This new software maps out a better bike network for your city
In most cities, bike networks are rolled out in disconnected pieces. A bike lane on one street might not reach the next part of a route, so you can’t necessarily ride safely across town. A new set of software tools helps planners, bike advocates, and citizens design more complete networks, automatically filling the gaps in existing infrastructure or creating the whole thing from scratch. Called…
Most cities' bike networks are built in isolated segments, resulting in unsafe routes across the city. To address this issue, BikeNetKit, a free, open-source software, has been developed based on eight years of bicycle infrastructure research at Denmark’s IT University of Copenhagen. Users input a city name, and the software uses OpenStreetMap data, including existing bike lanes, to create a comprehensive network.
Michael Szell, an associate professor at the IT University of Copenhagen, explains that city planners often focus on small details, such as adding a lane on a specific street, while neglecting the overall network. By employing network science methods, BikeNetKit takes a broader perspective, optimizing the city's bike infrastructure from a macro level.
One of the key tools, GrowBikeNet, can create a network from scratch, particularly beneficial in the U.S., where many cities have limited bike lanes. The algorithm generates a grid of "seed points" across the city, connecting them to existing infrastructure and generating suggested bike routes. By implementing this method, cities can establish a functional network right from the start, with strong connections already in place.
Users have the option to add additional data, such as past traffic accidents or daily travel patterns, to further refine the network. The software also offers the ability to plan bike lanes around schools and proposes car-free neighborhoods through another tool called Superblockify. Another tool, LinkBikeNet, connects gaps in well-connected networks, while FixBikeNet identifies the most critical gaps to address first.
While BikeNetKit does not dictate the specific type of bike infrastructure, it encourages alternative approaches to traditional transportation planning, which primarily focuses on car flow. The website features numerous analyses of European cities, ranging from creating new bike networks in Kyiv, Ukraine, to improving Copenhagen's existing network and suggesting car-free zones in Berlin.
To utilize BikeNetKit, users must have some technical knowledge, specifically Python programming skills, and install the necessary algorithms. The open-source code is available on GitHub for anyone to explore and contribute to.
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