Measuring spatial inequalities in the access to station-based bike-sharing in Barcelona using an Adapted Affordability Index

Abstract

Bike-sharing schemes have been spreading globally during the last years. These should be publicly available schemes, servicing all groups of population. But the literature shows there are underrepresented population groups amongst their users. The physical access to bike-sharing stations and the supporting network of cycle lanes seems to influence the use of the schemes, especially of lower-income communities. This paper applies an index as a tool to evaluate spatial inequalities in the access to station-based bike-sharing schemes and the cycle network. The index aggregates several variables related to the population level of affordability, including mobility-related variables. The Adapted Affordability Index was inspired in an existing one, produced by the city council, in an attempt to ensure its usability for policymaking. The index was calculated and applied to the case of the bike-sharing scheme in Barcelona, at the geographical level of census tracts. The index shows a strong correlation with income, a variable not always publicly available at such a small geographical level. This study shows that there are inequalities in spatial access to the Barcelona bike-sharing scheme; the wealthier the population group, the more they have access to cycling infrastructure, especially to bike-sharing stations. The bike-sharing trend is accentuated in the hilly areas of the city. The successful application of the Adapted Affordability Index to the city of Barcelona is a promising avenue to provide a robust and easy to use bike-sharing spatial equity evaluation tool for policymaking.