Bici-LOCK

CIAPOT/2021/17

The project under implementation seeks to address the problems related to the lack of adequate infrastructure for parking bicycles and personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) in urban areas, which hinders their use and negatively affects the transition towards a more sustainable and intermodal mobility. The proposed solution consists of the design of a new smart bike rack that is adaptable to the urban environment, minimizes its environmental impact, increases user confidence regarding the risk of theft and is complemented with C-ITS technology that provides relevant real-time information on the parking supply depending on the geographical area.

The project is structured around six main activities: context of the bicycle, analysis of the current status and implementation of C-ITS technology in Europe, report on the different functionalities and services offered by cooperative systems for the improvement of user information systems, bicycle parking market study and conceptual design of the new product. The final objective is to reduce the causes that motivate the non-use of these vehicles and to improve their integration in the environment.

The strategic importance of the project is high, since the recently approved Law 7/2021, on climate change and energy transition, obliges municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to delimit a circulation area for non-polluting vehicles before 2023.

This Law regulates the Low Emission Zones (ZBE) in cities, these Zones are a measure aimed at improving air quality in cities and reducing air pollution. This limits the access of the most polluting vehicles to certain urban areas and establishes more restrictive rules regarding the emissions of permitted vehicles. EPZs can be permanent or temporary, depending on the needs and objectives of each city. Their implementation has generated controversy in some cities, especially among affected vehicle owners, but their positive impact on public health and the fight against climate change is unquestionable. This implies the need to promote intermodality and adopt measures such as the construction of park-and-ride lots or new modal interchange stations.

This project is funded on the basis of the APOTI call (aid for hiring support staff) of the Department of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society of the Generalitat Valenciana (CIAPOT/2021/17), co-funded by the SEOFER Chair of Road Safety and Intelligent Mobility.

Development and innovation

Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society of the Valencian Regional Government.

SEOFER Chair of Road Safety and Intelligent Mobility.