Network design, built and natural environments, and bicycle commuting: Evidence from British cities and towns

Abstract

Rates of cycling to work vary significantly from one urban area to another but the reasons for these variations are not well understood. Many factors influence the choice to cycle to work. Some are part of geography, such as terrain and weather. However, there are numerous influences that are subject to policy and regulation.

Existing literature has discussed the importance of the built environment, urban amenities as well as the provision of high quality bicycle networks to promote cycling. However there are few studies that measure the respective contributions and weight the magnitude of effects of all of those influences together. We present a new model that starts to reflect all of the above dimensions of influence for 36 cities and towns in Britain. We also consider the cycling choices for each home-to-workplace pair at the level of neighbourhoods, in order to better capture the specific influences and predict the choices.

The findings unsurprisingly show a complex web of influences, confirming that there are no single, silver-bullet factors even in cities with remarkably high commuter cycling. The model results highlight the importance in joining up network level interventions, for instance to reduce both route circuity and on-road stress, which are objectives often being pursued separately. The results also highlight the importance of the non-transport aspects such as land use mix and landscape amenities along commuter routes, and the role of city-specific cycling culture after controlling for network design and geography. The insights indicate further need for closer collaboration between promoters of commuter cycling and wider urban disciplines to shape effective, low stress routes in the heart of cities.