2016 urisa track: a spatial analysis of bicycling behavior using census data? by jim castagneri
TRANSCRIPT
A Spatial Analysis of Bicycling Behavior Using Census Data?
GIS in the RockiesSeptember, 2016
Why Bicycling?
Bicycling has an important history in Colorado
Courtesy; Denver Public Library
Bicycling has a major impact on Colorado
Colorado ranks second behind Vermont in money spent per capita on bicycles.
Bicycling has a major impact on Colorado
• Colorado has more licensed bike racers per capita than any other state.
Reasons for Bicycling Analysis
Increases in cycling participation has been shown to:– Reduce Motor Vehicle Traffic and Congestion– Improve Health and Welfare– Increase Tourism and Retail Sales– Promote quality of life through Sport Cycling • Ride the Rockies, Triple By Pass, Pedal the Plains, Tour
of the Moon, MS-100• Improve the Olympic sport talent base
How we Track Cycling Behavior
Special Interests Conduct Research or Surveys:– League of American Bicyclists– People for Bikes– Alliance for Biking and Walking– University Research
How we Track Cycling Behavior
Government Records and Surveys– U.S. Department of Transportation• NHTSA Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes
– CDC Grants and Health Surveys• Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH)
grants• Bicycling safety and statistics
– Census Surveys• American Community Survey, etc.
How we Track Cycling Behavior
Current Methods for Conducting Bicycling Surveys and Cyclist Counts are:
• Not uniform or have inconsistent coverage• Follow few if any data standards• Irregular in timeframe• Not geographically distributed
Census Data for Bicycling Analysis?
Yes! – It’s Consistent– It’s Geographically Distributed– It’s Well documented– It’s online and free!
Census Data for Bicycling Analysis?
What Data Sources are there?
– Economic Census– Census of Foreign Trade– American Time-Use Survey (ATUS)– American Community Survey (ACS)
The Geography of Demographics
Census tracts are the spatial fabric for demographic analysis
They Facilitate:• Year to year trends of a single Census variable• Spatial correlation of multiple variables• Analysis of sub-county distributions– Residence location demographics– Place of work transportation characteristics
Factors contributing to Bicycling
1. Individual and Household Income2. Individual attitudes or perceptions3. Neighborhood characteristics and
bicycle facilities…or something we can call ‘Exposure’
* According to Sener, Eluru, and Baht (2010)
Demographic Variables influencing Bicycling Behavior
• Age (35-54)• Income ($45,000 +)• Education (Bachelors Degree)• Occupation (professional)• Gender (mostly male)
Why Spatial Analysis?
• Spatial relationships exist between bicycling enthusiasts and other demographic characteristics;– Areas with high numbers of bicycle commuters
also have higher numbers of bicycle racers.– Higher levels of education correlate with more
bicycle commuting & racing– Bicycle Commuting is highly correlated with
hospital and university locations
More Spatial Analysis?
Tract level ACS bicycling data can pinpoint high density neighborhoods for planning:
– On street bike lanes– Bike lockers at RTD stations– New bike shop locations– Community events
Tract Level ACS Data
• Provides an estimate of total bicycle commuters
• Provides separate estimates for Men and Women….
Interactive Online Map
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=0fad75461f514cf38fe696a01b33d7d2
Where to get Census data?
American Factfinder:
http://www.census.gov/data/data-tools/american-factfinder.html
* See “How to Use American Factfinder” at the link above for best practices
References• Karsch, H. M., Hedlund, J. H., Tison, J., & Leaf, W. A. (2012, June). Review of
Studies on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety, 1991-2007. (Report No. DOT HS 811 614). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• William E. Moritz, Ph.D, (Revised March 30, 1998). ADULT BICYCLISTS IN THE UNITED STATES –CHARACTERISTICS AND RIDING EXPERIENCE IN 1996, University of Washington.
• Ipek N. Sener, Naveen Eluru, and Chandra R. Bhat, An Analysis of Bicyclists and Bicycling Characteristics: Who, Why, and How Much are they Bicycling?, Retrieved from: http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/bhat/abstracts/sener_eluru_bhat_bicycle_rev_jan18_trbstyle.pdf
• McCullough, Robert L. (2015). Old Wheelways, MIT Press.• Castagneri, J (June 2014). Is Your City Cycling? Retrieved from: http
://www.active.com/cycling/articles/is-your-city-cycling.
Thank you!
Jim CastagneriGeographer
US Bureau of the CensusDenver