overview
Our goal is to make research from the Cycling in Cities program, and elsewhere, into tools that are useful for policy-makers, planners, and the public.
We received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for a project with two components: an evidence-based audit of education materials related to cycling; and a tool to allow cities and citizens to evaluate the bikeability of their neighborhoods.
creating bikeability maps
A large body of research has focused on walkability, and there are now popular online tools that allow individuals to calculate a “Walk Score” for their neighbourhood.
However, there has been little effort to define and map “bikeability”. There are important differences between walkability and bikeability. For example, whereas sidewalks are important to walking, our research has shown that bike routes (especially those separated from traffic) and flat terrain are key factors to encourage cycling.
Given that determinants of walking and cycling are different, and cycling is an increasingly popular travel choice, we created a measure of bikeability to add to the transportation planning toolbox. The components of bikeability are based on the results of our research on cycling motivators and deterrents. Our bikeability method was piloted in the Vancouver area (“bikeability heat map” shown above).
bike score
We teamed with the Seattle-based company that developed Walk Score to create Bike Score (based on our bikeability method). Environmental factors important to cyclists are used to calculate Bike Score:
- cycling infrastructure (separated bike lanes and bike paths, local street bikeways, painted bike lanes)
- topography (hilliness)
- desirable amenities (grocery stores, restaurants, schools, etc.) and road connectivity (both are components of Walk Score, which was used to capture these elements within Bike Score)
Bike Scores are calculated for each location in a city, then mapped. Scores range from a low of 0 (deep red) to a high of 100 (dark green). By examining the “heat maps” of Bike Score for their city, municipal planners can locate neighbourhoods that are currently underserved and target them for improvements. The maps can be separated into their component parts (bike lanes, hills, destinations) to allow planners to determine which components contribute to lower or higher scores in a neighborhood. Individuals can use the maps to choose areas to live or cycle in.
Sample Bike Score Heat Map for Calgary
Bike Score has been completed in beta for the Canadian cities shown below, as well as for 16 US cities. The graph shows that in cities with higher average Bike Scores, more people cycle to work. In fact, the correlation between average Bike Score and commute to work cycling rates is high: 0.74. Of the 10 Canadian cities, the highest scores were for Victoria, Vancouver, Montreal, and Saskatoon, and these four also have the highest cycling rates (from 2.4 to 5.6% of work trips).
It is important to note that there is lots of room to improve, since average Bike Scores are all below 75. And our cycling rates pale in comparison to cities in northern Europe with cycling rates from 10 to 30%.
Average Bike Scores of 10 Canadian Cities vs. % of Commute Trips by Bike
Note that Bike Score and its average across a city are calculated somewhat differently in Canada and the US, so average scores cannot be compared between the two countries. For this reason we show only Canadian scores here.
