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Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762

10th International Scientific Conference Transbaltica 2017:

Transportation Science and Technology

Ways to Increase Population Mobility through the Transition

to Sustainable Transport
Irina Makarovaa, Anton Pashkevichb, Ksenia Shubenkovaa,*, Eduard Mukhametdinova
a
Kazan Federal University, Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia
b
Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

Abstract

Ways to increase sustainability of the city transport system and, particularly, measures to promote safe public transport and non-
motorized means of transport are considered in the article. Analysis of the existing positive experience shows that complex
decisions for a sustainable development of the urban transport system are necessary. Technical and organizational ways to
increase sustainability and safety of the transport system are studied. The results of solution for separate tasks, which are aimed
to meet the goal, are presented: they include definition of transport preferences for the citizens of Naberezhnye Chelny and a
model of an adaptive smart-bicycle. It is shown that the reasonable combination of public transport and non-motorized transport
systems for strategic and operational management will help to enhance efficiency and safety of transport system.
©©2017
2017TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd. is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Ltd. This
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). committee of the 10th International Scientific Conference Transbaltica 2017:
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing
Transportation
Peer-review underScience and Technology.
responsibility of the organizing committee of the 10th International Scientific Conference Transbaltica 2017

Keywords: sustainable mobility, public transport, last mile, control system, smart-bike, sensors, controllers

1. Introduction

Demographers predict that by 2050 there are going to be 2.5 billion more people, which will live in urban areas.
Transport plays a crucial role in the urban development, because it provides an access for people to different
activities including education, markets, employment, recreation, health care and other key services. Overall demand

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: ksenia.shubenkova@gmail.com

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 10th International Scientific Conference Transbaltica 2017
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.434
 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762 757

for both passenger and freight transport is growing rapidly, and it is expected to double roughly between 2005 and
2050. The global vehicle fleet is set to multiply three- or four-fold in the next few decades: the most growth of this
set will occur in developing countries. There is a growing consensus on the need for more sustainable patterns of
transport activities [12].
The development of sustainable transport systems is one of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and is
the priority working area of the Pan-European Program on Transport, Environment and Health (the PEP), which is
focused on safe, efficient, accessible, affordable, inclusive, green and healthy mobility and transport. In the Paris
Declaration in addition to the four priorities of the PEP, the new primary goal was adopted. This goal is to integrate
transport, health and environmental objectives into urban and spatial planning policies by developing capacities and
frameworks for integrated urban and spatial planning in order to reduce the impact of transport on health,
environment and land use, to increase energy efficiency and to support green and healthy mobility and transport as
well as sustainable livelihoods [14]. Mobility and transport remain a real challenge for sustainable urban
development. Traditional models of city development can lock us into congestion, sprawl, and inefficient resource
use. However, compact, connected and efficient growth can help to ensure more competitive cities as well as to
provide a better quality of life for citizens. The planning of urban and peri-urban centers according to mixed-use and
smart growth design principles must be a part of sustainable transport future. Urban development along these
principles will serve to lower dependence on personal vehicles and support in the increased use of public transport
systems and non-motorized transport for short distances and daily commutes [13]. Meanwhile, transport flows
within cities are becoming ever more challenging to predict and to manage. Some cities have already begun to
integrate smart technologies into their transport infrastructure.

