Lucas Meyer de Freitas

We examine the difference in preferences among different cyclist groups, being the first to examine differences in cycling infrastructure preferences among s-pedelec, e-bike and conventional bike riders. We also examine how the cycling frequency of individuals shapes these preferences. To do so we develop a stated-preference choice experiment varying cycling infrastructure and car traffic features impacting cycling for both main and neighborhood streets. We find that while the sign of the preferences is the same for all cyclist types and is consistent with previous findings from the literature on cycling infrastructure preferences, e-bikers and especially s-pedelec riders do have a lower willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements of cycling infrastructure and are more comfortable in sharing the street space with cars. E-bikers do have similar preferences as conventional cyclists for the most important safety-related elements, i.e. for cycling paths instead of cycling lanes on main streets and “cycling-street” designation of neighborhood streets. For these same features, the WTP decreases with cycling frequency, less frequent cyclists valuing such elements more. At the same time, those who cycle less have a lower WTP for car traffic related features.

This article presents the EBIS (e-Biking in Switzerland) study, including its methodology, the resulting dataset, and an initial descriptive analysis of the population surveyed. The EBIS study is a Switzerland-wide GPS-tracking study with the aim of investigating the scope of carbon savings in the transport sector due to e-biking. Participants consisted of cyclists and e-bikers across the French- and German-speaking regions of Switzerland. In addition to extensive GPS tracking, the study included a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on transport pricing’s role in substituting e-bike trips for car trips, a retrospective survey on mode shift, and a stated preference survey on cycling infrastructure preferences. We here report participant attrition and engagement rates and compare the EBIS population to the 2021 Swiss Mobility and Transport Microcensus (MTMC) in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and travel behavior. In doing so, we present a unique dataset of 3,940 participants, 324 thousand user-days of tracking data, and over half a million stages by bike or e-bike.