Bicycle as a Mean of Transportation on Person-Environment Studies

Abstract

In face of the urban mobility challenge in big cities, public policy makers and researchers suggest the bicycle commuting as an alternative to deal with this issue. This article aims to verify how the person-environment studies treat the use of bicycles as a means of transportation topic. A systematic review of literature was done with national and international studies published between 2009 and 2014, aiming to identify the methodological approach for bicycle commuting in person-environment studies, the nature of the researches and the instruments utilized. Thirty three articles satisfied the research and were subdivided into three categories: habits and attitudes, environment and behavior, and perception. The primacy of international studies with quantitative approach, using questionnaires and scales is noticeable. The results approximate when articulate bicycle commuting to well-being and diverge when relate socio-educational level to modal choice. These results indicate the necessity to comprehend the phenomenon in a multidetermined way, taking into consideration individual, perceptive, sociocultural, and environmental aspects concerning the topic.