Cykelforskare i fokus - Mads Paulsen, DTU

Cykelcentrums uppdrag är att stärka cykelforskningen nationellt. Som en del i det arbetet har vi en serie presentationer av cykelforskare i Sverige. Eftersom vi samverkar med våra goda grannar i Norge och Danmark också så har vi även representanter därifrån i vårt nätverk. Idag presenterar vi t.ex. Mads Paulsen, DTU i Danmark. Du hittar fler porträtt på vår hemsida under fliken "Nätverk".

Vi har frågat Mads vad som behövs för att nå målet om ökad och säker cykling. Han svarar:

– I believe that the greatest obstacle for increased and safe cycling is the one-sided prioritization of cars over all other modes of transport. Imagine how much space we could have for cyclists and pedestrians, if driving at high speed in a space wasting car was no longer deemed as a human right. Cities could be formed without an abundance of traffic lights. The infrastructure would be wide enough to accommodate efficient and less stressed bicycle traffic. The severity of accidents would be reduced dramatically. The air we breathe would be cleaner. Noise levels will be lowered almost nothing, etc.

Therefore, I think it is of utmost importance for us as researchers to provide a foundation, that can be presented to politicians and other decision makers, showing that there is indeed an alternative. And that this alternative still allows high quality mobility. Bicycle traffic allows a much higher traffic flow per space than car traffic. And if we dared to, we could design our cities such that bicycle traffic would be much more effortless and smooth than it is now. I would love to live in a city where this was the case. And with the experience from other cities where steps in such direction have been taken in mind, I am quite confident that this would lead to a much higher and happier share of cyclists.

My name is Mads Paulsen and I am a postdoc at the Transport Division at Technical University of Denmark, DTU. My research deals with large-scale modelling of complex transport systems, often through detailed modelling of individual behavior within agent-based simulation. I have a particular interest in algorithms used in traffic assignment, and have published several articles on development, implementation, and large-scale application of such models within bicycle.