Mobile-Device Data, Non-Motorized Traffic Monitoring, and Estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclist and Pedestrian Flows

Summary:

Constructing and maintaining safe road networks for bicyclists, pedestrians and other nonmotorized road users require knowing the numbers and destinations of these users. Accurately estimating the volume of these users has been challenging because monitoring methods are limited compared to vehicle traffic counters. Data from mobile devices, however, offers a potential source of traveler routes. Researchers combined mobile data from existing platforms such as StreetLight and Strava with monitored bicyclist and pedestrian data to produce a data visualization tool that estimates bicyclist and pedestrian traffic within the Twin Cities metro area. Despite the inherent limitations of mobile data sources, such as inconsistent geographic coverage and demographic representation, MnDOT has begun using the visualization tool for approximations of bicyclist and pedestrian traffic in the Twin Cities area. Additional research is needed to improve the accuracy of the tool so estimates could support infrastructure decisions.

Final Deliverables:

• Mobile-Device Data, Non-Motorized Traffic Monitoring, and Estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclist and Pedestrian Flows (Report #2024-19)
• Using Mobile Device Data to Estimate Bicyclist and Pedestrian Traffic (Research Summary)

Related Materials:

• Using Mobile Device Data to Estimate Bicyclist and Pedestrian Traffic  (Blog Post)
• Crowdsourcing meets transportation planning with bike and pedestrian data counts  (News/Publication Article)
• The use of crowdsourced mobile data in estimating pedestrian and bicycle traffic: A systematic review  (News/Publication Article)
• New Project: Mobile-Device Data, Non-Motorized Traffic Monitoring, and Estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclist and Pedestrian Flows  (Blog Post)

Related Research:

Project Personnel:

Principal Investigator:  Raphael Stern

Co-Principal Investigator:  Greg Lindsey, Michael Levin

Technical Liaison:  Michael Petesch, Suzanne Scotty

Project Coordinator:  Brent Rusco

Panel Members: 
Alex Blenkush - Hennepin County
Alexandra de Alcuaz - Transportation System Management
Cathryn Cragun - District 7
Charlie Moore - Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC)
Chris Kartheiser - City of Minneapolis
Dan Patterson - Hennepin County
Darin Newman - Natural Resources Department
David Kratz - Metro District
Eric DeVoe - Traffic Engineering
Heidi Schallberg - Metropolitan Council
Ian Vaagenes - Transportation System Management
Jake Schutt - Metro District
Jesse Thornsen - Transportation System Management