The influence of spatial configuration on e-scooter traffic flows
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Schumann, Hans-Heinrich
Haitao, He
Natapov, Asya
Quddus, Mohammed
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The theory of natural movement posits that the configuration of space is the primary determinant of movement patterns. Existing research in this domain, however, often relies on manual counting, fails to capture temporal variations in movement, and lacks evidence of transferability across locations. This study addresses these limitations by leveraging passively generated GPS data produced by the globally growing mode of e-scooters.
We model e-scooter traffic flows using GPS data of ∼80,000 trips over three months in 2021 in three areas: Salford (United Kingdom), Rochdale (United Kingdom), and Mannheim/Ludwigshafen (Germany). Spatio-temporally cross-validated spatial lag models demonstrate the high predictive power of spatial configuration-based parameters, while additional attractor parameters contribute minimally to model performance.
Our findings provide actionable insights for infrastructure planning and policy interventions, particularly for the effective planning, operation, and management of e-scooter schemes. Moreover, the results highlight that spatial configuration-based modelling methodology can be augmented with a temporal dimension, with broad potential application in transport planning.
We model e-scooter traffic flows using GPS data of ∼80,000 trips over three months in 2021 in three areas: Salford (United Kingdom), Rochdale (United Kingdom), and Mannheim/Ludwigshafen (Germany). Spatio-temporally cross-validated spatial lag models demonstrate the high predictive power of spatial configuration-based parameters, while additional attractor parameters contribute minimally to model performance.
Our findings provide actionable insights for infrastructure planning and policy interventions, particularly for the effective planning, operation, and management of e-scooter schemes. Moreover, the results highlight that spatial configuration-based modelling methodology can be augmented with a temporal dimension, with broad potential application in transport planning.
Date Issued
2025-08-01
Date Acceptance
2025-05-18
Citation
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2025, 198
ISSN
0965-8564
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
Volume
198
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
104529
Date Publish Online
2025-05-29