IN THE FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY DEGREE PROJECT
DESIGN AND PRODUCT REALISATION AND THE MAIN FIELD OF STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, SECOND CYCLE, 30 CREDITS
,
STOCKHOLM SWEDEN 2018
Increased Safety on Cycling Paths
by Improving Road Maintenance
A Concept to Report Faults and Provide Grades
on Cycling Paths
SARA VITMOSSE
ABSTRACT'
Urbanisation! is! increasing! and! more! sustainable! transport! modes! are! promoted,! in! both! the! sustainable! development! goals! and! the! national! goals.! Sweden! has! developed! a! national! cycling! strategy,!with!the!purpose!to!improve!cycling!infrastructure!and!make!more!people!chose!the!bike.! While!cycling!is!good!for!both!environment,!reduced!congestion!and!personal!health,!the!traffic!mode! comes!with!high!risk!of!accidents.!Insufficient!operation!and!maintenance!is!one!of!the!main!causes! of!single!accidents!involving!cyclists.!! To!improve!the!road!quality!on!existing!paths,!this!study!has!in!collaboration!with!NCC,!developed!a! concept!for!reporting!issues!on!paths!for!cyclists!directly!to!the!road!manager.!The!aim!is!to!increase! the!efficiency!of!inspections!on!cycling!paths!and!to!cover!more!risk!related!aspects.!A!pilot!area!was! chosen,!due!to!variations!in!contracts!for!NCC’s!operational!areas!in!Sweden.!The!choice!of!pilot!area! was!Borås,!based!on!type!of!contract,!local!initiatives!and!sufficient!information!available.!! The!methodology!of!this!project!consisted!of!a!general!literature!review,!followed!with!a!deeper!study! of!contracts!and!seminars!in!Borås.!The!seminars!provided!local!insight!from!the!NCC!workers!and! cyclists!familiar!in!the!area.!A!grading!system!for!the!reports!was!obtained!through!a!multiHcriteria! analysis!in!which!criteria!was!combined!with!weights!based!on!risk!factor!to!demonstrate!the!urgency! from!more!sides!than!just!the!contact.!An!analysis!of!the!strengths,!weaknesses,!opportunities!and! threats!was!made!to!evaluate!the!concept.! The!result!is!in!the!form!of!a!reporting!system!where!cyclists!can!register!errands!about!problems!on! their!cycling!paths!in!a!mobile!application.!An!NCC!administrator!at!the!main!local!office!will!organise! the!reports!into!the!relevant!criterion!and!score!it!according!to!urgency.!The!errand!is!then!graded! based!on!the!score!combined!with!a!weight!for!that!criterion!to!represent!the!risk!factor.!Colour!coded! symbols!will!appear!on!a!digital!map,!giving!NCC!a!good!overview!of!the!cycling!path!that!can!help! them!prioritise!and!schedule!maintenance!more!efficiently.!It!is!expected!that!some!of!the!reports!will! concern!problems!outside!of!NCC!contract!boarders,!these!will!be!handled!separately!in!a!Grey!Zone.! Either!the!errand!will!be!forwarded!to!responsible!road!manager,!or!it!will!be!used!in!action!proposals! to!the!contract!holder.!! For!this!system!to!work,!it!is!important!that!the!users!stay!engaged.!This!is!attained!with!a!feedback! mechanism!allowing!the!user!to!follow!the!report!throughout!the!process.!It!will!be!possible!to!receive! notifications!when!the!status!of!an!errand!is!updated.!During!a!seminar!with!local!cyclists,!personalised! feedback! was! preferred.! A! suggestion! to! meet! this! request! is! given! in! the! form! of! a! gamification! feature,!where!points!and!achievements!illustrate!the!importance!of!the!cyclist’s!reports.!To!attract! users,!different!incentives!such!as!discounts!or!service!might!be!necessary.!!
A!final!recommendation!from!this!project!is!to!create!a!system!with!the!intention!to!collaborate!with! local!initiatives!and!stakeholders.!The!value!of!this!concept!lay!in!increased!efficiency!and!quality!of!
SWEDISH'SUMMARY'
Då!befolkningsmängden!i!städerna!ökar!blir!kravet!på!hållbarare!transportmedel!allt!mer!påtagligt.! Sverige!har!utvecklat!en!nationell!cykelstrategi!med!målet!att!öka!cykelinfrastrukturen!och!få!fler!att! välja! cykeln.! Att! cykla! har! många! fördelar,! förutom! att! den! är! mer! platseffektiv! i! trafiken! och! kan! minska!trafikstockningar,!är!den!också!bra!för!miljön! och!den!personliga!hälsan.!En!av!de!främsta! nackdelarna!är!dock!risken!för!olyckor,!och!bristande!drift!och!underhåll!av!cykelvägarna!är!en!av! huvudorsakerna!till!singelolyckor!med!cyklister.!!
För!att!förbättra!vägkvalitén!på!de!befintliga!vägarna!har!den!här!studien,!i!samarbete!med!NCC,!tagit! fram!ett!koncept!där!cyklister!kan!rapportera!in!fel!direkt!till!väghållaren.!Målet!är!att!effektivisera! kontrollerna! av! cykelvägarna! och! integrera! riskfaktorer! i! prioritering! av! arbetet.! Borås! valdes! som! pilotområde!för!denna!studie!då!kontrakt!för!drift!och!underhåll!varierar!mellan!olika!områden.!Valet! av! pilotområde! baserades! på! lokala! engagemang,! medlemskap! i! Svenska! Cykelstäder! och! kontraktsmodellen.! NCC! har! ett! regionalt! kontrakt! med! Trafikverket! för! Boråsområdet! vilket! är! fördelaktigt!då!dessa!kontrakt!är!mer!generella!än!lokala!kontrakt.!!
Arbetet! började! med! en! generell! litteraturstudie! i! ämnet,! efterföljt! av! en! djupare! studie! av! Boråskontraktet! och! seminarier! för! att! fånga! lokala! förhållanden! och! önskemål.! Utifrån! detta! utvecklades!ett!betygssystem!med!hjälp!av!en!multikriterieanalys!där!kriterier!från!kontraktet!vägs! samman!med!en!riskfaktor!för!att!öka!insikten!hos!väghållaren!om!vikten!av!ett!problem!på!cykelvägen! och! göra! det! lättare! att! prioritera! arbeten.! Slutligen! utfördes! en! analys! av! styrkor,! svagheter,! möjligheter!och!hot!för!att!utvärdera!konceptet.!
