Weather and climate change

Cyclists in big cities are affected by weather and climate change

According to the Bureau of Metrology, current climate change will have a significant economic impact, especially the transportation industry. Weather and climate changes have the ability to influence transportation behavior, particularly active modes of transportation such as walking and bicycling. The effects of weather on bicycling as a mode of transportation have been overlooked (Bonham and Lumb 19).

This project investigates the effects of weather patterns on bicycle riders

As a result, the report provides a thorough examination of the effects of weather patterns on cycling. Seasonal trends observed in Melbourne in the Australian study show that cycling is affected by weather conditions. Rainy conditions are unfavorable for cyclists with fewer commuters reported during a rainy day. Also, sunny day affects the number of cyclists in that fewer cyclists are reported on an extremely hot day compared to a calm day. Cyclists in Brisbane ride for fitness, recreation, or utilitarian purpose. In this paper, effects of weather on utilitarian use are addressed. Brisbane data is consistent with Melbourne’s. Both data show a reduced number of riders in extreme weather conditions (Bonham and Lumb 22).

Analysis focused on aggregate data analysis and modeling

Weather variables used in the analysis include the hours of sunshine, rain, temperature, and wind. Bureau of metrology data shows that key weather variables are dependent on monthly variation. The highest reported temperature is during summer and lowest during winter. High wind speeds are reported during summer in January, but the speed declines towards June. The wettest months are October and November. During winter, the weather is generally dry with sunshine hours reducing to 10 hours. Modelling results so that the volume of bicycle riders drops as the intensity of rainfall increases as shown in figure 1. Heavy rain and strong wind produce the most noticeable reductions in ridership. Temperature also affects cycling as a means of commuting but in a nonlinear way. The result is consistent with other researches related to thermal effects. Figure 2 below shows the non-linear effect on bicyclist volume when temperature is used as a weather variable. From the graph, volume of riders increases with temperature but beyond the optimum temperature, the volume of cyclist’s decreases with the increasing temperature. Given data in the analysis is limited in the sense that some Brisbane areas do not experience the same weather conditions. Further research is required to extend analysis of the study within a larger geographical area.

Figure 1 : Effect of rain in bicyclist volume (Bonham and Lumb 23)

Figure 2: Effect of apparent temperature in Bicyclist volume

Daily weather conditions are not consistent across the entire Brisbane also, the cycling pattern is not consistent across the Brisbane network. From the previous analysis, peak commuter riding is reduced significantly as an effect of weather. However, the conclusion cannot be accurate since some riders adapt their own ways of riding in extreme weather conditions. Besides, some cyclists do not only use bicycling as utilitarian but also as a recreational activity. Understanding such dimensions that influence cycling will provide an informative conclusion on effects of weather on cycling commuters. From the graph below, Melbourne records the highest growth in cycling while cycling mode has grown in all cities.

Figure 3: Journeys to work by cycling (Bonham and Lumb 24)

Conclusion

This paper has evaluated how weather affects the volume of bicycle commuters. Previous studies only highlighted the effect of weather on the number of riders without focusing on individual weather variables. This paper has provided an insight into weather variables such as hours of sunshine, rain intensity, and wind speed. Heavy rainfall and strong wind have the highest impact on the volume of bicycle commuters in Brisbane. Further research is required to understand the role of global warming as a propensity for people to cycle. The research will lead to the development of policies that promote cycling as a utilitarian measure.

Work cited

Bonham, Jennifer, and Peter Lumb. Australian Cycling Conference 2010. 2nd ed. Adelaide: Australian Cycling Conference and the University of Adelaide, 2010. Print.