The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning

Getting people cycling is an increasingly common objective in transport planning institutions worldwide. A growing evidence base indicates that high quality infrastructure can boost local cycling rates. Yet for infrastructure and other cycling measures to be effective, it is important to intervene i...

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Main Authors: Robin Lovelace, Anna Goodman, Rachel Aldred, Nikolai Berkoff, Ali Abbas, James Woodcock
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing 2017-01-01
Series:Journal of Transport and Land Use
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/862
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author Robin Lovelace
Anna Goodman
Rachel Aldred
Nikolai Berkoff
Ali Abbas
James Woodcock
author_facet Robin Lovelace
Anna Goodman
Rachel Aldred
Nikolai Berkoff
Ali Abbas
James Woodcock
author_sort Robin Lovelace
collection DOAJ
description Getting people cycling is an increasingly common objective in transport planning institutions worldwide. A growing evidence base indicates that high quality infrastructure can boost local cycling rates. Yet for infrastructure and other cycling measures to be effective, it is important to intervene in the right places, such as along ‘desire lines’ of high latent demand. This creates the need for tools and methods to help answer the question ‘where to build?’. Following a brief review of the policy and research context related to this question, this paper describes the design, features and potential applications of such a tool. The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) is an online, interactive planning support system that was initially developed to explore and map cycling potential across England (see www.pct.bike). Based on origin-destination data it models cycling levels at area, desire line, route and route network levels, for current levels of cycling, and for scenario-based ‘cycling futures.’ Four scenarios are presented, including ‘Go Dutch’ and ‘Ebikes,’ which explore what would happen if English people had the same propensity to cycle as Dutch people and the potential impact of electric cycles on cycling uptake. The cost effectiveness of investment depends not only on the number of additional trips cycled, but on wider impacts such as health and carbon benefits. The PCT reports these at area, desire line, and route level for each scenario. The PCT is open source, facilitating the creation of scenarios and deployment in new contexts. We conclude that the PCT illustrates the potential of online tools to inform transport decisions and raises the wider issue of how models should be used in transport planning.
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spelling doaj-art-48016c7fbb5d4e4da91be941374abcbe2025-08-20T02:15:52ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Transport and Land Use1938-78492017-01-0110110.5198/jtlu.2016.862The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planningRobin Lovelace0Anna Goodman1Rachel Aldred2Nikolai Berkoff3Ali Abbas4James Woodcock5University of LeedsLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineUniversity of WestminsterIndependent web developerUniversity of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeGetting people cycling is an increasingly common objective in transport planning institutions worldwide. A growing evidence base indicates that high quality infrastructure can boost local cycling rates. Yet for infrastructure and other cycling measures to be effective, it is important to intervene in the right places, such as along ‘desire lines’ of high latent demand. This creates the need for tools and methods to help answer the question ‘where to build?’. Following a brief review of the policy and research context related to this question, this paper describes the design, features and potential applications of such a tool. The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) is an online, interactive planning support system that was initially developed to explore and map cycling potential across England (see www.pct.bike). Based on origin-destination data it models cycling levels at area, desire line, route and route network levels, for current levels of cycling, and for scenario-based ‘cycling futures.’ Four scenarios are presented, including ‘Go Dutch’ and ‘Ebikes,’ which explore what would happen if English people had the same propensity to cycle as Dutch people and the potential impact of electric cycles on cycling uptake. The cost effectiveness of investment depends not only on the number of additional trips cycled, but on wider impacts such as health and carbon benefits. The PCT reports these at area, desire line, and route level for each scenario. The PCT is open source, facilitating the creation of scenarios and deployment in new contexts. We conclude that the PCT illustrates the potential of online tools to inform transport decisions and raises the wider issue of how models should be used in transport planning.https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/862CyclingPlanningModellingParticipatory
spellingShingle Robin Lovelace
Anna Goodman
Rachel Aldred
Nikolai Berkoff
Ali Abbas
James Woodcock
The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
Journal of Transport and Land Use
Cycling
Planning
Modelling
Participatory
title The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
title_full The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
title_fullStr The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
title_full_unstemmed The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
title_short The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning
title_sort propensity to cycle tool an open source online system for sustainable transport planning
topic Cycling
Planning
Modelling
Participatory
url https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/862
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