Ett! konceptuellt! rapporteringssystem! där! cyklister! kan! anmäla! fel! på! cykelvägarna! de! använder! dagligen! via! en! mobil! applikation! är! resultatet! av! denna! studie.! Ärendet! hanteras! via! det! lokala! driftkontoret!av!en!administratör!som!kategoriserar!problemet!och!registrerar!hur!allvarligt!det!är.!Via! betygssystemet!erhåller!ärendet!en!prioriteringsordning!och!färgkodade!symboler!på!en!digital!karta! ger!en!bra!överblick!av!cykelvägarnas!kvalité!som!kan!användas!vid!planering!av!underhållsarbetet.! Det!är!också!förväntat!att!detta!system!kommer!ta!emot!rapporter!som!berör!problem!utanför!NCC:s! kontraktsramar,!dessa!hanteras!i!en!så!kallad!Gråzon.!Ärendena!här!kan!antingen!vidarebefordras!till! ansvarig!väghållare!eller!användas!för!att!skapa!åtgärdsförslag!till!den!aktuella!kontraktshållaren.!! Det!är!viktigt!att!bibehålla!cyklisternas!intresse!för!rapporteringssystemet.!Detta!är!tänkt!att!uppnås! med! hjälp! av! ett! kontinuerligt! återkopplingssystem! där! rapporterna! kan! följas! genom! hela! hanteringsprocessen.!Det!ska!också!finnas!en!möjlighet!för!cyklisten!att!få!notiser!när!ärendets!status! uppdaterats.!Intresset!för!personlig!återkoppling!var!stor,!enligt!deltagare!i!ett!av!seminarierna.!Då! det!är!tidskrävande!för!väghållaren!att!hantera!ärenden!på!en!personlig!nivå!föreslogs!därför!ett!typ! av!personligt!poängsystem!med!utmärkelser!som!ska!illustrera!vikten!av!rapporterna.!Olika!typer!av! belöningssystem! i! form! av! rabatterade! erbjudanden! eller! cykelservice! skulle! ytterligare! fånga! cyklisters!intresse!för!applikationen.!!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT'
DICTIONARY''
! Swedish'Term' English'Term' Driftområde' Operation'area'' Drifthållare' Road'manager' Oskyddade'trafikanter' Unprotected'road'users' Ytsläpp' Lose'coating' Sättningar'I'vägbanan' Road'Subsidence' Trafikverket' Swedish'Road'Agency'ABBREVIATIONS'
'Short' Swedish'Description' English'Description'
GCM' GångN,'cykelN'och'mopedtrafik' Traffic'mode'for'pedestrians,'cycles'and' mopeds'
GIS' H$ ' Geographic'Information'System'
MCA' H$ ' MultiNcriteria'Analysis''
NVDB' Nationell'vägdatabas' National'road'database'
O&M' Drift'och'underhåll'(DoU)' Operation'and'maintenance'
SBV' Standardbeskrivning'för'
basunderhåll'väg' Standard'description'of'basic'road'maintenance'
SWOT' H$ ' Strengths,'weaknesses,'opportunities'and'
threats' !
!
TABLE'OF'CONTENTS'
1! INTRODUCTION*...*1! 1.1! BACKGROUND!...!1! 1.2! PROBLEM!DEFINITION!...!2! 1.3! PURPOSE!...!2! 1.4! SYSTEM!BOARDERS!...!2! 2! METHODOLOGY*...*4! 2.1! LITERATURE!REVIEW!...!5!2.2! CHOICE!OF!PILOT!AREA!...!6!
2.3! SEMINARS!...!6!
2.4! MULTIHCRITERIA!ANALYSIS!...!7!
2.5! SWOT!ANALYSIS!...!7!
3! RESULT*...*8!
3.1! BORÅS!AS!A!PILOT!AREA!...!8!
3.1.1! Seminar$with$NCC$...$8!
3.1.2! Seminar$with$cyclists$...$11!
3.2! THE!REPORTING!CONCEPT!...!13!
3.3! MULTIHCRITERIA!ANALYSIS!...!14!
1$ INTRODUCTION'
research!and!innovation!to!find!impact!correlations!and!spread!the!knowledge!are!needed! (Regeringskansliet,!2017).!
1.2$ Problem'Definition'
While!new!cycling!paths!are!made!and!old!paths!are!improved,!they!all!need!to!be!maintained.! Snow!needs!to!be!removed!during!wintertime,!potholes!needs!to!be!filled!in!and!the!roads! needs! to! be! cleared! of! infiltrating! vegetation.! As! mentioned! in! the! introduction,! faults! in! operation!and!maintenance!of!the!roads!pose!high!risks!of!single!accidents!for!cyclists!due!to! their! vulnerability! to! surface! irregularities.! O&M! is! also! essential! to! keep! roads! in! good! condition! for! the! users’! mobility.! Therefore,! improved! safety! of! cyclists! can! be! achieved! through!improving!the!management!of!cycling!paths.!!
Road!control!differ!between!regions!but!is!often!carried!out!by!the!contractor,!the!client!or! an!external!inspector.!In!a!study!of!operation!and!maintenance!of!cycling!paths!with!focus!on! contractual! barriers! and! opportunities! (Ljungblad! and! Zajc,! 2014),! the! authors! identify! inadequacies!in!the!O&M!cycling!paths.!Inspections!of!cycling!paths!are!often!made!by!car,! carrying!the!risk!of!missing!faults!or!underestimate!them!since!faults!are!perceived!different! depending!on!the!traveling!mode.!Some!municipalities!use!special!groups!of!cyclists!or!the! public!to!collect!information.!Recommendations!from!this!study!were!to!control!the!roads!by! bikes!instead!of!cars!and!to!encourage!the!cyclists!to!report!faults!on!the!paths!they!are!using! on!daily!basis.!However,!it!was!also!emphasised!to!only!use!cyclists’!reports!as!a!compliment! due!to!the!risk!of!over!representing!some!paths!(Ibid.).! 1.3$ Purpose' NCC!is!the!client!to!this!thesis.!The!company!works!with!construction!and!infrastructure!and! carry!the!vision!to!increase!and!improve!cycling!infrastructure!(NCC,!no!date).!They!are!also! operation!managers!(drifthållare)!handling!the!O&M!of!different!regional!and!local!roads!in! Sweden.!!
When! discussing! cycling! infrastructure,! the! same! paths! are! often! shared! by! both! cyclists,! pedestrians!and!mopeds.!However,!this!study!is!limited!to!only!consider!aspects!related!to! cyclists.!Throughout!the!report,!whenever!a!cycling!path!or!road!is!mentioned,!it!refers!to!any! infrastructure!the!cyclists!is!appointed!to!use.!!
2$ METHODOLOGY'
The!methodology!of!this!study!has!been!divided!into!two!phases:!Information!Gathering!and! Information!Processing.!These!phases!with!including!steps!are!illustrated!in!a!flowchart!in! Figure!1.!In!the!first!phase,!the!problem!was!identified,!a!project!plan!was!formulated!and!a! preHstudy!including!a!literature!review!and!interviews!were!performed.!This!lead!to!the!choice! of!pilot!area!where!further!interviews!and!seminars!were!held.!The!information!gathering!is! further!described!in!section!2.1,!2.2!and!2.3.! In!the!second!phase,!processing!of!information!was!done!in!three!steps.!Each!of!the!steps!are! related!to!one!objective:!MCA!–!objective!1,!Application!Design!–!objective!2!and!Business! Value! Analysis! –! objective! 3.! The! method! multiHcriteria! analysis! was! used! to! provide! the! grading!system.!To!develop!the!model!for!the!mobile!application,!design,!user!friendliness! and!optimisation!of!information!flow!has!been!in!focus.!The!final!step!used!the!SWOTHanalysis! method! to! evaluate! the! business! value! of! the! concept! derived! in! the! first! two! steps.! The! methods!used!for!the!MCA!and!business!evaluation!are!described!in!the!sections!2.4!and!2.5.!!!
