Study confirms social inequalities in access to bike lanes and shared bicycles in Lisbon

Work recently published in the international journal Cities and Health identified significant differences between the richest and poorest areas of Lisbon in terms of the presence of and access to bike lanes and GIRA docks.

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Lisbon's most vulnerable areas have less access to bike lanes and bike-sharing systems than the 'richer' areas of the city. This is the conclusion of a study by the University of Coimbra (UC) on the existence of social inequalities in access to these infrastructures.

The work, carried out by Miguel Padeiro (researcher at the Center for Geography and Spatial Planning Studies and professor at the Faculty of Letters of the UC, and recently published in the international journal Cities and Healthconfirmed the there are significant differences between the richest and poorest areas of Lisbon in terms of the presence of and access to cycle paths and GIRA docks.

By cross-referencing data on the geographical distribution of GIRA bike lanes and docks with a social vulnerability indicator calculated for each statistical section (small areas of territory, corresponding to several blocks) of the capital, the researcher concluded that "geographical areas where the social vulnerability index is higher (tending to be the poorest) have worse access than areas with a low social vulnerability index".

Coverage and connectivity of GIRA bike lanes/docks in the city of Lisbon. Sources: Census 2011 (INE), open data from Lisbon City Council, ArcGIS Pro 2.9.2 StreetMap using the Network Analyst tool.

"The results of this study show that the development of the bike-sharing system and the network of bike lanes has so far occurred unevenly. Although disparities in access and quality of service can be explained in part by the physical conditions of the territory (which are also correlated with the distribution of social groups), it is worrying that the development and expansion of these networks has done little to reduce pre-existing inequalities and may instead reinforce these problems."notes Miguel Padeiro.

These conclusions are in line with the findings of other studies of this kind carried out in the USA, Chile and Colombia, launch another warning to public authorities and organizations linked to planning and urbanism, given the gains in public health and environmental sustainability that access to a network of cycle paths and a bike-sharing system can mean.

It should be remembered that many reference studies associate the daily use of bicycles with increased physical activity and a reduction in obesity, cardiovascular diseases, psychological stress, among others - as well as helping to reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and energy dependency. "This study presents arguments in favor of expanding cycling infrastructure in Lisbon, but its conclusions are not limited to the capital. It's important that this and other municipalities take steps to expand cycle and bike-sharing networks, and that this expansion is done in a fairer way, with greater territorial coverage and with a more social perspective."concludes Miguel Padeiro.

The scientific article is available here.

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