Projects

European and national climate protection goals make a quick and comprehensive improvement of cycling networks in the German speaking countries indispensable. In day-to-day planning practice, finding adequate solutions for the design of cycling infrastructure on narrow roads is a true challenge. Although planning guidelines for the provision of adequate cycling infrastructure do exist in the German speaking countries, they cannot be put into practice in any case due to limited space availability. Furthermore, national regulations and guidelines are hardly transferable; this leads to a lack of learning and synergy effects. Against this backdrop, a qualified overview and comparison of existing approaches, methods for making technically well-founded decisions as well as recommendations and reference examples for practical implementation are necessary.

To implement the 15-minute city (15mC) concept in urban areas, we need to rethink and reorganise our mobility systems. Digitalisation is a key factor in this process, with digital twins being one of the promising technologies to be utilised. We aim to explore this potential by developing a generic digital twin framework that allows us to model interventions in the urban transport system, explore and simulate their impact, and evaluate their contribution towards the realisation of a 15mC. In this, a special focus is put on human-centred approaches.

The climate and mobility change we are striving for is a matter of great urgency. In order to achieve these goals, measures must be optimized in terms of their impact and be implemented swiftly. Tools for evidence-based decision-making and planning must take into account the high complexity of multidimensional causal relationships on the one hand and ensure transparency, comprehensibility and user-friendliness on the other. Such tools are still lacking, particularly for use at a municipal level. Open data paired with expert and user knowledge form the basis for the efforts in LMI-S to design such a tool.

To achieve the national cycling mode share target of 13%, a large number of promotional efforts are required. The backbone of all these initiatives is a safe, continuous cycling network. Based on existing linear infrastructure, connections between residential cores are to be defined, which will serve as the basis for the establishment of a nationwide target network. Cycling networks are usually planned by experts with the required local knowledge. This approach is only partially applicable for scaling nationwide. Against this background, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection (BMK) has commissioned a concept study for a data-driven approach to the planning of an Austrian-wide target cycling network.

Successful cycling promotion ultimately depends on high-quality facilities. In order to increase the modal share of cycling in the German speaking countries the existing cycling network has to be substantially improved with regard to quality and connectivity. The effect of such interventions can hardly ever be sharply determined, due to numerous inter-dependencies, rebound effects and correlations. Hence, it is difficult to measure the contribution of single interventions to mode shifts. Against this backdrop it is necessary to consider potential co-factors in the estimation of expected effects. This should enable an optimal use of financial resources for an effective and efficient mode shift towards cycling.

Adequate data bases are essential for evidence-based policies and measures. However, for many challenges of mobility policy and other related fields, the current data situation in Austria must be considered as insufficient. Ubiquitous Internet, mobile sensors or extensive sensor networks and the popularity of digital services have led to a veritable deluge of mobility-related data. However, the potential of this data is not yet sufficiently exploited and put to good use in Austria. Access to mobility data is crucial in mobility research, in the development, provision and scaling of mobility services and other data-based products, as well as in transport policy and related fields, in planning processes and in citizens’ participation.