Simulating bicycle wayfinding mechanisms in an urban environment

• Main Author: Greg Rybarczyk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2014-01-01
• Series: Urban, Planning and Transport Research
• Subjects: agent-based model; urban design; bicyclist wayfinding; space syntax; visibility graph analysis; geographic information systems
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2014.906909

With the increased recognition that bicycling is a sustainable transportation mode choice, there is a continued interest in understanding how the built environment affects bicyclist travel behavior. Research on the influence of small-scale built form elements, such as street characteristics, on bicyclist wayfinding is limited. wayfinding is defined as a purposeful way of reaching from point A to point B; it is comprised of decision-making and subsequent movement. This research uses an agent-based model to investigate how small-scale urban design affects bicyclist wayfinding. Using geographic information systems and statistical analysis, different types of simulated bicycle agents were compared to observed bicycle volumes. Statistically significant positive relationships between bicycle agent types and observational data existed. The largest correspondence between agents and field observations occurred along central routes that were accessible from other streets (R2 = .377) and that had fewer decision-making junctions (R2 = .352). Bicyclists selected streets that were wider and with fewer obstructions to one’s forward view. The results support the need to design streetscapes that offer a high level of visibility and reduced stops to promote bicycling. The study also describes a modeling approach that can be replicated by urban planners to understand bicyclist travel patterns.