Mapping A Better Biking Future

the right route can make all the difference

Biking is many things to many people. It can be a white knuckle thrill. It can be relaxed, mind-clearing and therapeutic. Everything in-between is possible.

What it is, and what you want it to be, will often depend on where you choose to ride. Picking a route that satisfies your ride goal will have a significant impact on your enjoyment and safety. Experienced bikers who ride regularly, if not daily, will quickly learn which routes offer their desired level of “excitement.” Those looking to engage in HIIT to maintain a certain level of fitness will not want to choose the same route as those who just want to get to work safely, without sweating too much. Casual or occasional cyclists may not have the experience to choose the route that fits their needs. These folks — the “interested but concerned” riders — are arguably the most important group when it comes to fostering the growth of biking. They are ready to be converted into regular, enthused and confident riders who will help grow cycling and reduce automobile dependency. Their wants and needs should be listened to in order to encourage their interest and desire to ride.

For years now, big app developers like Google and Apple have included helpful bike route mapping in their popular map applications. I routinely use Google Maps to help me pick a bike route if I am riding somewhere new. But there are more sophisticated applications that allow the more tentative rider to zero in on the most appropriate bike route for their needs. Bike Ottawa, a not-for-profit, citizen based organization in the Canadian capitol city, has one of the best suites of interactive bike maps I have come across. Bicycling maps on the group’s website offer a treasure trove of resources for route planning in that city.

Fig. 1 This map from Bike Ottawa allows the user to fine tune their route.

The route planning map shown in Figure 1 above, allows the user to choose routes that avoid “dark alleys” and “unsafe roads,” allowing for a more comfortable, safer trip. The group’s website also offers a “Stress Map” (Figure 2) that is color coded for most levels of cyclist. Blue routes, for example, are suitable for children. Green, yellow and red streets indicate low, medium and high levels of traffic stress, respectively.

Fig. 2 Bike Ottawa’s stress map color codes each street’s stress level.

A city used to serious winter weather, the group’s website also offers a “Winter Maintenance” map (Figure 3) that identifies streets that have been plowed and those that have not.

Fig. 3 Bike Ottawa’s Winter Maintenance bicycle map.

I became aware of Bike Ottawa’s maps from a friend who recently moved to Ottawa from the United States. He lived in Chicago and Atlanta for many years before his move north. Since relocating he has substantially increased the amount of cycling he does and cited the Bike Ottawa’s maps, and the city’s physical biking infrastructure, as vital to his increased interest in biking. He clearly falls in the category of people who want to bike more but who are not willing to take risks to do so. He is exactly the type of person who is likely to help grow cycling, and reduce automobile dependency, so long as he is provided with the right tools and infrastructure.

There have been efforts to provide good mapping for Chicago bikers. The City of Chicago has published its Chicago Bike Network map for years. The 2020 edition helpfully displays streets with “buffered bike lanes,” “shared-lanes,” “protected bike lanes,” etc. This is helpful to the knowledgeable cyclist who knows the city and who has a sense of what a “buffered bike lane” is. For the newer rider who may be unfamiliar with this jargon the City’s effort is less helpful. In 2018, bicycle advocate and writer for the Chicago Reader, John Greenfield, created The Chicago Reader’s Mellow Chicago Bike Map. Much like the Bike Ottawa stress map, it uses color coding to reflect traffic stress levels. John’s knowledge of Chicago streets makes the map a wonderful resource. In August of 2020, a developer with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Paul Esling, released the Chicago Bike Routes app, combining the Chicago Bike Network map and the Mellow Chicago Bike Map. It provides access to both maps in a single app, allowing the user to see where the various types of bike infrastructure are located, along with Greenfield’s recommended routes. However, it is not as comprehensive as the Bike Ottawa stress map which includes a stress level grade for every street in that city. The Chicago maps, in contrast, do not include all streets, naturally limiting available options for mellow travel by bike.

Fig. 4 A simplified version of the Mellow Chicago Bike Map. Illustration by Joe Mills.

Having a bike and places to go is a challenge. That challenge can be a wonderful adventure, and it can been a fearful dilemma. Helping those who wish to ride but who are reluctant experience more adventures and fewer dilemmas will be accomplished with safe, well-maintained bike focused infrastructure, and the tools necessary to help navigate it. By encouraging people to bike more, our cities will inevitably reduce motor vehicle dependency, and become cleaner, safer and all around better places to live.