Spatial Analysis of Bicycle Count Data

Abstract

Every year since 2010, volunteers from more than 50 communities have helped the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) collect bicycle count data. This project created the AADB Estimation website that communities can use to make maps of bicycle volumes across their street network count data. Someone using the website begins by uploading a spreadsheet of short-duration count data (i.e., manual counts for a period of less than 24 hours). The website analyzes the short-duration count data and seasonally adjusts the values on the basis of continuous count data that WSDOT collects at locations throughout the state and from other sources. The seasonally adjusted values are an estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclists (AADB). Next, the website spatially extrapolates AADB from the count locations to every segment in the street network. The spatial extrapolation is done by predicting the flow of bicycle travel between commercial destinations and residential locations that have been synthesized from U.S. Census bicycle commuting information. The AADB Estimation website can help communities conduct safety analyses and prioritize new bicycle infrastructure.