The pulse of the cycling city: visualising Madrid bike share system GPS routes and cycling flow

Abstract

With the aim of shifting towards a more sustainable urban transport model, cycling mobility is being promoted in many cities and, in consequence, Bike Share Systems have been the focus of attention in an increasing number of studies over the past years. However, we know very little about the impact of these BSS in cities beyond the station level. What paths do cyclists follow? What are the most important urban arteries in terms of cycling flow? These are important questions to be addressed in order to implement policies and infrastructure where they are really needed. The main goal of this study is to visualise the cycling flow derived from Madrid BSS activity, obtained by processing over 250,000 GPS routes, and to provide an analysis of how this flow is distributed across the urban street network at different moments. We explore the diverse levels of use over the course of the day, and during the weekdays, weekends or holidays, as well as the different cycling patterns of frequent and occasional users.