2.1$ Literature'Review'
To!understand!how!operation!and!maintenance!on!cycling!path!works!today,!the!literature! has!covered!documents!about!cycling!from!stakeholders!in!the!subject.!It!has!also!covered! handbooks!and!papers!on!the!performance!of!different!methods!used!in!the!working!process.! Below!is!a!list!of!the!main!documents!used!in!this!study:!
•$ SKL,! 2010.$ “GCMHhandbok”.! Trafikverket! (Swedish! Road! Agency)! has! in! cooperation!with!the!Swedish!municipalities!and!counties!set!up!a!handbook!for! designing,!operating!and!maintaining!roads!with!focus!on!pedestrians,!cyclists! and! mopeds! (GCM).$ This! document! has! been! closely! studied! to! get! an! understanding! of! the! general! requirements! and! recommendations! for! cycling! paths.!!
•$ Trafikverket,! 2014.$ “Standardbeskrivning$ för$ Basunderhåll$ Väg$ (SBV)”.$ Trafikverket!has!described!standards!for!road!operation!and!maintenance!in!this! document.! It! refers! to! all! road! classes! and! describes! the! fundamentals! that! should!be!considered!in!the!contracts!for!operation!and!maintenance!of!roads.!! •$ Knutsson!and!Fridolin,!2014.$“Arbetsbeskrivning$för$entreprenörsrapportering$av$ vägarbete:$underlag$för$trafikinformation”.$This!document!describes!how!and!to! what!extent!the!reporting!of!faults!in!road!infrastructure!needs!to!be!done.$It! also!covers!different!medias!of!reporting!as!well!as!time!frames!and!the!level!of! traffic!impact.!This!document!has!been!studied!to!get!an!understanding!of!the! reporting!system!of!problems!on!roads.!! •$ CROW,!2016.$“Design$manual$for$bicycle$traffic”.!To!get!a!wider!perspective!on! operation!and!maintenance!on!cycling!path,!the!Dutch!handbook!by!CROW!has! been!studied.!It!is!a!complete!manual!on!designing!cycling!infrastructure!and! provides!support!and!complement!to!the!criteria!found!in!Swedish!literature.!! •$ Department! for! Communities! and! Local! Government,! 2009.$ “MultiHcriteria$
analysis:$a$manual”.$The!method!for!the!MCA!is!based!on!this!manual.!!
•$ Niska!and!Eriksson,!2013.!“Statistik$över$cyklisters$olyckor$–$Faktaunderlag$till$
gemensam$ strategi$ för$ säker$ cycling”.! Since! accidents! are! related! to! the!
operation!and!maintenance!on!cycling!paths,!this!document!has!been!studied!to! cross! reference! accident! parameters! with! the! other! criteria! derived! from! contracts.!The!information!will!support!scoring!and!weighting!in!the!MCA.!!
2.2$ Choice'of'Pilot'Area'
NCC!has!contracts!with!Trafikverket!for!the!operation!and!maintenance!in!20!geographical! areas!in!Sweden!(Trafikverket,!2017).!In!addition!to!the!contracts!with!Trafikverket,!NCC!also! holds!several!contracts!with!different!municipalities.!These!contracts!are!obtained!through! procurements! based! on! the! law! of! public! procurements! (Lag! om! offentlig! upphandling),! (Trafikverket,!2015).!The!law!states!that!the!offer!that!is!most!economic!beneficial!for!the! legislative! body! shall! win! the! procurement! (Finansdepartimentet! OU,! 2016).! The! procurement!process!for!contracts!with!Trafikverket!apply!to!the!public!road!network!which! follow!more!general!requirements!than!local!contracts!with!municipalities.!The!choice!of!pilot! area!was!therefore!a!region!where!NCC!holds!a!public!contract.!!
2.4$ MultiNcriteria'Analysis'
A!multiHcriteria!analysis!is!a!method!to!compare!different!options!according!to!a!set!of!criteria.! In! this! study,! the! method! is! used! to! develop! a! grading! system! for! the! operation! and! maintenance!of!cycling!paths.!It!can!also!show!regard!to!the!relative!importance!to!some!of! the!criteria,!meaning!some!aspects!are!more!important!than!others.!This!has!been!used!to! integrate!risk!factors!in!the!grades.!!
The! MCA! is! based! on! the! concepts! described! in! “MultiHcriteria$ analysis:$ a$ manual”! (Department!for!Communities!and!Local!Government,!2009).!It!includes!eight!steps!illustrated! in!Figure!2.!The!work!process!of!the!MCA!along!with!the!result!are!presented!in!section!3.3.! ! Figure$2.$Steps$in$the$MCA$based$on$the$methodology$from!Department!for!Communities!and!Local!Government!(2009).$ 2.5$ SWOT'Analysis' The!business!value!of!this!reporting!system!was!examined!through!an!analysis!of!its!strengths,! weaknesses,!opportunities!and!threats!(SWOT).!The!process!was!based!on!the!guide:!SWOT$
Analysis$ –$ Strategy$ Skills! (FME,! 2013).! Strengths! and! weaknesses! are! internal! aspects!
describing! how! the! concept! works! in! favour! or! against! the! company’s! aim.! Treats! and! opportunities!are!positive!and!negative!external!factors!relating!to!the!market!it!operated!in.!!
3$ RESULT'
This!chapter!is!introduced!by!a!description!of!the!pilot!area!Borås!including!the!result!from! the! seminars.! It! will! also! present! the! final! concept! with! through! description! of! the! work! process!of!the!MCA!and!result!of!the!design!and!functions!of!the!reporting!system.!The!final! part!of!the!result!is!a!SWOT!analysis!assessing!the!business!value!of!the!developed!concept.!
3.1$ Borås'as'a'Pilot'Area'
Borås! had! the! year! 2017! a! population! of! 111,000! and! the! city! is! located! 80! km! east! of! Gothenburg!(Lindqvist,!2018).!NCC!is!responsible!for!73,439!km!cycling!paths!in!the!Borås!area! (NCC!Borås,!2013).!Borås!future!vision!for!2025!includes!attractive!and!sustainable!transport! modes!such!as!the!cycle,!and!several!initiatives!are!in!action!to!reach!the!goals!(Olsson!and! Carlson,!2012).!The!cycling!plan!for!Borås!describes!visions!and!priorities!of!different!cycling! paths,!it!also!stated!objectives!for!improving!operation!and!maintenance!of!the!roads.!The! cycling!paths!have!higher!priority!than!the!general!roads!and!specific!measures!such!as!earlier! removal! of! gravel/sand! from! winter! maintenance! are! mentioned.! It! is! also! stated! that! infrastructural!actions!for!the!roads!should!be!coordinated!with!the!cycling!plan!(Tekniska! nämnden,!2017).!! Urban!Talks!is!a!cycling!initiative!in!Borås,!which!includes!a!cycling!kitchen!where!people!can! take!their!bikes!for!selfHservice,!city!tours,!competitions!and!after!bikes!(Karlsson,!2018b).! Another!initiative!is!winter!cyclists,!where!cyclists!are!offered!winter!tires!and!change!of!tires! in!exchange!for!cycling!three!times!a!week!during!the!winter!months!and!give!feedback!on! the!performance!of!the!winter!maintenance!(Larsson,!2017).!! Borås!has!a!system!where!citizens!can!give!service!advice!or!infrastructural!suggestions.!The! system!is!called!“synpunkter$och$felanmälan”$(Viewpoints!and!error!reports),!and!is!available! in!both!webHformat!and!mobile!application.!The!mobile!application!for!androids!has!over!500! installations!and!3.7!in!reviews!from!users!(Google!Play,!2018).!!! The!city!of!Borås!also!collects!statistics!over!the!number!of!cyclists!and!calculate!the!CO2!
