 6 months). They mostly cycle to improve/maintain health and physical fitness and for reasons concerning environmental protection. According to 49.5% of respondents, the infrastructure at the workplace is insufficient for commuting by bike. A substantial problem is the lack of changing rooms or places to change clothes (44.0%) and no access to showers (22.2%). In the opinions of 66.7%, the promotion of regular commuting to work by bike requires extension of the cycling infrastructure.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate the necessity of employers' investment in the infrastructure and cycling facilities.

Determinants of Bicycle Use among Student Population: Exploratory Research of Social and Infrastructure Factors

By exposing more benefits than shortcomings regarding cycling, this paper focuses on university students as a significant target group that could promote cycling as the main transport mode in cities. The paper addresses a variety of determinants, barriers, and motivation for cycling among the university students within the international context. Furthermore, it exposes the importance of smaller university cities, where students can present a substantial share of the total population. Contextually, we present the research upon the use of bicycles among the students in the university city of Maribor, Slovenia. To examine whether social or infrastructural determinants play a decisive role, a questionnaire was conducted among 382 students. The findings revealed that although the topography of the city and the distances between crucial institutions are, in general, favorable, only 10.7% of students cycle daily, whereby 63.3% do not cycle at all. There were no statistical differences noticed between the impact of infrastructural and social factors; convenience was exposed as a statistically significant determinant, whereas the sustainability aspect proved to be an insignificant factor for students cycling. To conclude, cycling among the student population in smaller cities can represent a common case of potentially high impact of student population regarding sustainable mobility.

Attributes of Perceived Bikeability in a Compact Urban Neighborhood Based on Qualitative Multi-Methods

Cycling provides opportunities to promote healthy and sustainable cities. However, few studies examine cyclists' perceived attributes of a bicycle-friendly environment in relation to compact urban contexts. This study explored the attributes of perceived bikeability and urban context related to the cycling experience in Seoul, Korea. Purposive sampling with public recruitment and a snowball technique was used to recruit twenty-two cyclists and three bicycle-related community service providers from a bikeable environment. Qualitative multi-methods, including semi-structured interviews and bicycle tours with a GPS device, were adopted. The main themes of perceived bikeability were derived through thematic analysis. Cyclists perceived the attributes of a bicycle-friendly physical environment as essential components of bikeability. In urban environments where cycling is not yet recognized as the main transportation mode, internal conflict among cyclists and external conflicts between cyclists and other transportation users were evident. A supportive community system included developing an appropriate environment, providing information, and expanding riding opportunities. A bicycle-friendly culture accumulated over a long period influenced the initiation and maintenance of cycling and contributed to a more bikeable community environment. Cyclists' attitude, behaviors, and perceived environment differed according to purpose. Policy, system, and environmental changes are required to promote cycling in compact urban contexts.

Barriers and Enabling Factors Affecting Satisfaction and Safety Perception with Use of Bicycle Roads in Seoul, South Korea

Cycling has proven to be an important strategy in decreasing the risk of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to discover barriers and enabling factors influencing satisfaction and safety perceptions towards the use of bicycle roads in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea. A cross-sectional survey of 190 youth and adult individuals was conducted. Sex, age, purpose of bicycle use, perceived safety, availability of facilities, road gradient, road width, and traffic on the bicycle road were associated with cycling regularity. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the sufficiency of bicycle parking space, moderate slope, and enough bicycle signs were significant enabling factors for satisfaction with the use of bicycle roads. Narrow bicycle roads were found to be a barrier to satisfaction with the use of bicycle roads. Moderate slope, enough bicycle signs, and enough maintenance facilities around bike roads were found to be enabling factors in the perceived safety of the use of bicycle roads, whereas traffic on the side of the bicycle road was found to be a barrier to perceived safety. Based on these findings, we conclude that healthy cities should promote cycling behavior encouraging enabling factors and initiating attempts to improve the factors that act as barriers through urban planning.

Geometrical and Functional Criteria as a Methodological Approach to Implement a New Cycle Path in an Existing Urban Road Network: A Case Study in Rome

Most road accidents occur in urban areas and notably at urban intersections, where cyclists and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable. In the last few years, cycling mobility has been growing; therefore, bike infrastructures should be designed to encourage this type of mobility and reduce motorized and/or private transport. The paper presents a study to implement a new cycle path in the existing cycle and road network in Rome, Italy. The geometric design of the new path complies with Italian standards regarding the technical characteristics of bicycle paths, while the Highway Capacity Manual has been considered for the traffic analysis. In particular, a before-after approach has been adopted to examine and compare the traffic flow at more complex and congested intersections where the cycle path will pass. Trams, buses, cars, bikes and pedestrians were the traffic components considered in each analysis. The software package PTV VISSIM 8 allowed the simulations of traffic flows at traffic-light intersections; an original linear process has been proposed to model dynamic intelligent traffic controls, which are not admitted by the software used. The traffic analysis allowed the identification of the best option for each of the five examined intersections. Particularly, the maximum queue length value and the total number of passed vehicles have been considered in order to optimize the transport planning process. The results of this study highlight the importance of providing engineered solutions when a cycle path is implemented in a complex road network, in order to avoid negative impacts on the citizens and maximize the expected advantages.