Where should speed-pedelecs ride? Investigation of rider preferences, acceptance of others road users, and riding behaviour.
Michael A.B. van Eggermond; Dorothea Schaffner; Thomas Stemmler; Somara Gantenbein; Nicole Haiderer; Veronika Hornung Prähauser; Elia Ferrari (2026): Where should speed-pedelecs ride? Investigation of rider preferences, acceptance of others road users, and riding behaviour. In: Transportation Research Part A
Background: Speed-pedelecs (s-pedelecs), pedal-assisted bicycles reaching up to 45km/h, offer an alternative to motorised transport but do not fit clearly into existing cycling infrastructure or regulation. This study examines how s-pedelecs can be integrated into the mobility system in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, from the perspective of s-pedelec riders and other road users, considering both stated preferences and actual riding behaviour.
Methods: Two studies were conducted. A survey combined an image-based stated preference route-choice experiment with an acceptance survey on policy measures governing s-pedelec use of cycling infrastructure, speed regulation, public transport integration, and safety, completed by 1,432 respondents across the three countries. A complementary bicycle-simulator study observed 32 e-bike and s-pedelec riders on cycle lanes, cycle paths, and shared pedestrian and cycle paths under mandatory and free-choice infrastructure conditions, recording speed, lateral clearance, and facility choice.
Results: Survey results show broad acceptance of mandatory use of cycling infrastruc ture by s-pedelecs across all road-user groups. Acceptance of shared paths and freedom of choice is higher among s-pedelec riders than among pedestrians and car drivers. In route choice, s-pedelec riders value separated cycling facilities less than cyclists do and are less sensitive than cyclists to adverse roadway conditions such as parked cars and motorised traffic. Simulator results show that s-pedelec riders exceed e-bike speeds without fully using the possible speed range and maintain larger lateral clearances when overtaking.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that sharing cycling facilities is a broadly accepted measures to integrate s-pedelecs into the mobility system, while showing that s-pedelec riders differ from cyclists in both preferences and riding behaviour, requiring for additional policy measures such as speed regulation and freedom of choice. This evidence can inform infrastructure and policy design for this transport mode.
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