Grant: Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research

This research project will examine the impact of an intervention to be implemented by Stationnement de Montréal through a contract with the City of Montreal. The intervention consists of deploying a public bicycle rental program called BIXI and is modeled after Vélib in Paris, France. BIXI will involve 2400 bicycles to be made available for self-service at minimal cost between April and November 2009 at 300 stations located primarily in the Ville-Marie, Plateau Mont-Royal, and Rosemont-Petite-Patrie boroughs of Montreal. The research project will address the following questions: (1) What are the socio-demographic, travel use, and health characteristics of BIXI users?; (2) What is the geography of BIXI use and to what extent do BIXI users travel along bike paths?; (3) What is level of risk of collision are BIXI users exposed to while traveling?; (4) What proportion of Montrealers have tried and regularly use BIXI? (5) How do Montrealers perceive BIXI? Active transportation is associated with health benefits including greater likelihood of meeting public health recommendations for physical activity, reduced body mass index, lower waist circumference, and improved blood lipid profiles. The contribution of increasing the accessibility of cycling for active transportation to physical activity objectives is not known nor are the potential negative impacts (e.g. trauma due to injuries) of the intervention.