•$ Operation!and!maintenance!on!cycling!paths!today! •$ Categories!for!reporting!
•$ How!to!prioritise!and!organise!reports! •$ Communication!with!cyclists!
Operation*and*maintenance*on*cycling*paths*today*
Trafikverket!has!a!digital!map!called!NVDB!(Nationell!vägdatabas,!National!road!data!base).! This! map! displays! roads! in! Sweden! with! data! about! the! responsible! authorities.! This! is! displayed!as!national,!municipal!or!private!which!indicates!how!the!contracts!are!developed! and!not!which!company!that!are!contracted.!It!is!also!possible!to!filter!different!types!of!roads! or!other!properties!in!order!to!find!more!detailed!information.!This!website!is!accessible!for! the!public,!however,!it!serves!as!a!general!geographic!information!system!(GIS)!with!a!lot!of! Trafikverket’s!data!to!navigate!through.!(Trafikverket,!no!date)! Categories*for*reporting* A!list!of!potential!criteria!gathered!from!the!GCMHhandbook,!CROW,!the!contract!for!Borås,! personal!communication!and!papers!on!accidents!related!to!operation!and!maintenance!on! cycling! paths,! were! presented! to! the! NCC! workers! (SKL,! 2010;! Niska! and! Eriksson,! 2013;! Trafikverket,!2013;!CROW,!2016).!Each!criterion!was!discussed!and!categorised.!!
Table$1.$Potential$criteria$for$the$MCA.$(SKL,$2010;$Niska$and$Eriksson,$2013;$Trafikverket,$2013;$CROW,$2016)$$
Ice' Holes' Free'sight' Leafs'
Snow' Vegetation' Edges' Level'
Snow'piles' Cracks' Obstacles' Damage'
Sweeping'
(dirt/sand/gravel)' Wells' Road'markings' Road'Work'
Water' Free'height' Signs' Lamps'
!
Four! main! classes! were! established:! seasonal! (säsong),! surface! (beläggning),! equipment! (vägutrustning)!and!other/improvement!(övrigt/förbättringsförslag).!The!suggested!criteria! were!organised!within!each!class,!creating!the!structure!displayed!in!Table!2.!
Table$2.$Criteria$sorted$into$different$classes.$
Seasonal* Surface* Equipment* Other*
Winter'maintenance' (snow,'ice,'snow' piles)'
Holes' Fence' This'class'includes'all'
faults'that'cannot'be' placed'in'the'other' classes'and'reports' that'lie'outside'of' contract' requirements.''
Sweeping'' Cracks' Bench'
Prioritising*and*organising*of*reports*
The!initial!idea!of!how!to!organise!the!reports!was!to!let!the!cyclists!who!submit!the!reports! chose! the! relevant! category.! Each! category! had! a! predetermined! score! and! weight! which! would!make!up!the!grade!before!it!reaches!the!NCC!workers.!However,!a!discussion!during! the!seminar!led!to!the!conclusion!that!a!more!efficient!and!accurate!way!of!handling!the! reports!was!to!let!NCC!get!a!notification!with!a!picture!showing!the!error!on!the!path.!The! worker!would!directly!know!in!what!category!it!should!be!and!how!important!it!is.!Cyclists! might!confuse!cracks!with!lose!coating,!which!are!handled!separately.!It!will!also!be!easier!for! the!NCC!worker!to!select!whether!a!report!is!within!the!responsibilities!of!NCC,!needs!to!be! discussed!on!the!monthly!meetings!where!action!proposals!are!decided,!or!if!it!should!be! forwarded!to!another!instance.!The!number!of!reports!are!not!expected!to!be!more!than!a! few!each!week,!therefore,!the!time!and!effort!for!managing!reports!should!be!worth!the! information!that!is!given.!To!standardise!the!organisation,!there!will!still!be!preHset!score!and! weights!to!choose!between!for!the!NCC!administrator.!The!order!of!priority!is:!! 1.$ Risk!of!accidents.! 2.$ Action!measures!stated!in!the!contract.!Winter!maintenance!has!highest!priority.!! 3.$ Action!proposals!that!needs!to!be!confirmed!by!stakeholders.!! Actions!with!low!priority!is!removal!of!vegetation!that!infiltrates!the!paths!free!space!(height! and!width).!This!is!due!to!the!low!risk!of!accidents!and!that!the!vegetation!belongs!to!a!private! owner!who!are!responsible!for!trimming.!If!it!is!not!done,!NCC!needs!to!go!in!and!clear!the! free! space.! Other! obstacles! invading! the! path! free! space! up! to! one! meter! outside! of! the! asphalt!(gravel!path)!is!also!included!in!the!responsibilities!but!has!low!priority.! Some!of!the!aspects!in!the!contracts!have!a!timeframe!and!limited!number!of!required!actions! per!year.!These!needs!to!be!taken!in!consideration!in!the!grading!system.!! Communication*with*cyclists* To!make!the!processing!of!reports!as!efficient!as!possible,!it!is!good!to!have!standardised! reports.!If!there!is!a!comment!field!where!the!cyclists!can!fill!in!some!specific!information,!it! should! have! a! limited! word! count.! Also,! the! feedback! to! the! reporter! needs! to! be! nice,! encouraging! and! friendly,! but! preferable! standardised.! It! should! also! include! a! choice! of! getting!updates!of!the!process!of!the!errand.!!!
3.1.2) Seminar'with'cyclists'
This! seminar! was! held! with! six! experienced! and! dedicated! cyclists! in! the! Borås! area.! The! participants!where!contacted!through!a!facebook!group!called!“Cykelnätet$Borås”$(Cycling! network!Borås)!which!included!local!cyclists!that!like!to!cycle!and!are!dedicated!to!promote! cycling!as!a!mode!of!transport.!The!aim!of!this!seminar!was!to!collect!information!on!how!the! users! would! like! to! give! reports! and! receive! feedback.! Only! a! few! questions! were! preH determined!and!the!topics!were!broader!than!for!the!previous!seminar.!Following!sections! reflect!the!cyclists’!point!of!view!of!the!subject!and!should!be!analysed!carefully!considering! the!likelihood!of!bias!opinions.!The!topics!covered!during!this!seminar!were:!!
