Classification of Bicycle Traffic Patterns in Five North American Cities

This study used a unique database of long-term bicycle counts from 38 locations in five North American cities and along the Route Verte in Quebec, Canada, to analyze bicycle ridership patterns. The cities in the study were Montreal, Quebec; Ottawa, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada and Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California, in the United States. Count data showed that the bicycle volume patterns at each location could be classified as utilitarian, mixed utilitarian, mixed recreational, and recreational. Study locations classified by these categories were found to have consistent hourly and weekly traffic patterns across cities, despite considerable differences between the cities in their weather, size, and urban form. Seasonal patterns across the four categories and in the cities also were identified. Expansion factors for each classification are presented by hour and day of the week. Monthly expansion factors are presented for each city. Finally, traffic volume characteristics are presented for comparison purposes.