An Analysis of Stated Preference and GPS Data for Bicycle Travel Forecasting

In this paper, we present preliminary results from an ongoing study of cyclists and cycling in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario Canada. The paper describes two data collection efforts. The first is an on-line survey that provides information on cyclists’ demographics as well as their household composition. The survey also gathers data on respondents’ motivation for and obstacles to cycling. The second activity collects data on actual cycling trips using GPS units. We describe these units and the steps taken to validate the data. We use the GPS data to produce trip generation and attraction rates for cycling as a function of land use. We also generate a histogram of observed cycling trip lengths that can be used to calibrate a gravity-type model of trip distribution. We then explore the methods by which the survey and GPS data may be combined to develop multi-class and multi-trip purpose generalized cost functions. These formulations may be applied to prioritizing infrastructure investments, as well as for mode and path choice models. We conclude with a discussion of ongoing research work.