At the ever-elevated environmental challenges and crowded urban centers, the focus on the transition to mobility toward more sustainable commuting options is increasing. Among them, electric bicycles (e-bikes) propose a promising alternative that integrates the benefits of moderate physical exercise with reduced commuting time and environmental impact. A new study conducted in Noord-Brabant (Netherlands) explores how incentive programs for e-cycling can help transform commuting intentions into consistent e-cycling behaviors.
The study was led by Dr. Joost de Kruijf and his team at Utrecht University, including Dr. Dea van Lierop and Professor Dick Ettema, as well as Dr. Maarten Kroesen of Delft Technology and Delft Technolo from Delft Technology Dr. Maarten Kroesen of gy and The focus from Luxembourg Socio-oio-ecio On Economic Research (Liser) is on participants in an electronic activity incentive program that rewards commuters with the steering from car travel to e-bikes. The study was published in the Journal of Bicycle and Microsports Research.
Dr. Joost de Kruijf shares the importance of understanding the gap between what people intend to do and what they actually do. “In general, this study shows that motivational programs have a positive impact on participants’ shift to the electronic cycle during motivational programs,” he noted. The study used detailed surveys conducted at three different times to capture over time Change and details how people’s initial plans translate into actual e-cycling habits.
The findings of the study show that about two-thirds of participants are closely linked to their initial program, as frequently as they expected when they launched the program. “People who have already cyclists before launching the program are more likely to stick to their e-cycling plans,” said Dr. De Kruijf. This highlights how existing habits affect Adoption of new commuting practices. Typically, Primenpant increases the use of electric bikes over time due to increased physical condition and attractiveness.
Furthermore, the study shows that individual beliefs, habits, and goals surprisingly did not significantly affect people’s intentions consistent with their behavior. “Our results also show that individual beliefs, habits, and variables related to goals do not affect how people’s intentions and behaviors match how people already participate in such incentive programs,” said De Kruijf. This finding challenges behaviors Some traditional ideas in science and suggest that the direct benefits of e-bikes, such as convenience and direct advantages, incentives may have a greater impact on shaping commuting options.
Furthermore, this study highlighted the obvious positive effects of motivational programs, which motivated participants to continue using e-bikes even if the program ended. This suggests that well-designed incentive programs can effectively promote lasting changes in commuting habits by successfully bridging the gap between intention and action.
These insights greatly contribute to our understanding of changes in transportation behavior and highlight the potential of targeted programs to encourage more sustainable urban transportation options. Decision makers and urban planners can use these findings to develop more effective electronic link plans to encourage getting rid of automotive dependence, thereby reducing urban congestion and reducing environmental impacts.
Journal Reference
Joost de Kruijf, Dea van Lierop, Dick Ettema, Maarten Kroesen, Martin Dijst, “Electronic Riding Intentions and Behavior Changes: Investigating Longitudinal Changes in Electronic Circular Intentions and Actual Behavior Changes in Daily Commuting,” Journal of Loop and Micro Research,” 2024 . doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmr.2023.100009
About the Author
Joost de Kruijf Born in August 1976 in S-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. He received a bachelor’s degree in transport engineering from the Breda University of Applied Sciences in 1999. He has since started his Master of Urban Geography at Utrecht University and graduated in 2002. Joost began his career as a traffic forecasting model expert in 1999, supporting the impact of government expectations on future mobility.
In 2011, Joost moved to Breda University of Applied Sciences to focus more on research and innovation in the fields of transportation and built environments. At that time, he began his PhD study in the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at Utrecht University.
Most of his research focuses on data-driven (bike) policies and business enhancements, including topics of accessibility, user experience, network planning and digital twins. In its current work, Joost focuses on building strong connections between science, government and industry in the fields of liquidity, building environment and data solutions.
His work has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed international journals, including the Transportation Research Section, Travel Behavior and Society, Transportation and Health Journal, Transportation Research Programs, Landscape and Urban Planning, Transportation Geography Journal, and Computer, Environment and Environment, Environmental and environmental urban systems.