2. The main directions to improve the urban transport system

2.1. Strategies to increase sustainability of urban mobility

Sustainable cities cannot exist without sustainable mobility. Apart from the shift to renewable energy sources, we
should not forget about the shift towards more sustainable modes of transport like public and non-motorized
transport. It plays an indispensable role to make the cities livable and less polluted. Current urban mobility patterns
are also having considerable negative impacts on air quality, noise pollution, safety and usage of public space.
Therefore, sustainable urban mobility plans and transport strategies aim to reduce these impact, by shifting to
environmentally friendly modes of transport such as walking, cycling and car sharing, by increasing the share of
public transport and clean vehicles, and by using the state-of-art technology for the remaining individual motorized
transport. Realization of such strategies requires long-term planning, continuous implementation and consistency in
policies, regulations and communication. An integrated approach is essential, bearing in mind the effect, which
traffic and transport infrastructure have on the natural environment, health, social equality and economic
development. In the ideal case scenario, urban mobility should be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable: (1)
inclusive cities enable citizens to access freely to any opportunity in the city regardless of their social characteristics
or economic means; (2) dense cities can promote walkability and non-motorised means of transport like bicycle, but
only under the condition that the city network include safe and high-quality streets [1]: for example, priority for
pedestrian, cyclist, and emergency vehicle traffic increases safety for the most vulnerable on the streets; (3)
resilience is the ability for cities to adapt and respond to changes in and stresses on social, economic, and
environmental systems: for example, higher flows of people moving through the city can improve the economic
viability for businesses and public transit services; (4) environmentally friendly transport, together with inclusive,
safe, and resilient planning creates sustainable mobility. This entails mixed transport options, which optimize space,
minimizing the energy needed to fuel mobility and reducing time and resources needed to move about the city.
Considering the fact, that the world community has set an objective to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases (first
of all carbon dioxide) by 50% by 2050 [12], bicycles get an additional advantage, as they do not produce CO2
emissions. Furthermore, cycling makes efficient use of roadway capacity, reduces congestion as well as has direct
health benefits [2]. Thus, cycling is a low-polluting and a low-cost transportation alternative and can be an important
means for getting to destinations, which are not serviced by transit [3]. But at the same time, it has a number of
758 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762

disadvantages as well as not everybody can ride a bike every day. That is why the bike should not be seen as a
competitor, but rather as complementary to public transport.

2.2. Multimodal transportation as a way to improve the efficiency of transport system

The public transport plays a leading role to promote sustainable urban development in the transport systems.
Modern transport policies of large cities are based on the postulate to limit gradually the car usage.
Sustainability of the city transport system means usually the effective organization, which is characterized by the
following: a) transport infrastructure provides safe and comfortable travel for all road users: drivers of private
vehicles, passengers of public transport, cyclists and pedestrians, regardless of their physical disabilities; b) public
transport provides accessible (financially and physically) services for all citizens and it is an acceptable alternative
for private vehicles, when their usage leads to overloading of the road network; c) the way of traffic organization
ensures the most efficient use of the existing road network, reduction of traffic jams and negative transport-related
impact on the environment [4]. One of the most important factors, which confirm the effectiveness of the transport
system organization is the existence of strategic planning. Methods to ensure sustainability, which are developed
within the framework of strategic planning, are based on finding a balance between transport demand and supply of
the most effective and safe modes of transport. Technological advances and commercialization, funding, intelligent
policies, and business-model innovation will be needed to realize productivity improvements while creating more
sustainable environments in the cities. Today there is discernible movement toward new “multimodal” services,
which facilitate journeys combining walking, cars, buses, bikes, and trains, as well as shared transportation services.
Multimodal transportation involves use of two or more modes of transport in a trip. In an efficient public transport
network the passenger can combine a smaller number of fast, technologically advanced transport systems (e.g.
underground railway) with a larger number of slower modes of transport, which cover the area in a denser fashion
(buses, walking). A major goal of modern multimodal passenger transportation (from an environmental aspect as
well as for reduction of traffic jams) is to incentivize use of public transport as opposed to use of automobiles. There
is a variety of options to connect high speed rail with walking, bicycle, pedicab, streetcar, light rail, metro, car
rental, etc. Ideally, the high speed rail station is located in the middle of downtown, where many destinations are
within a short walk or bike ride away. The Last Mile Problem (LMP) refers to the provision of transport service
from the nearest public transport node to a home or office. Bicycle sharing systems have frequently been qualified
as a way to solve the “last mile” problem and connect users to public transit networks. The set of both technical and
scientific decisions is devoted to the solution of this problem. Thus, Zhili Liu et al. [5] in their paper analyze the
causes for failure of the first generation of public bicycle system in Beijing. They show that new scheme for Beijing
public bicycle system is introduced by using the worldwide experiences on the implementation of public bicycle
plans. Bordagaray et al. [6] show that to become an alternative for more traditional forms of public transport, public
bicycle systems need to be efficiently managed and aimed towards sustainable mobility. The research of Lin et
al. [7] addresses a strategic design problem of bicycle sharing systems including bicycle stock considerations. The
problem is formulated as a hub location inventory model. The key design decisions are considered: number and
locations of bicycle stations in the system, creation of bicycle lanes between bicycle stations, selection of paths for
users between origins and destinations, and inventory levels of sharing bicycles to be held at the bicycle stations.

