The Scientist for Cycling session on the second day of Velo-city focused on studies around the cycling economy.

The first session was opened by Luiz Saldanha from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, with a presentation on the cycling potential of small and medium sized cities in Brazil. He showed that the potential for cycling is high not only in big cities. Using two case studies, he stated that this potential is linked to local conditions, for example for cycling as an addition to an existing public transport system through the means of a bike-sharing system, or for cycle tourism.

Filipe Marino from LABMOB (Laboratory for Sustainable Mobility) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro presented a concrete case study of the local economic benefits of a specific cycle paths. The goal is to show the effects of cycling on local retailers and guide investments.

The link between energy efficiency and cycling was presented by Maisa Barbosa from the University of São Paulo. She showed that cycling has a great potential for decreasing the energy consumption of the very energy-intensive Brazilian transport sector. Using her city as an example, she showed that the completion of the planned 400 km cycle network in São Paulo could lead to energy savings equivalent to the production of a smaller hydro power plant.

Victor Andrade, coordinator of LABMOB, presented the first comprehensive study of the cycling economy in Brazil. Despite challenges like poor data availability and the lack of definitions of the sectors involved, the results are quite impressive. For example, a family that gives up one car for a bike could save around 3000 EUR per year. The results are available online on the dedicated project website.

More examples from different sectors were presented during the second session. Rodrigo Rinaldi de Mattos introduced the newest developments regarding bamboo bicycles, for which there is also a growing research interest. The main advantages of these bicycles are their light weight and their stability, while they are the same time flexible and don’t suffer from fissures. Using bamboo greatly decreases the environmental impact of bicycle production; 3 m² of plantation are enough to produce 15 bicycles per year. The parts are very long-lasting. There is now also laminated bamboo available, which allows for a greater variety of forms.

Angela Francke from the Technical University of Dresden presented her research group’s work on the classification of cyclists. Based on surveys, they created a system with four types of cyclists: passionate, pragmatic, ambitious, and functional. These types have partly different preferences in terms of infrastructure: Segregated cycle paths are preferred by all types; whilst, mixed traffic is rated differently by the different types.

Pedro Paulo Machado Bastos from LABMOB outlined a case study on the commuting behaviour of a specific factory’s workers. The questions touched upon in the study were: What is the impact of mobility patterns in the workforce’s health and carbon footprint? What can be done to mitigate the carbon footprint and improve health? The end goal was to define actions for building a sustainable transport scenario.

Victor Callil from CEBRAP (The Brazilian Centre of Analysis and Planning) presented a comprehensive study on the social impact of cycling in São Paulo based on surveys of the city inhabitants. Cyclists reported more feelings of well-being during their journeys, like pleasure, relaxation and satisfaction, and less stress, irritation, fear of delay and discomfort. If the cycling potential was fully used, there would be an 18% reduction of the CO2 emissions from transport in the city of São Paulo. Cycling would have the greatest impact on the physical activity of the lower classes, as well as for the elderly. This could mean 13% savings in the public health systems for circulatory system diseases and diabetes. The adoption of the bicycle could increase disposable income, especially for the lower classes. Finally, faster travels on bike compared to the car and bus would mean millions of euros in increased GDP, due to higher productivity.