Strategic Evaluation of Cycling Infrastructure in Emerging Contexts: A Case Study of High-Capacity Corridors in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Strategic Evaluation of Cycling Infrastructure in Emerging Contexts: A Case Study of High-Capacity Corridors in Ljubljana, Slovenia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Strategic Evaluation of Cycling Infrastructure in Emerging Contexts: A Case Study of High-Capacity Corridors in Ljubljana, Slovenia Irena Strnad Trček, Robert Rijavec This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7346285/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper presents a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of proposed high-capacity cycling corridors in the wider Ljubljana area, representing the first such evaluation in Slovenia, where comparable infrastructure has not yet been implemented. The low baseline cycling demand presents methodological challenges for accurately forecasting user response. To address this, a discrete mode choice model calibrated with regional data was applied to estimate modal shifts from private car and public transport to cycling, based primarily on anticipated travel time savings. Long-term projections incorporate behavioral responses to improved infrastructure, such as enhanced comfort, continuity, and perceived safety. The analysis accounts for capital investment, land acquisition, maintenance, and renewal costs, while quantifying external benefits including public health improvements, reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, and travel time savings. Conservative assumptions were applied throughout, and a detailed sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of results under alternative cost and uptake scenarios. Findings indicate that the investment shows positive economic performance under the baseline and in most tested scenarios, with greater sensitivity to demand-side parameters than to cost variations. These results highlight the importance of integrating infrastructure planning with complementary policy measures to stimulate early adoption and maximize societal benefits. The study proposes a framework that could be transferable for the appraisal of transformative cycling infrastructure and contributes to the growing body of evidence on active mobility in emerging markets, particularly within Central and Eastern Europe. cost-benefit analysis cycling infrastructure sustainable mobility transport planning Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7346285","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":526320511,"identity":"c2b9fa75-43fe-46c7-b98e-5cfbd15bb436","order_by":0,"name":"Irena Strnad Trček","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNmSOxAcbCOMAQwFQghm/FgkQITkjDabFALcWuAUgQponDcY3wK2UT/rwsQc/GOrqzGc3P7xtk1Br1yCRexBoCx+DfDsOh/GlpRv2MByWkLlzzNg6J+F4coNEXgLYYQaHcWjh4TGT4GE4ICEhkWAmnfvjWDKDRI7B4T8gLbi8z8P/TfIPQx1QS/o3aYsEiBawLfLNOG1hk+ZhYAZqyTGTZkiosYNrYcDpMDYzaRmDw5IzJHKKLXsSDiSw8bwBa+HB5Rf5HuZnkm8q6viBDtt440dCnT0/e47xB4aKY3Ly/Qew6wEDRCwcTmyDMI7x4FGPAursoYwaYnWMglEwCkbB8AcAJURJZLodi/YAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Irena","middleName":"Strnad","lastName":"Trček","suffix":""},{"id":526320512,"identity":"775e56bc-f0d4-4ef3-a804-2addaf5b9a3c","order_by":1,"name":"Robert Rijavec","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Robert","middleName":"","lastName":"Rijavec","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-11 12:23:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7346285/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7346285/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93585608,"identity":"1aadf45f-599c-438f-8bbb-125c80143d12","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-15 11:19:33","extension":"json","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":5076,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"723923f778ee4df4913b0e187b67589c.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7346285/v1/554d56ac00d624eea1ff4c8b.json"},{"id":93586487,"identity":"4123f742-81bc-4a36-b19d-cce8018175c0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-15 11:27:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1294868,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"StrategicEvaluationofCyclingInfrastructureinEmergingContextsACaseStudyofHighCapacityCorridorsinLjubljanaSlovenia.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7346285/v1_covered_c4a34a15-0fbb-49d0-b454-5f8f06abeb7b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Strategic Evaluation of Cycling Infrastructure in Emerging Contexts: A Case Study of High-Capacity Corridors in Ljubljana, Slovenia","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"cost-benefit analysis, cycling infrastructure, sustainable mobility, transport planning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7346285/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7346285/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This paper presents a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of proposed high-capacity cycling corridors in the wider Ljubljana area, representing the first such evaluation in Slovenia, where comparable infrastructure has not yet been implemented. 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