Cycling is a sustainable and healthy alternative to cars, but it depends heavily on good infrastructure. Many cities still lack bike-friendly roads, which discourages cycling. By understanding what makes cycling safer and more comfortable, we can make it a viable transport option for more people.

In his PhD, Tufail developed new frameworks to assess bike infrastructure by combining data from smart devices like smartphones and smart bicycle lights with cyclist opinions. These tools (applied in Hasselt, Belgium) helped measure the comfort and overall bicycle friendliness of bicycle facilities.

Tufail found that smart technologies are effective and inexpensive tools for assessing cycling comfort. The research also introduced a “Bikeability Index” to help planners understand what cyclists need, like smooth surfaces, safety features, better connectivity, etc. The results of both smart technologies and the bikeability index were compared to the already established methods in the literature. The results found a very good correlation; hence, the results are reliable.

These results can guide city planners in designing and suggesting improvements in the bicycle infrastructure to promote cycling as a sustainable means of transport. More people cycling means less motorized traffic, cleaner air, and healthier communities. Future work could expand this approach to other regions and refine the tools to include factors like weather or cultural preferences. The goal is to create global benchmarks for cyclist-friendly infrastructure. By continuing to innovate and adapt, cities worldwide can move closer to becoming truly cyclist-friendly and sustainable.