Analysis and Quantification of Urban Bicycle Networks: The Example of Copenhagen

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze and quantify the changes in Copenhagen’s urban bicycle network, which has recently been improved in favor of cyclists. My methods are rooted in network science and based on data from OpenStreetMap. To acquire network data over the research period from 2013 until 2022, the Python package OSMnx was used. Several subnetworks were defined, such as the bicyclable network and the bicycle specific infrastructure. I proposed several network measures and showed the results of a selection of measures on Copenhagen, as well as three other cities of similar size. The selection of five measures can be divided into two groups: 1) Random route lengths (compared to car route length); 2) Total network lengths (% bicycle specific infrastructure). These measures are meant to quantify changes in bicycle friendliness and differences between cities, all based on OSM data. Using combinations of different measures can mitigate the shortcomings of each measure. Therefore I recommend adding more network measures to the ‘toolbox’ for future research.