UCD researchers are looking to assess cycling infrastructure safety using wearable sensors and cameras are seeking parents to volunteer to wear the devices while cycling their children to school.
The devices will match stress levels to locations and look at the causes, such as gaps in cycling infrastructure or poorly designed cycle paths or road user behaviour.
“The SHIFT project is researching ways of monitoring stress levels in people cycling, especially parents cycling their children to school, with a view to identifying locations and behaviours that induce stress and may deter people from cycling,” said Ciarán Ferrie, a founder of the I Bike Dublin campaign group, is a ‘Societal Impact Champion’ for the project.
He said: “The hope is that local authorities and local communities can use this data to work together to identify priorities for road safety interventions. We have been examining various wearable devices that can help to monitor stress levels and are now looking for volunteers to test the devices in real-life situations.”
The SHIFT, or Sustainable and Healthy InFrastructure by reducing stress during active Travel project, is looking for parents to take part in a week of cycling their children to school with the equipment and a short review of personal observations.
The University College Dublin project is being led by Dr Anna Molter, an environmental epidemiologist, and the co-lead is Prof Brian Caulfield, a professor of physiotherapy and a principal investigator at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at UCD.
The project is part of the Research Ireland (formally Science Foundation Ireland) National Challenge Fund, which is funded by the EU.
Parents who want to participate should contact Nakisa Soltani using the details below.