An Examination of the Strava Usage Rate—A Parameter to Estimate Average Annual Daily Bicycle Volumes on Rural Roadways

Francisco Javier Camacho-Torregrosa,David Llopis-Castelló,Griselda López-Maldonado,Alfredo García

doi:10.3390/safety7010008

Francisco Javier Camacho-Torregrosa, David Llopis-Castelló + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/safety7010008

Copy DOI

Abstract

In Spain, a new challenge is emerging due to the increase of many recreational bicyclists on two-lane rural roads. These facilities have been mainly designed for motorized vehicles, so the coexistence of cyclists and drivers produces an impact, in terms of road safety and operation. In order to analyze the occurrence of crashes and enhance safety for bicycling, it is crucial to know the cycling volume. Standard procedures recommend using data from permanent stations and temporary short counts, but bicycle volumes are rarely monitored in rural roads. However, bicyclists tend to track their leisure and exercise activities with fitness apps that use GPS. In this context, this research aims at analyzing the daily and seasonal variability of the Strava Usage Rate (SUR), defined as the proportion of bicyclists using the Strava app along a certain segment on rural highways, to estimate the Annual Average Daily Bicycle (AADB) volume on rural roads. The findings of this study offer possible solutions to policy makers in terms of planning and design of the cycling network. Moreover, the use of crowdsourced data from the Strava app will potentially save costs to public agencies, since public data could replace costly counting campaigns.

Highlights

In the European Union, the number of cyclist deaths has decreased by 27% between 2006 and 2015, cyclist fatalities account for a large percentage (8%) of the total fatalities on road crashes [1]
Most of these crashes took place on urban areas (74%), 40 of the total number of fatalities occurred on two-lane rural roads, which are used by many recreational bicyclists for leisure and fitness
The use of the bike in urban areas is very heterogeneous, bicyclists ride on two-lane rural roads mainly for fitness training, often using sport crowdsourcing apps such as Strava to save and share their activities

Summary

Introduction

In the European Union, the number of cyclist deaths has decreased by 27% between 2006 and 2015, cyclist fatalities account for a large percentage (8%) of the total fatalities on road crashes [1]. In 2018, 7598 fatal-and-injury crashes involving bicyclists occurred in Spain, resulting in 58 deaths, 620 serious injuries, and 6633 minor injuries [3]. Most of these crashes took place on urban areas (74%), 40 of the total number of fatalities occurred on two-lane rural roads, which are used by many recreational bicyclists for leisure and fitness. This type of road accounts for 90% of the Spanish road network, being three times more likely to have fatal-and-injury crashes compared to urban roads

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion