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Why study cycling?

Most people in The Netherlands learn how to cycle at a young age and use their bicycle on a daily basis. However, the scientific knowledge about cycling is still limited. The ALLEGRO team of the Delft University of Technology investigates the behaviour of pedestrians and cyclists. This way, we will be able to better understand their preferences and choices. To exclude uncertain conditions we want to observe cyclists in a so-called controlled setting. We do this during a large-scale cycling experiment. During this experiment all cyclists’ movements will be observed. Afterwards, we will analyse the movements in detail, to be able to describe the cycling behaviour and to capture this behaviour in mathematical models. These models can e.g. help municipalities to evaluate designs of new infrastructure. Moreover, these models can be applied to predict the effect of the use of different types of bikes.

What will the experiment entail?

You start by filling in a questionnaire on your personal characteristics and cycling experience, which we will link to your cycling behaviour. Your bicycle will be equipped (for the duration of the experiment) with a numbered plate and you will wear a red hat.
We have set up a track of 160m length to be cycled on your own bike. Video cameras placed above the track observe all cyclists movements. These movements will be automatically detected using the numbered plate and the red hats.
The experiment consists of sessions of 10min cycling time, alternated with (short) breaks. In total, the experiment will last about 3-4h, of which you will actually cycle approximately 1.5h. At the end of the experiment a voucher (vvv-tegoedkaart) of €35 will be handed out.

How to participate?

You can register for either the morning experiment (8.30 – 12.30) or the afternoon experiment (13.30 – 17.30). We seek 100 participants for each experiment. You need to bring your own bicycle. As we want to study the effect of the bicycle type on the cycling behaviour, we ask you to indicate the type of bike you could bring to cycle (a ‘regular’ bicycle, an electric bicycle, a cargo bicycle or a racing bicycle). The confirmation of your participation and the type of bicycle we would like you to participate with will be sent to you prior to the experiment.

Registration can be done here. We appreciate your participation, and we look forward to see you in Ahoy, Rotterdam on April 25!