A 'bikeability index' to get people biking

Meghan Winters and Michael Brauer and Eleanor Setton and Kay Teschke, "Mapping Bikeability: A Spatial Tool to Support Sustainable Travel," Environment and Planning B 40 (2013): 5

The take-away: The authors derive a “bikeability index” from five factors: bicycle facility availability, bicycle facility quality, street connectivity, topography, and land use. It is designed as a broadly applicable tool for cities interested in leveraging micro-level built form to encourage cycling.

Abstract

For mapping purposes, we created corresponding metrics: density of bicycle facilities; separation from motor vehicle traffic; connectivity of bicycle-friendly roads (local streets, bicycle routes, and off-street paths); slope; and density of destination locations. Using empirical evidence to combine data layers for these metrics we generated a high-resolution (10 m) bikeability surface for the region, depicting bicycle-friendly areas and areas where cycling conditions need to be improved. Built environment interventions for specific locations are informed by evaluating scores for the five individual component layers. Mapping bikeability provides a powerful visual aid to identify zones where changes are needed to support sustainable travel. This evidence-based tool presents data in a user-friendly way for planners and policy makers. The overall bikeability score and its five component scores can guide local action to stimulate changes in cycling rates. It uses widely available data types, thus facilitating easy application in other cities. Furthermore, the flexible parameters and weighting scheme enable users elsewhere to tailor it to evidence about local preferences and conditions.

Full article (requires access)