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Urban mobility has undergone a transformation with the advent of micromobility vehicles, leading to a multitude of studies investigating the factors that drive early adoption and the sustainability and equity implications. However, in a context where local administrations struggle regarding how to fit different micromobility systems within the urban ecosystem, little is understood about how political regulations impact micromobility users' modal choices This study aims to shed light on the differences between private e-scooters and shared bikes in Barcelona, a city where micromobility options face distinct regulatory frameworks, and also to understand the factors that influence an individual's choice between these two modes of micromobility. The study employs a self-reported intercept survey on 651 micromobility users and builds a logistic binary regression model to examine the characteristics that differentiate e-scooter and shared bike adopters. Results indicate notable differences between adopters of the two modes and suggest that city regulations might play a role in determining the choice of mode. Furthermore, the study finds that while both modes follow similar mode replacement paths, shared bikes have a higher potential to keep users away from cars. These findings contribute to the limited knowledge on the choice between different modes of micromobility and highlight the impact of policy design on diverse population groups. As more cities are banning free-floating from city centres, it is essential to understand how these selective bans and restrictive policies have an impact on micromobility users' modal choices. • Gender and age gap are confirmed to exist in emerging mobility services usage. • Socioeconomic differences might be partially explained by the city restrictive regulatory framework. • Shared bikes might have a higher potential than private e-scooters to keep users away from the car in the long term. • Environmental and social sustainability of micromobility modes is questioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility in cities is changing with the appearance of electric micro-mobilities (EMMs), i.e. e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds. We conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of EMM use on the health of Barcelona adults. Assuming a 5% (S1) and 10% (S2) increase in EMM use, we modelled changes in physical activity (PA), personal air pollution exposure and the risk of fatal traffic accidents. We estimated attributable mortality and morbidity burdens. Health impacts depended on the specific mode shift studied. For S1 and S2, respectively, shifting from cars and motorcycles to EMMs translated into 13 (95% CI: 10;16) (0.13%) and 26 (95% CI: 20;32) (0.25%) preventable deaths annually. Shifting from walking and cycling to EMMs, translated into 17 (95% CI: 20;15) (0.16%) and 35 (95% CI: 41;29) (0.34%) additional deaths annually. Shifting from public transport to e-bikes and e-scooters resulted in 23 (95% CI: 34;12) (0.22%) and 46 (95% CI: 67;24) (0.44%), and 4 (95% CI: 5;3) (0.04%) and 8 (95% CI: 10;5) (0.08%) preventable deaths, respectively, while shifting to e-mopeds resulted in 7 (95% CI: 5;9) (0.07%) and 14 (95% CI: 9;18) (0.14%) additional deaths annually. The gain/loss of PA when shifting from passive/active transport modes to EMMs, contributed strongly to the overall health impact and outweighed air pollution and traffic accident impacts. Trends for morbidity outcomes were similar. If mode shifts happen from passive transport modes, EMMs can provide health (and environmental) benefits. • An increase in electric micromobility (EMM) (i.e. e-bike/e-scooter/e-moped) is expected • We studied health impacts of a 5% (S1) and 10% (S2) EMM increase in Barcelona • Shifting from cars and motorcycles to EMMs led to 13 (S1)/26 (S2) preventable deaths annually • Shifting from walking and cycling to EMMs led to 17 (S1)/35 (S2) additional deaths annually • EMM use can be beneficial for health if mode shifts occur from passive transport modes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical neighborhood attributes such as greenness, walkability and environmental pollution may have an influence on people's behavior and health. It has been claimed that part of such effects may come from the promotion of physical activity and the strengthening of social cohesion. In this study, we recruited samples of pregnant women in two Spanish cities (Donostia-San Sebastián, 440 participants and Barcelona, 360 participants) who filled in a questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for 1 week during the first trimester of pregnancy. The influence of perceived residential greenness, walkability and environmental pollution on mental health (GHQ-12) was tested in two structural equation models that included light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and social cohesion as mediators. Two solutions showing excellent and good fits (Donostia-San Sebastián: X 2(3) = 2.56, p =.465, CFI = 1, RMSEA < 0.001; Barcelona: X 2(6) = 4.86, p =.566, CFI = 1, RMSEA = 0.048) consistently showed that neighborhood attributes promote mental health through social cohesion in the two cities. Stratified analyses revealed that the social cohesion-mental health effect was only statistically significant for low and medium socioeconomic status groups in the Donostia-San Sebastián sample. Pathways through physical activity were not confirmed. • Perceived neighborhood attributes predicted social cohesion in two Spanish cities. • Social cohesion (SC) mediated their effect on mental health during pregnancy. • Light and moderate to vigorous physical activity were not significant mediators. • SC – mental health relation was clearer for low and medium SES participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]