•$ Similar!systems! •$ Application!features! •$ Design!aspects!! •$ Feedback!! •$ Choice!of!users! Similar*systems* Borås!municipality!has!a!mobile!application!and!website!where!the!public!can!report!errors! or!submit!suggestions!of!improvement.!This!carried!some!flaws,!making!reporting!harder!than! it!needs!to!be.!One!of!the!difficulties!in!using!this!application!is!the!lack!of!GPS!position.!The! user!needs!to!know!the!address!or!locate!the!position!on!a!map!which!is!hard!to!do!on!a!small! screen.!This!application!is!a!general!reporting!system!and!does!not!have!cycling!paths!marked! on!the!map.!Some!of!the!participants!felt!that!the!system!had!not!received!enough!marketing.!! Borås!have!a!project!where!a!special!group!of!35!winter!cyclists!got!winter!tiers!and!service! of!their!bikes!in!exchange!for!reports!on!traveling!by!bike!during!winter!(Larsson,!2017).! Application*features* The!purpose!of!the!application!is!the!reporting!system!which!should!be!the!main!feature.!It! needs!to!be!simple,!quick!and!easy!to!use.!If!the!cyclist!is!in!a!hurry,!it!should!be!possible!to! take! a! picture! of! the! fault! and! upload! it! later.! Some! camera! functions! log! position! in! the! picture!information!which!could!be!useful.! In!order!to!keep!the!users!engaged!and!provide!incentives!to!continue!using!it,!there!is!a!point! to!add!extra!functions.!Different!functions!that!appeared!in!the!discussions!were:!! •$ Functions!that!create!a!sense!of!belonging!such!as!discussion!forums!and!Facebook! groups.!This!was!something!that!one!of!the!members!of!winter!cyclists!missed!in!their! project.!However,!the!previous!year!the!group!declined!the!suggestion!of!having!a! Facebook!group.!It!was!also!suggested!that!a!worker!from!NCC!could!be!included!in! this!type!of!group!or!discussion!to!create!a!link!between!cyclists!and!workers.!! •$ Possibility!to!follow!other!errands.!!
!
Figure$4.$Conceptual$model$of$the$stages$in$the$reporting$system.$
Cyclists!using!NCC!roads!will!report!faults!they!encounter!during!their!travels.!The!reports!are! made! through! a! mobile! application! and! will! consist! of! a! picture! of! the! problem! and! GPS! location.!It!is!possible!to!leave!extra!information!in!a!comment!field.!At!the!main!NCC!office! in!the!area,!an!administrator!will!receive!notifications!about!new!errands.!They!will!organise! the!report!in!to!the!relevant!criteria!and!score!the!problem!based!on!urgency.!! If!the!report!concern!faults!outside!of!contract!boarders,!it!will!be!handled!in!the!grey!zone,! further!explained!in!3.4.2.!Otherwise!it!will!go!through!the!MCA!and!receive!a!grade!based!on! urgency!and!weight.!The!grading!system!is!described!in!section!3.4.!All!errands!will!appear!on! a!digital!map!to!give!an!overview!of!all!the!cycling!paths.!This!will!aid!NCC!in!the!planning! phase!of!operation!and!maintenance!since!similar!problems!can!be!fixed!at!the!same!time,! and!the!problems!that!are!more!urgent!can!be!prioritised.!After!a!problem!has!been!solved,! the!NCC!worker!can!register!it!in!a!mobile!application!or!on!a!website!and!the!errand!on!the! map!will!be!updated.!More!about!the!functions!of!the!reporting!system!are!presented!in! section!3.5.! Throughout!the!process,!the!user!should!be!able!to!follow!the!errand!and!get!notifications! when!the!status!is!updated.!! 3.3$ MultiNcriteria'Analysis'
3.3.1) Establish'context''
The! first! step! of! performing! an! MCA! is! to! decide! its! aim! and! the! stakeholders.! It! is! also! important! to! consider! who! is! going! to! use! it! and! for! what! purpose! (Department! for! Communities!and!Local!Government,!2009).!This!was!done!based!on!the!literature!review,! discussions!with!supervisor!at!NCC!and!interviews!with!people!involved!in!the!subject.! The! aim! of! this! MCA! is! to! give! a! dynamic! overview! of! the! performance! of! cycling! paths,! highlighting! the! needs! for! improvement! in! order! to! increase! the! safety! for! cyclists! and! efficiency!of!the!O&M.!The!focus!of!this!MCA!is!contract!based,!meaning!that!the!criteria!and! weights!are!based!on!the!requirements!described!in!the!contracts!of!the!pilot!area,!Borås.!A! cycling!path!will!be!measured!and!judged!on!the!performance!of!each!criteria!to!achieve!the! set!objective!of!safety!and!to!fulfil!the!contract.!The!input!to!the!criteria!are!based!on!reports! from! cyclists! and! inspection! from! the! municipality! or! NCC! service! workers.! To! make! it! as! inclusive! as! possible,! the! criteria! will! be! complemented! with! information! found! in! other! documents!from!the!literature!review.!!This!will!be!further!explained!in!step!3,!section!2.4.3.!! The!key!players!are!Trafikverket!who!sets!the!standards!for!road!maintenance,!NCC!service! workers,!cyclists!and!the!municipality.!NCC!road!service!workers!are!the!people!that!will!use! the!finalised!MCA.!They!will!use!the!data!in!the!MCA!to!complement!controls!of!the!cycling! paths.!It!will!provide!a!good!overview!of!work!that!needs!to!be!done,!and!the!grade!will!show! them! when! action! is! needed! on! a! particular! road.! This! can! help! them! do! the! work! more! efficient!by!prioritising!and!doing!more!work!at!the!same!time.!
3.3.2) Describe'Options'
Seasonal* Winter*maintenance!is!the!main!part!of!seasonal!work!in!Sweden.!It!involves!clearing!roads! from!snow!by!ploughing,!salting!and!sanding.!When!the!spring!is!approaching,!the!paths!need! to!be!swept!from!gravel!that!has!been!applied!for!friction!during!ice!season.!The!criteria!for! winter!maintenance!are:! •$ Snow:*After!the!snow!volume!has!reached!2!cm,!NCC!has!4!hours!to!act!on!a!road!with! normal!priority!and!2!hours!on!high!priority!roads.!During!night!time!from!20:00H02:00! (normal),! 20:00H04:00! (high),! the! start! criteria! increase! to! 6! cm! (SKL,! 2010;! Trafikverket,!2013).!
•$ Ice:!The!qualitative!measure!for!icy!roads!are!friction!number!which!should!not!exceed! 0.3.!The!difference!in!surface!level!should!not!surpass!1!cm.!The!response!time!is!the! same!as!for!snow.!The!maximum!size!of!gravel!used!for!friction!is!6!mm!(SKL,!2010).! •$ Snow* piles:! Banks! from! snow! clearing! should! not! block! the! sight! in! crossings! or!
constitute!an!obstacle.!!
Sweeping*is!the!next!category!in!line.!To!handle!the!increased!friction!during!winter!season,!
Surface*
Damage* on! the! road! surface! poses! big! risks! of! accidents.! Roads! have! different! quality!
depending! on! the! type! and! volume! of! traffic.! Sometimes! potholes,! cracks,! bumps! or! lose! stones!appear!that!needs!to!be!fixed!to!avoid!accidents.!
