CIVIL engineering students at Heriot-Watt University are using agent-based modelling as part of a new campaign to see a publicly-owned bike hire scheme introduced in Edinburgh.
The proposal is inspired by similar projects in cities such as Glasgow, London, Brighton, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Paris.
Dominic Gurney, 22, is one of the students behind the plans. He said, “I’m from Barcelona and the bike hire scheme there is very successful and works perfectly. Lots of my friends use it. A lot of people use it to get to work. I use it myself practically every day and it covers almost all of Barcelona, so you can get from one point of the city to another across a wide radius.”
The students are developing a system to simulate real world bike traffic in Edinburgh, using agent-based modelling. The computer simulation technique models how individual agents – people or things – interact with each other and their environment.
The system the students are developing uses a traffic simulation application called Simulation of Urban Mobility to analyse data from stationary counter sensors around Edinburgh that measure traffic volumes, locations, and speeds.
Jay Berry, 23, from Ipswich in Suffolk, is another of the group. He commented, “Agent-based modelling is a relatively new technology and we believe that it’s going to really help increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of these bike hire schemes. For example, the location of bike docking stations is pretty important and we think agent-based models will help inform where these should be based to benefit the most people.”
Real time data from bikes fitted with GPS satellite navigation devices will be able to feed into the simulation the students create of the bike hire scheme in operation. This helps designers of the bike hire scheme understand the impact of changes they make, like moving the location of a docking station. The simulation in turn can send real time updates to users of the bike hire scheme, for example, about road closures or diversions.
Cyclists in Edinburgh can already hire bikes through a number of independent companies operating from a single outlet or across limited areas. The scheme proposed by the Heriot-Watt students is a city-wide network covering a broad geographic area with multiple, strategically-placed docking stations.
The students say their proposed bike hire scheme aims to be more affordable and accessible for cyclists than networks run by private operators.
“Privately-owned bike hire schemes tend to be driven by the bottom line, with price per minute charges that can cost you more than the bus for a five-minute journey,” said Jay. “This doesn’t seem very inclusive to us. So one of our key requirements is that the bike hire scheme is publicly-owned. This means it would be available to everybody in the city, and would be funded partly by the local authority, partly by sponsorships and partly revenues from cyclists hiring the bikes.”
Dominic added, “Push bikes and other active travel choices are healthier. We also think our scheme could boost Edinburgh’s offer to tourists and help Edinburgh City Council achieve its goal of reducing car kilometres by 30% by 2030, as a part of the Edinburgh City Mobility Plan.”
The City of Edinburgh Council is currently planning to launch a two-year pilot of an all-electric bike hire scheme, run by a private operator.
Robert Armstrong, deputy senior responsible officer at the City of Edinburgh Council’s transport and environment committee, explained, “This pilot will help inform the Council on how to effectively expand the cycle hire scheme in the future. We are exploring various options to support and encourage use throughout the city once the pilot phase is complete.”
Mr Armstrong described the students’ proposal as a ‘fantastic idea that could significantly benefit the community’.
He continued, “Encouraging sustainable transport options like bike hire aligns well with our current efforts in Edinburgh to enhance urban mobility and reduce environmental impact. I am excited to see how this project develops.”
The other students involved in the project are Oli Munn, 24, from the Peak District in Derbyshire and Malaysian students Kah Rick Fong, 23, and King Jun Siew 23. The five met during a study year at Heriot-Watt’s Malaysia campus in Putrajaya. They are all studying the University’s Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in civil engineering.
