A USDOT University Transportation Center

Increase in Daily Bicycle or Walking Trips

An increase in daily bicycle or waking trips is a measurable indicator that provides data on how many bicycle or walking trips are made on the road daily. An increase in bicycle or walking trips implies there is a high usage of bicycles and waking activity, and this will provide opportunities for commuters to exercise or engage in physical activities while going to their preferred destinations.1,2

This indicator helps determine the effectiveness of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Data Collection

In the collection of data on the number of bicycle trips, the automatic bicycle counters (e.g. pneumatic tubes laid across the roadway, piezo-electric sensors embedded in the roadway) can be utilized to estimate the total number of users along a route section. Additionally, human or mechanical counts and labor-intensive surveys are used to gather data on the number of bicycle trips. Cameras an also count cyclists, some even with automated user identification, like the monitoring system for automobile traffic.
Data can also be collated from surveys, such as the National Household Travel Survey or the use of administrative data, such as school enrollment data, to infer how many trips are being made by bike or on foot.3

Examples

Transport Scotland Organization

Transport Scotland is a national transportation organization for Scotland that carries out the transportation vision of the Scottish Government. The group seeks to increase the number of individuals who choose active transportation for short, daily excursions to enhance health and the environment. In order to encourage more people to walk and bike more often, Transport Scotland provides grants to organizations for the construction of infrastructure and behavior modification initiatives (such as mapping, signage, route information, cycle training, cycle lending programs, and guided walks).

https://www.transport.gov.scot/active-travel/about-walking-and-cycling-policy/

1. Active Living Research [Internet]. Activelivingresearch.org. [cited 2022 Jul 25]. Available from: https://activelivingresearch.org/sites/activelivingresearch.org/files/ALR_Brief_DailyBikeTravel_May2013.pdf
2. Walk Score Methodology [Internet]. Walk Score. [cited 2022 Jul 25]. Available from: https://www.walkscore.com/methodology.shtml
3. Cycling data collection [Internet]. ECF. 2015 [cited 2022 Aug 1]. Available from: https://ecf.com/what-we-do/urban-mobility/cycling-data-collection