PURPOSES: Seoul introduced public bicycles to reduce environmental pollution and create a healthy society. Because the use of bicycles is highly weather dependent, and bicycles are rented by the people, member characteristics and seasonal influences should be considered. This study analyzed bicycle traffic characteristics considering seasonal and member characteristics and highlighted some implications.
METHODS: The Yeouido and Sangam districts, which have multiple business districts, were taken as the areas of interest. In order to reflect seasonal and membership characteristics, the traffic volume, time of use, and characteristics of each zone were categorized by season (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and membership type (season, daily, group). In addition, we analyzed the pattern of traffic volume and usage time according to the traffic purpose after separating rental locations into residential, business, subway, and park, reflecting the land characteristics.
RESULTS: The results revealed that seasonal characteristics were high for bicycle traffic, time of use, and occupancy rate for park locations in spring and autumn. In terms of membership characteristics, group and daily users appeared as major visitors for park locations, and the trends of commuter pass users showed that bicycle use meets the purpose of introducing public bicycles.
CONCLUSIONS: Traffic characteristics differed according to seasonal and membership characteristics. It is necessary to involve and extend the users of the commuter pass. Situations in which commuter pass users cannot function as a group or in which daily users monopolize bicycles (especially near parks, near subway stations, etc.) must be avoided.