3. Ways to increase the population mobility in Russia: case study of Naberezhnye Chelny

The research of the ways to increase the sustainability of urban transport system was based on the assumption
that population will prefer the cycling as a mode of transport in a case, if there is a considerable advantage of its
usage. Specificity of the city lies in its planning structure. Naberezhnye Chelny is one of the youngest Russian cities.
Public transport represents 13 tram routes, more than 20 bus routes and taxi (including the so-called Social taxi
carrying several passengers fares in taxis). By the end of 2000s private buses of small capacity practically replaced
the municipal buses, which have led to environmental problems: growth of the traffic load on city road network and
reduction of passengers safety. In 2009, the city launched the reform of the city bus system. In 2013 city carriers
have bought 100 new buses of large capacity run on gas fuel: 84 buses for urban and 16 for suburban transportation.
In 2015 optimization of urban bus transport was made: 136 new buses with large capacity run on gas fuel NefAZ-
 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762 759

5299 were bought. All shuttle buses are equipped with GLONASS devices. One of the most objective methods to
study the transport preferences of the population is a questionnaire survey, which allows to predict the most likely
options for the transport system development. The questionnaire to find out, which transport modes are the most
popular among population of Naberezhnye Chelny, has been developed. 953 respondents, constituting the various
target groups, took part in the current survey (Table 1). The results of the survey have shown that reducing the
number of trips by vehicle in favor of the public transport can be achieved by route network improvement and
optimization of route vehicle fleet structure. Cycling infrastructure development, bike sharing and its integration
with the public transport system could provide an opportunity to change the structure of the population preferences
in favor of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport as well as to solve the LMP.

Table 1. The results of the sampling survey of population of Naberezhnye Chelny.

Indicator Students Workers Retirees Other category TOTAL
number of respondents 624 299 16 14 953
number of trips to work or education by public transport 313 109 – – 422
number of trips to work or education by bicycles 50 7 – – 57
number of trips to work or education by cars 163 133 – – 296
number of trips to work or education by foot 98 50 – – 148
the number of drivers who are ready to transfer to bicycles, if there are:
cycleways 127 56 0 0 183
bicycle parkings 129 46 0 0 175
bike hire system 75 28 0 0 103
the possibility to take the bike in buses or trams 76 21 0 0 97
e-bikes 78 22 0 0 100
the number of drivers who are ready to transfer to public transport, if there are:
dus stops can be reached by foot in less than 5 minutes 85 38 1 0 123
bus waiting time is 5 minutes or less 89 47 1 1 136
direct connection, no transfers 73 45 1 1 118
vehicles are clean and comfortable 94 40 1 0 134
place to sit 78 37 1 0 116
travel modes preferences:
buses 127 88 6 6 227
minibuses 371 115 3 6 495
trams 134 59 7 1 201
number of bikes in the personal property 313 86 2 6 407

Today, in some European cities it is perfectly feasible for a majority to ride a bike and not to travel by car.
Especially on the way to and from work there is a lot of potential. For example, in Copenhagen and Amsterdam 36
and 37 percent respectively of all commutes to work are by bike. Such a high amount of trips to work or education
by bicycles in Copenhagen is provided by the fact that the priority strategy of politicians is development of cycling
infrastructure as a way to create friendlier city living condition [8]. The conditions for the implementation of a
“green transport” strategy are also created in Tatarstan as well as in a number of Russian cities. Moving towards
more sustainable modes of transport (for example, gas and hybrid buses, popularization of cycling) is realizing in
order to support this strategy. To analyse possible directions of transport system development in Naberezhnye
Chelny, a comparison of transport mobility indicators for its population and for the population of Copenhagen,
which is similar in size [9], was made (Fig. 1). This positive experience should be taken into account while
developing the strategy to increase population mobility.
760 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762

Fig. 1. The comparison of transport mobility indicators.

