Appraisal of cycling and pedestrian projects

Cycling and walking have gained a prominent role in the mobility policy agenda as awareness has risen over the growing unsustainability of the current transport system and the multiple co-benefits of active mobility. As interest and investments for cycling and walking increase, how active mobility can be appraised becomes a crucial question, which has been tackled over the years through different methods and tools. The aim of this chapter is to provide a structured review of the methods and the practices of appraisal of walking and cycling policies and projects, focusing on both traditional and emerging assessment techniques. At present, much attention has been paid to the application of four main traditional methods: Balance Sheet Calculations, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Multi-Criteria Analysis. We compare and discuss these methods to identify strengths and weaknesses for each of them, as well as their main limitations and knowledge gaps in their application. We conclude that over the last decades much effort has been undertaken to further expand and develop these tools thanks to an increased attention to walking and cycling. However, much research is still needed, particularly in the quantification and valuation of specific effects within Cost-Benefit Analysis and in better integrating different appraisal techniques. Finally, the impact of appraisals on decision-making outcomes is still underexplored.