Cycling is now widely recognised as a means of responding to the dual challenges of public health and environmental sustainability. As a consequence, for several years a growing number of cities have extended their network of cycle paths. However, questions have been raised about equitable access to infrastructure and the use of bicycles, as observers argue that disadvantaged groups have lower access to bikesharing systems and bike lanes than high-income population. Inequity of access to the cycling network may reinforce social disparities in health and access to resources and opportunities.
This study aims to examine whether the area-level material deprivation index is associated with different levels of accessibility to Lisbon’s (i) cycling network and (ii) bike-sharing docking stations network. Independent t-tests were implemented, and regression models were performed to estimate the associations of the multiple deprivation index with each dependent bike lane and bike-sharing docking station variable, adjusting for covariates. The results confirm the hypothesis of a significant difference between the most and least deprived areas in terms of the presence of bike lanes and bike-sharing stations as well as in terms of coverage, distance, and connectivity of the both infrastructures. When covariates are controlled, a higher index of material deprivation (i) is associated with a lower connectivity of the bike lane network available; (ii) is associated with a lower presence of, greater distance to, and lower coverage of bike-sharing docking stations; and (iii) is not associated with the presence of, distance to, and coverage of the cycle lane network. Based on these findings, efforts should be directed to increase access to bike lanes and bike-sharing systems to more deprived areas.
Mots clés : bike lane|bike sharing|cycling infrastructure|disparities|equity
A104626MP