Active travel research featured in Financial Times article

UBDC’s Associate Director for Training and Capacity Building, Dr David McArthur, was interviewed for a Financial Times article on the potential for Strava data to generate big data that can be used for public development.

In the article entitled ‘City planners zero in on cyclists through exercise app’, they note that David "compared journeys logged by Strava against roadside counts and found the numbers correlated relatively well." 

The article goes on to say:

"He has found, based on data from the app, that when segregated cycle-only paths were built cycling volumes increased by 12-18 per cent; when a lane was simply painted on the road the number dropped.

"The app “opens up new modelling possibilities”, Mr McArthur said, but noted important discrepancies in the data. There are more Strava users, for example, in wealthier west Glasgow than the east of the city, so using the data alone could risk replicating deeper inequalities."

The full article is available on the FT.com website (subscription required).

More information about the research can be viewed on the infrastructure investments and active travel project page.