Review of the Cycling Network Planning and Design in Chinese Cold-Climate Cities

Bicycle use is an important measure to promote energy saving in the urban transportation field and reduce the environmental deterioration caused by motorized vehicle development in both warm- and cold-climate cities. However, the severe winter climate makes it harder to set up bicycle lanes in cold-climate cities than in other cities. Considering international and Chinese practice, this article analyzes bicycle travel characteristics in cold-climate cities, summarizes bicycle development patterns and proposes corresponding development strategies. The paper reviews the research status of cycling network planning and design in cold-climate cities in China and worldwide and summarizes the relevant methods that can be used in China. The results showed that compared with other seasons, in winter, the bicycle share rate of Chinese cold-climate cities decreases significantly, and the larger the temperature difference is, the greater the decrease is. In addition, the bicycle traffic flow is volatile and does not strictly maintain a regular straight line. It is necessary to select bicycle traffic development patterns and formulate corresponding strategies according to bicycle travel characteristics. Temperature and wind are two climatic factors that need special attention when planning cycling networks in cold-climate cities. The consideration of solar radiation and electric bicycles is beneficial for optimizing the design of bicycle lane width in cold-climate cities. Isolation forms can be selected according to the bicycle development patterns. The pavement materials, maintenance technology and colored bicycle lanes with anti-freezing function are very important to improve the comfort and safety of bicycle lanes.