•$ Holes:* The! maximum! width! and! depth! of! potholes! are! 5! cm! respective! 2! cm! (Trafikverket,!2013).!! •$ Cracks:*The!maximum!width,!depth!and!length!are!1!cm,!1!cm!respective!20!cm.!During! winter!months!1/10!–!30/4,!the!cracks!are!allowed!to!be!50%!bigger!(Trafikverket,! 2013).! •$ Lose*coating:*When!the!upper!layer!of!the!asphalt!has!become!loose!(Seminar!with! NCC!workers,!2018H05).!! Infrastructure!can!pose!risks!of!accidents!in!the!form!of!subsidence,!high!edges!or!wells!that! are!under!the!surrounding!surface!or!above!it,!creating!a!bump!for!the!cyclist!while!crossing.!! •$ Subsidence:*This!criterion!concerns!the!surface!level!of!the!road.!The!level!will!affect!
the! comfort! of! the! cyclists,! but! can! also! cause! water! gatherings! that! pose! risk! of! accidents,!especially!during!winter!period!if!the!water!freezes!(Niska!and!Eriksson,! 2013;!Seminar!with!NCC!workers,!2018H05).!
3.3.4) Scoring'N'Option'performance'on'all'criteria'
The!performance!of!the!cycling!paths!is!based!on!the!reports!from!cyclists.!The!input!in!form! of!GPS!location!and!a!picture!will!provide!a!qualitative!score!to!the!relevant!criterion.!The! score!system!was!derived!from!the!seminar!with!NCC!workers!(Seminar!with!NCC!workers,! 2018H05).! The! scoring! of! each! criteria! is! qualitative,! where! each! criterion! can! perform! according!to!how!severe!the!damage!is.!Scoring!will!be!made!by!an!NCC!administrator!with! experience!in!the!area.!The!choices!for!each!of!the!criterion!are!described!in!Table!3.! Table$3.$Scoring$options$and$description$for$administration$of$reports.$ Score* Description* 0* Compliant:*Perfect'performance'on'the'road.'This'is'the'score'if'no'reports'in'the'criterion'are'filed.'' 0*
Does* not* meet* contract* requirements:'This' option' will' forward' the' information'to'the'“grey'zone”'where'reports'that'are'not'directly'within' NCC'requirements'will'go.'It'can'either'end'up'as'action'proposals'or'be' listed'as'a'potential'future'problem.'This'gives'NCC'the'possibility'to'be' proactive.''
1* Needs*attention:does'not'pose'an'immediate'threat.''When'the'fault'is'within'NCC’s'contract'requirement'but'' 2* Severe:and'pose'risk'for'accidents.''When'a'fault'carries'risk'of'further'degradation'of'the'road'quality'' 3* Very* Severe:further'degradation'of'the'road'and'surrounding'environment.'A' fault' that' poses' immediate' threats' for' road' users' and''
Table$5.$Weights$distributed$over$criteria$and$classes.$
Class* Type*of*O&M* Criteria*
Risk* %'related'to'the' accident' (Niska'and'Eriksson,' 2013)! Contract* Mentioned'in'contract' (Trafikverket,'2014;' Seminar'with'NCC' workers,'2018N05)! Weight* Seasonal* Winter'
maintenance' Snow'Ice' 20'%'20'%' '' 3!3!
Snow'piles' H$ ' ' 1!
Sweeping' Gravel' 10'%' ' 3!
Leaves' 2'%' N' 1!
Dust/trash' H$ ' H$ ' 1!
Vegetation'
&'water' Vegetation'Water' H$ 'H$ ' '' 1!1!
' ' ' ' ' ! Surface' Road' subsidence' Holes' 8'%' ' 2! Cracks' 8'%' ' 2! Lose'coating'' H$ ' ' 1! Infrastructure' Subsidence' 8'%' ' 2! Well' H$ ' ' 1! Edges' 3'%' H$ ' 1! ' ' ' ' ' ' Equipment' Repair' Fence' H$ ' N' 1! Bench' H$ ' N' 1! Signs' H$ ' N' 1! Road'markings' H$ ' N' 1! Lamps' 1'%' N' 1! ' ' ' ' ' '
Other' Obstacles' Foreign'objects' 3'%' ' 2!
3.3.7) Examine'Results' The!result!of!the!MCA!is!a!weighted!score!that!will!be!marked!on!a!digital!map!or!shown!in!a! list.!The!weighted!score!will!indicate!the!priority!of!the!errand!making!it!more!efficient!for!the! administrator!to!organise!operation!and!maintenance!on!the!cycling!paths.!! In!order!to!examine!the!result!of!the!chosen!criteria,!scores!and!weights,!the!weighted!score! was!calculated!in!an!excel!file.!Usually,!all!weighted!scores!for!the!criteria!are!summarised!for! one!option!to!give!an!overall!score!(Department!for!Communities!and!Local!Government,! 2009).!However,!in!this!case,!the!criteria!can!act!independently!of!each!other.!The!aim!of!the! O&M!of!the!cycling!paths!is!to!score!0!on!all!criteria.!Therefore,!this!MCA!will!evaluate!the! criteria!independently,!giving!an!errand!a!colour!coded!ring!that!appears!on!the!map.!The! colour!coding!of!weighted!scores!are!shown!in!Table!6!and!it!is!based!on!the!scoring!option! performance!displayed!in!Table!3.!! Table$6.$Colour$coding,$symbol$and$description$of$weighted$scores.$At$perfect$performance$on$a$cycling$path,$no$symbol$will$ show.$The$aim$is$to$have$no$symbols$displayed$on$a$road.$
Weighted'Score' Description' Symbol'
0! Perfect'performance' !$ 0! Grey'zone'' !$ 1H2! Needs'attention'' !$ 3H5! Severe'' !$ 6H9! Very'Severe' !$ ! 3.3.8) Sensitivity'Analysis'
A! sensitivity! analysis! was! conducted! throughout! the! MCA! process,! making! it! necessary! to! repeat!previous!steps!of!the!MCA.!Step!4,!5!and!6!were!iterated,!adjusting!the!scoring!system! and!weights!to!produce!results!that!are!in!line!with!the!MCA!aim.!!!
Documentation! is! good! for! statistics.! By! storing! data! on! the! reports! and! work,! the! NCC! administrators! will! get! better! understanding! on! what! is! required! on! different! roads.! The! documentation!can!also!be!used!to!follow!the!quality!of!a!road.!How!often!problems!occur,! how! they! are! solved,! if! repairs! in! the! asphalts! hold,! etc.! NCC! can! use! this! knowledge! to! increase!their!road!quality!and!making!more!efficient!and!long!term!sustainable!solutions.! This!provide!transparency!in!the!operation!and!maintenance!work!which!could!be!a!benefit! in!future!procurements.!!
