Vancouver, May 14, 2012 - University of British
Columbia researchers are making bikeability research easily
accessible to consumers and city planners by introducing
bikeability "heat maps" in partnership with Seattle-based Walk
Score® at www.walkscore.com/bike.
Combining data on availability of cycling infrastructure (bike
lanes and trails), topography (hilliness), desirable destinations
(attractions, shops and restaurants) and road connectivity,
researchers from UBC's School of Population and Public
Health and Simon Fraser University
worked with web developers from Walk Score® to develop algorithms
to make the information easily accessible online.
Heat maps of Bike Score™ for 10 Canadian and 10 U.S. cities were
launched today during National Bike Month in the U.S. and in
advance of Bike Month in Canada. Victoria, Vancouver and Montreal
rate highest in bikeability for Canadian cities; while Minneapolis,
Portland and San Francisco lead in the U.S.
"'Walkability' has become part of the popular vocabulary as more
emphasis is placed on physical activity, community interaction and
healthy living," says Meghan Winters, Assistant Professor, Faculty
of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, who conducted the
research while a PhD student at UBC.
"Bike Score™ and the heat maps will help cities measure and
improve their cycling infrastructure - a key to increasing
ridership."
Cycling rates in Canada and the U.S. are low in comparison to
many European cities. This disparity is explained, in part, by
differences in urban form and cycling infrastructure, says Mike
Brauer, Professor, UBC School of Population and Public Health.
With rising gas prices, however, more North Americans are
looking for more affordable ways to get around, particularly in
neighborhoods with limited access to public transportation and
where distances are too far to walk to work or shopping.
"Bicycling is a form of healthy, active transportation," Brauer
says. "We wanted to provide a user-friendly tool to gauge the
bikeability of cities and neighbourhoods that would help planners
identify areas that would benefit from additional infrastructure,
while encouraging people to hop on a bike."
"Walk Score® helps people find places to live where they can
drive less and live more," says Josh Herst, CEO of Walk Score®.
"With the launch of Bike Score™ we're excited to provide the only
quantitative measure of bikeability in the U.S. and Canada to help
people find bikeable neighborhoods and commutes."
The partnership with Walk Score® was enabled by a grant from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
For a sample of a heat map, visit here.
For more information on bikeability research,
visit here.