Abstract:
Over the past years, cycling has received increased attention around the world due to its
environmental, economic, social, and health benefits. Cities such as Johannesburg have
started to promote cycling as a smart and green mode of transport and are adopting
policies to encourage cycling as a daily mode of transport. In this study, the state of
infrastructure, and the promotion of accessibility and mobility for cycling in the City of
Johannesburg were investigated. Interviews were held with various experts in
transportation in the City of Johannesburg. Records from Strava Metro derived spatial
patterns, and trends and GPS tracked the spatial and temporal coverage of cycling
activities. The ArcGIS Pro was used to spatially analyse the geographical location
information. Geospatial modelling Environment applications jointly with map algebra and
spatial analyst functions were used to calculate the descriptive statistics of cycling patterns
and trends. The results indicate that the locations with no cycling infrastructure have
limited to no cycling activities. In the inner city area, the existing cycling lanes are cold
zones for cycling and as a result, motorised transport modes are currently using the
cycling lanes. Spatial observations reveal an increase in the number of cycling activities in
townships. The results of this study could be beneficial to policymakers in identifying the
main barriers and motivators for the public to promote cycling. The study concludes that
the City of Johannesburg has many opportunities to improve infrastructure for nonmotorised transport, following the recommended coherent efforts of planning for
sustainable and stimulant non-motorised transport.