3.4.2) The'Grey'Zone'
It! is! expected! that! several! reports! will! concern! faults! outside! of! NCC’s! responsibilities.! Therefore,!the!system!will!include!a!“grey!zone”!where!information!is!handled!separately.!The! grey!zone!is!illustrated!in!Figure!4.! When!a!report!refers!to!action!measures!that!are!within!NCC!care,!but!needs!to!be!approved! by!Trafikverket,!they!will!go!under!this!category.!These!could!be!measures!that!are!limited!to! only!a!certain!number!per!year!or!with!time!frames!that!have!expired.!It!is!also!possible!that! the!errand!concern!bigger!measures!that!are!not!preHpaid!and!needs!to!be!approved!by!the! contract!holder.!Action!measures!are!suggested!with!a!price!tag!which!needs!to!be!approved! by!Trafikverket!before!action!is!taken!(Seminar!with!NCC!workers,!2018H05).!Either!it!gets! approved!and!are!moved!to!the!planning!phase,!or!it!is!dismissed.!When!it!is!dismissed!and! removed!from!the!system,!feedback!will!be!given!back!to!the!reporter!if!he/she!asked!for!it.!!!! This! system! will! collect! data! on! the! performance! on! different! roads.! Data! is! valuable! and! depending!on!the!efficiency!of!the!system,!there!might!be!business!opportunities!in!selling! data.!If!reports!concerns!faults!that!is!outside!of!NCC!responsibilities,!they!can!directly!be! forwarded!to!Viewpoints$and$error$reports!for!the!City!of!Borås!(Karlsson,!2018a).!In!this!case,! the!reporter!will!get!feedback!that!the!errand!is!handled!by!another!instance.!To!make!the! forwarding!system!efficient!for!the!administrator!at!NCC,!the!website!should!have!a!function! where!reports!are!compiled!to!PDFs!that!can!be!forwarded!by!email!to!Borås!Stad.!Today,!the! only!way!to!leave!reports!is!to!choose!category,!location!and!attach!photos.!Therefore,!there! must!be!a!communication!between!NCC!administration!and!the!municipality!of!Borås!about! how!to!handle!this.!!
Occasionally,! reports! on! bigger! infrastructural! changes! that! are! relevant! for! NCC! business! plans.! These! reports! will! be! stored! separately! to! be! used! in! planning! proposals! for! procurements.!Since!action!measures!will!be!further!in!the!future,!the!reporter!should!get! feedback!about!this.!!
3.5$ Application'Design'
3.5.1) Cyclist'Perspective'
After!the!picture!of!the!problem!and!its!location!is!uploaded,!the!user!can!choose!if!he/she! wants!to!receive!feedback!in!the!form!of!notifications!about!progress!in!the!errand.!If!he/she! decide!not!to!receive!notifications,!it!is!still!possible!to!see!the!progress!of!a!report!in!the! “View!Errand”!function,!see!left!side!of!Figure!8.!
Engaging*the*User*
It! is! important! that! the! cyclists! stay! engaged! for! NCC! to! rely! on! their! reports! to! support! inspections.!Feedback!will!be!given!in!up!to!five!stages:!
1.$ After!a!report!is!made!the!cyclist!will!receive!a!thank!you!note.!!
2.$ When!the!errand!has!been!seen!by!NCC!administrator!an!eye!icon!will!appear!on!the! side! of! the! report! indicating! that! it! has! been! received! by! NCC! and! is! now! under! processing.!This!is!illustrated!in!Figure!8.!
3.$ After!the!report!has!been!categorised,!in!either!the!MCA!for!grading!or!the!grey!zone! (see! section! 0),! the! cyclist! will! get! a! notification! about! whether! it! is! in! NCC! responsibilities,! needs! to! be! approved! by! Trafikverket! or! forwarded! to! another! instance.!!
4.$ If!the!report!is!dismissed!for!some!reason!or!if!a!maintenance!operation!is!scheduled,! this!will!be!shown!in!the!side!of!the!report!with!an!icon!and!time!of!maintenance.!! 5.$ When! the! problem! is! solved,! the! cyclists! will! get! a! notification! about! this! and! an!
opportunity!to!rate!the!process.!This!will!help!to!improve!the!system.!
! Figure$9.$Illustration$of$a$website$for$administration$of$reports.$The$map$shows$an$area$with$cycling$paths$included$in$the$ contract$between$NCC$and$Trafikverket$for$Borås$(Map!over!NCC!cycling!paths!in!Vårgårda,!2013).$The$pictures$of$cracks$in$ the$road$are$examples$take$from$other$location$to$illustrate$the$concept$and$do$not$represent$the$current$state$of$the$road.$$ NCC*Mobile*Application* The!contracts!between!NCC!and!Trafikverket!include!specified!intervals!of!inspection.!In!the! case!of!Borås,!the!cycling!paths!need!to!be!controlled!every!7th!day!(Trafikverket,!2013).!This! reporting! system! will! work! as! a! complement! to! the! standard! inspections,! and! should! not! replace!them!completely.!This!is!supported!by!Ljungblad!and!Zajc!(2014),!who!states!the!risk! of!some!areas!being!overrepresented!by!a!certain!type!of!users,!while!other!are!forgotten.! Therefore,!the!application!for!NCC!workers!will!also!include!their!inspection!protocol,!making! it!easy!for!them!to!directly!register!faults.!!!
3.6$ SWOTNAnalysis' To!determine!the!business!value!of!the!system,!an!analysis!of!the!strengths,!weaknesses,! opportunities!and!threats!are!presented!here.!The!SWOT!analysis!will!act!as!guidelines!for! future!implementation!of!this!system.! 3.6.1) Strengths'' The!main!strength!of!this!reporting!system!is!improved!efficiency!of!inspection!of!the!cycling! paths.!Inspections!today!are!mostly!done!by!car!from!the!car!road!with!the!risk!of!missing! details!that!pose!risk!of!accidents.!By!using!the!eyes!of!cyclists!traveling!the!road!daily,!NCC! workers!will!get!information!about!faults!on!the!road!quicker!but!also!more!accurate.!This!will! improve!the!road!quality!and!safety!of!the!cyclists.!With!the!MCA!system,!the!NCC!workers! will! get! a! better! overview! of! the! road! quality,! aiding! the! planning! and! organisation! of! maintenance!work.!The!improved!road!quality!will!result!in!reduced!risk!of!accidents.!!
4$ DISCUSSION'
Borås! was! chosen! as! the! pilot! area! because! of! the! contract! with! Trafikverket,! their! membership!in!Svenska!Cykelstäder!and!the!sufficient!information!provided!by!enthusiastic! NCC!workers.!The!municipality!shows!interest!to!improve!cycling!infrastructure!in!their!cycling! report!and!different!initiatives,!although,!it!is!not!known!for!being!a!typical!cycling!city.!Hence,! it!is!possible!that!other!cities!might!have!more!cyclists!and!better!preconditions!for!a!pilot! project.!!
