Network Motif Analysis of Public Bicycle Usage in Seoul: A Comparison between High and Low Usage Districts

Yubin Jung; Junyong Choi

doi:10.7470/jkst.2025.43.6.801

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2025 Vol.43, Issue 6 Preview Page Next Page

Article

Network Motif Analysis of Public Bicycle Usage in Seoul: A Comparison between High and Low Usage Districts 네트워크 모티프 분석을 활용한 서울시 자치구 공공자전거 이용 구조 비교: 따릉이 사용 상하위 자치구 비교를 중심으로

31 December 2025. pp. 801-814

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Abstract

Seoul’s public bicycle service ‘Seoul Bike’ has been expanding as an eco-friendly mode of transportation, aiming to alleviate traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public health. Previous studies have mainly evaluated the importance of individual stations using centrality measures in social network analysis. However, centrality measures often fail to capture the overall network structure represented by repeated travel patterns. To address this gap, this study introduces network motif analysis to compare the structural characteristics between high- and low-usage districts in Seoul’s public bicycle network. Network motifs are subgraphs defined as small, recurring connection patterns that occur at different frequencies compared to randomized networks and serve as the fundamental building blocks of complex networks. Using weekday rental and return records from September to October 2024, this study compared the bicycle-sharing networks of three high-usage districts (Gangseo-gu, Yangcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu) and three low-usage districts (Gangnam-gu, Gwanak-gu, Seongbuk-gu). The results indicate that cyclic motifs, representing reciprocal connections, dominated both groups, whereas simple or one-way connection types were relatively rare. Nevertheless, we can observe distinct tendencies: high-usage districts exhibited a greater proportion of cyclic and bidirectional structures forming cohesive intra-district flows, while low-usage districts displayed hub-like patterns where flows were concentrated toward particular nodes. These findings suggest that the spatial layout and travel demand conditions influence the structural formation and interaction dynamics of the public bicycle network. By applying network motif analysis, this study provides an analytical framework for identifying structurally meaningful and recurrent connection patterns within Seoul’s public bicycle system, offering insights for its operational management and station planning.

Keywords

bike sharing system

mobility

mobility pattern

network motif

public bicycle

서울특별시 공공자전거 서비스 ‘따릉이’는 교통 혼잡 완화, 온실가스 감축, 시민 건강 증진을 목적으로 운영되고 있다. 기존 연구는 사회 네트워크 분석을 통해 개별 정류소의 중심성을 평가하는 데 집중하였으나, 네트워크 전반에서 반복적으로 형성되는 구조적 패턴을 설명하는 데에는 한계가 있었다. 본 연구는 이러한 한계를 보완하기 위해 네트워크 모티프 분석을 도입하여, 2024년 9~10월 평일 데이터를 기반으로 서울시 공공자전거 이용 상위(강서, 양천, 영등포)와 하위(강남, 관악, 성북) 자치구의 네트워크 구조를 비교하였다. 분석 결과, 상하위 자치구 모두에서 순환적 연결을 반영하는 모티프가 안정적으로 나타났으나 단순하거나 제한적인 연결 구조는 거의 드러나지 않았다. 그러나 세부적으로는 상위 자치구에서 복합적이고 순환적인 구조가 일관되게 형성된 반면, 하위 자치구에서는 단순 연쇄 구조가 일부 강조되거나 특정 모티프에서 자치구별 차이가 크게 나타났다. 구조 범주별로 보면, 상위 자치구는 단순형이 거의 관찰되지 않고 허브형과 순환형이 반복적으로 나타나 일관된 생활권 연결망을 형성하였다. 반면 하위 자치구는 생활인구 규모에 비해 이용률이 낮아 모티프별 차이가 크게 드러났으며, 자치구별로 상이한 구조적 특성이 확인되었다. 관악구는 순환형이 두드러지게 강조된 반면, 강남구는 허브형이 뚜렷하고 순환형은 일부에 그쳤으며, 성북구는 특정 구조가 압도적으로 부각되지 않고 여러 유형이 고르게 분포하였다. 본 연구는 자치구 간 네트워크 구성 차이를 식별하고, 공공자전거 네트워크의 구조와 기능을 입체적으로 진단할 수 있는 분석 틀을 제시하였다. 네트워크 모티프 분석을 통해 향후 정류소 배치, 자전거 재배치, 대중교통 연계 강화 등 운영 전략 수립에 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있다.

키워드

공유자전거

모빌리티

이동 패턴

네트워크 모티프

공공자전거

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Information

Publisher :Korean Society of Transportation
Publisher(Ko) :대한교통학회
Journal Title :Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
Journal Title(Ko) :대한교통학회지
Volume : 43
No :6
Pages :801-814
Received Date : 2025-08-20
Revised Date : 2025-09-11
Accepted Date : 2025-10-22
DOI :https://doi.org/10.7470/jkst.2025.43.6.801

Journal of Korean Society of Transportation ISSN:1229-1366(Print) 2234-4217(Online) 대한교통학회지

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