First map of Barcelona's bicycle traffic published
How do bicycles move around Barcelona? Which streets have the most bicycle traffic and which ones still need bike lanes? A pioneering study conducted in Barcelona offers answers to these questions for the first time, backed by solid data.
The study is the result of collaboration between the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS), and the Bicycle Club of Catalonia (BACC), with essential support from the public: 43 volunteers collected data through the BiciZen platform, making a more detailed and accurate model possible.
This innovative tool estimates bicycle traffic on more than 20,000 road sections in the city, paving the way for a much more accurate understanding of bicycle mobility patterns.
This information is key to managing mobility in the city, and now for the first time there is a detailed snapshot of bicycle flows at street level. Furthermore, one of the major lessons learned from the project is that citizen participation has been decisive in improving the models: without crowdsourcing, we would not have such a refined and representative map of the reality of cycling today.
One of the new major features is the inclusion of gender and age data, which will enable progress towards a more inclusive and representative cycling infrastructure. This makes it possible to identify areas where specific measures are needed to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone: young people, older people, and women, who are currently less represented in cycling.
The result is a valuable tool for urban planners, organisations, and citizens alike: solid information to guide political and urban planning decisions and transform Barcelona into a more bike-friendly, fair, and data-driven city.
Click here for the full study (in Catalan)
Access to the interactive display