The Go2School project for promoting cycling to school: A case study in Palermo

Abstract

The identification of transport policy measures able to reduce the use of private cars for home-to-school travel is very relevant to reduce congestion during peak hours and to ensure that the areas around schools have livable environments. An action that policymakers could apply is promoting cycling to school through the introduction of bikesharing programs and creating safe routes to school through the construction of new cycle infrastructure. The aim of the paper has been, therefore, to assess if these policies could lead the high-school students to cycle to school, considering the city of Palermo as a case study. The goal is reached through the calibration of a modal choice model based on Stated Preference interviews. The costs that the local authority have to support have been compared with the benefits that the realization of new cycle paths entails in terms of the modal shift, reduction of car mileage and reduction of the externalities. According to the model, the construction of the new cycle paths will lead to an impressive increase in the use of the bicycle for home-to-school travel and also to greater use of public transport, due to the multimodality guaranteed by the bikesharing stations near the railway stations and tram stops.