The! literature! study! showed! the! importance! of! involving! the! public! in! the! operation! and! maintenance!of!the!cycling!paths.!This!was!also!supported!by!the!seminar!with!interests!from! cyclists,!and!NCC!workers!who!saw!inspection!as!an!area!of!improvement.!This!study!has!been! based!on!the!pilot!area!Borås,!and!the!main!part!of!the!result!has!been!based!on!result!from! the!seminars!held!with!participants!in!the!area.!The!seminar!with!NCC!workers!in!Borås!gave! much! insight! in! the! current! work! process! and! the! potential! of! a! new! system.! However,! consulting!with!other!people!in!this!line!of!work!might!show!deviant!results!due!to!different! interests.! The! group! of! cyclists! in! the! seminar! consisted! of! six! people,! who! might! not! be! representative!for!the!users!of!the!relevant!cycling!paths.!Therefore,!the!result!of!this!study! will! not! be! directly! transferable! to! other! areas.! To! increase! the! transferability,! each! new! region! that! will! adapt! this! system! must! look! over! the! criteria! and! weights.! Although! this! concept!is!based!on!general!Swedish!guides!such!as!GCMHhandbook,!and!has!considered!a! contract! with! Trafikverket! that! is! expected! to! be! more! general! than! local! contracts! with! municipalities,! several! criteria! are! determined! from! the! Borås! contract! and! seminar.! Therefore,!it!is!necessary!to!repeat!seminars!which!could!give!different!result!and!request!for! the! system.! Because! of! the! shortage! of! time,! there! was! no! follow! up! session! with! the! participants!of!the!seminar!that!could!have!improved!the!results!further.!!
Reports!that!are!not!managed!within!the!MCA,!but!instead!are!handled!in!the!Grey!Zone!will! also! differ! between! places.! In! Borås! and! many! other! municipalities,! there! are! reporting! systems!for!problems!with!infrastructure!that!might!be!possible!to!integrate!with!this!concept! or!just!forward!information!to,!if!it!is!outside!of!NCC!responsibilities.!Some!municipalities! might! not! have! an! established! reporting! system,! requiring! another! type! of! contact! with! adjacent!road!managers.!It!is!important!that!issues!reported!to!NCC!are!managed!in!some! way!even!if!someone!else!is!responsible.!!
The! grading! system! is! based! on! the! weight! of! a! criterion! and! the! urgency! of! the! report.! Combined,!they!give!the!errand!a!colour!coded!priority.!The!efficiency!of!the!combined!weight! and!score!compared!to!only!having!score!has!not!been!further!investigated!in!this!study.!It!is! possible!to!just!neglect!the!weight!and!only!use!the!threeHscale!scoring!system!to!priorities! the! problem.! To! improve! the! usefulness! of! the! system,! the! NCC! workers! could! integrate! information!about!how!the!different!faults!are!managed,!which!can!be!selected!directly!in!the! administration!phase.!!
response!to!save!time.!The!gamification!feature!suggested!to!personalise!the!feedback!system! might!have!different!impact!on!the!engagement!of!the!cyclists,!depending!on!the!choice!of! user!group.! Different!types!of!roads!and!infrastructure!are!not!included!in!the!criteria,!resulting!in!asphalt! roads!are!measured!the!same!as!a!road!with!gravel.!This!could!affect!the!weight!of!the!criteria! and!the!difference!will!be!essential!in!some!reports.!A!further!investigation!on!how!to!divide! different!roads!could!be!beneficial.!In!the!Borås!contract,!all!cycling!paths!have!the!same! priority,!but!in!other!contracts,!some!paths!have!higher!priority!that!need!to!be!included!in! the!grading!system!as!well.!All!faults!on!cycling!paths!are!managed!in!the!same!way!as!on!a! road!for!all!traffic,!this!application!could!be!extended!to!include!other!roads!and!traffic!modes.!! The!examples!of!the!application!and!website!design!are!only!to!illustrate!the!concept!with! different!features.!When!the!system!is!programmed,!functions!will!be!adjusted!to!achieve! sufficient! reliability.! It! is! important! to! keep! the! simplicity! and! userHfriendly! interface.! The! concept!of!“less!is!more”!should!be!kept!in!mind!in!the!programming!phase.!It!is!important! that!the!programmer!has!good!experience!in!order!to!get!a!functioning!reporting!system.! Many! of! current! reporting! systems! have! received! low! reviews! due! to! technical! malfunctioning.!!
In!order!to!realize!this!concept,!a!few!steps!are!needed.!This!thesis!has!only!determined!the! business! value! of! this! application! through! a! brief! SWOT! analysis.! To! continue! this! idea,! a! thorough! business! model! with! economic! evaluation! should! be! developed.! The! economic! value!of!time!saved!from!inspections!and!prevention!of!accidents!should!be!investigated.! It!is!becoming!a!trend!for!municipalities!to!follow!a!group!of!cyclists!during!wintertime!and! get! their! view! of! cycling! infrastructure! and! maintenance! during! the! winter! period.! Cooperation! with! this! winter! project! could! provide! a! dedicated! group! of! cyclists! that! are! already! engaged.! Using! a! small! specific! group! of! users! put! more! pressure! on! NCC! to! give! something!back,!an!incentive!in!form!of!discounts,!products!or!service.!A!small!focus!group! will!be!easier!to!inform!in!how!to!use!the!application!and!it!will!also!be!possible!to!ask!more! of!them.!Offering!the!public!to!use!this!application!will!come!with!the!threat!of!angry!cyclists! using!the!application!for!complaining!instead!of!giving!productive!reports.!Connecting!this! reporting! system! with! an! established! application! will! make! it! easier! to! find! users.! No! estimation!has!been!made!on!the!expected!number!of!reports.!Depending!on!the!focus!group! of!cyclists,!this!will!vary.!!
5$ CONCLUSION'
The!concept!developed!in!this!project!will!be!used!by!NCC!workers!to!improve!the!efficiency! and!quality!of!their!operation!and!maintenance!of!cycling!paths.!Cyclists!will!report!faults!that! are!problematic!from!their!perspective!and!criteria!that!not!only!concern!requirements!in!the! contracts,!but!also!relate!to!risk!factors!will!be!included!in!this!system.!To!highlight!the!risks! of!accidents,!a!grading!system!was!developed!to!help!the!administrators!to!prioritise!different! errands.!The!intention!is!to!avoid!O&M!related!accidents!on!the!cycling!paths!by!paying!more! attention!to!the!cyclist’s!needs.! Several!suggestions!that!could!involve!and!engage!users!to!participate!in!the!inspections!were! made.!However,!which!type!of!incentives!to!use!in!order!to!attract!cyclists,!depend!on!the! next!step!in!the!process!to!implement!this!system.!As!mentioned!in!the!discussion,!there! might!be!other!operation!areas!that!have!better!preHconditions!for!conducting!a!pilot!project.! The!local!initiatives!and!adjacent!road!managers!will!be!essential!for!the!choice!of!users!and! required!incentives.!!A! final! recommendation! from! this! project! is! to! create! a! system! with! the! intention! to! collaborate! with! local! initiatives! and! stakeholders.! It! is! essential! to! have! a! good! communication!with!all!participants,!also!the!cyclists.!!This!will!give!the!system!a!higher!quality! and! better! foundation! for! success.! It! also! reduces! the! only! external! threat! of! already! established!reporting!system.!!
It!is!important!to!keep!in!mind!that!the!value!of!this!concept!lay!in!increased!efficiency!and! quality!of!operation!and!maintenance!of!cycling!path!that!will!lead!to!a!safer!environment!for! the!citizens.!!!
APPENDIX'A.''
!
Collected!symbols!used!in!the!illustrations!in!this!report.!