4. Proposed solution

As the research have shown, one of the reasons to use private vehicles is the possibility to make a “door-to-door”
trip. Use of bicycles can also provide population with “door-to-door” trip. But there are some disadvantages of
bicycles, which restrict their use as a mode of transport, including a greater physical effort, the difficulty of carrying
loads while cycling, the dependence on weather, and movement outside urban areas more slowly than motorized
transport. Factors such as physical effort and speed also limit the distance, which a cyclist can travel [10]. The
solution may be the expansion of bicycles model line-up for different population groups and different use cases. The
proposed Smart-bike concept is based on the possibility to use inconstantly the electric motor (motor-wheel), as it is
implemented today in the electric bikes, but only when it is necessary: for example, in the case of hilly terrain,
fatigue or poor physical condition of the cyclist, etc. Bicycle movement is provided by the cyclist, who sets the
driving speed and the movement direction. This means that cyclist manages the process of cycling. But at the same
time cycling parameters depend on environmental conditions (including the terrain characteristics), natural
conditions, time of day and physical conditions of cyclist. Cycling parameters depend on everything, which affects
the possibility to ride a bicycle (they are presented in the Fig. 2). To determine the condition of cyclist and
monitoring travel times, means to identify a cyclist (to set his physical characteristics in the rest condition), pulse
sensor (to determine heart rate), and timer (to determine the travel time, setting training modes) are required. To
measure the parameters of bicycle, gyroscope/accelerometer (to determine the position of the bicycle in the area),
speedometer (to determine the travel speed), sensor of used chain sprockets and GPS sensor (for positioning,
location and route setting) are required. Module, which determines the weather conditions on the route and transmits
it to a smart phone, is required to establish parameters of the environment. Primary data collection is realized by
using sensors located on the steering wheel, on the frame and wheels as well as on cyclist. The data comes into the
database, which stores and transmits them into the data analysis module for the further processing. While designing
bicycle control system it should be taken into account that the control system is completely autonomous, and the
interference from the cyclist is impossible, because it may be unsafe for the rider. That is why the principle of
feedback between control system and person should be implemented with the help of notifications. In this way the
possibility of accidents in electric drive caused by false alarm will be excluded.
 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762 761

Fig. 2. Factors influencing the cycling parameters. Fig. 3. Conceptual model of the Smart-bike control system.

Fig. 4. Functions of the cyclist’s fatigue monitoring system.

Fig. 5. Data analysis algorithm.

The conceptual model of the proposed Smart-bike control system is presented in the Fig. 3. To determine the
cyclist’s optimal heart rate the following formula may be used: OTP = (220 – A – PRC) K + PRC, where OTP –
optimal training pulse; PRC – pulse in the rest condition; A – cyclist’s age; K – coefficient, which varies depending
on the cyclist’s preparation level: K = 0.6 for the freshman, K = 0.65 for a man of medium-level training, K = 0.7
for well-trained person. If cyclist’s pulse value is higher than OTP and the movement speed is less than average
speed, which is usual for this person, the screen displays an offer to turn on the electric drive. When the pulse value
and the speed become normal, the electric drive switches off and accumulator starts charging. This allows, on the
762 Irina Makarova et al. / Procedia Engineering 187 (2017) 756 – 762

one hand, even physically untrained people to overcome steep climbs and long distances without overload and, on
the other hand, it will solve the problem of accumulator charging. The functions of the proposed cyclist’s fatigue
monitoring system are presented in Fig. 4. The Smart-bike’s control algorithm, which is presented in Fig. 5, was
tested on the physical model in the laboratory conditions.

5. Conclusions

Moving towards public and non-motorized modes of transport is one of the key elements to ensure sustainable
urban mobility. The development of bicycle infrastructure and its integration into the public transport system will
contribute to use of bicycle and public transport. At the same time any changes in the city transport infrastructure
should take into account a great amount of factors as well as the preferences of the city population. The transport
system of Copenhagen was analyzed and factors, which make it effective, are highlighted. One of the ways to
increase the attractiveness of cycling among different groups of population is the development of cyclist assist
system. The concept of the Smart-bike allows to use the possibilities of electric motor, when it is necessary. The
bicycle control system based on the analysis of cyclist’s physical condition and environmental conditions is
proposed. If the measured parameters reach critical values established in the algorithm, the proposed control system
offers to turn on the electric drive. The use of smart bike and bike sharing system for trips from home to the public
transport stops will reduce the negative influence on the environment and solve the car parking problem, which will
enhance sustainability of the city transport system.

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