The challenge
Almost nobody cycled in Seville, and the few scattered bike paths did not connect.
The case
In 2005 Seville had about 12 km of unconnected cycle paths. From 2006 the city government built a network of two-way bike tracks physically separated from traffic, reaching about 120 km by 2010. Cycling grew quickly: by 2011 bikes made up about 9% of trips by vehicle. Researchers at the University of Seville found that the risk of a crash per bike trip fell as cycling grew. Using police collision data from 2000 to 2013, they also found that linking the tracks into a network improved safety beyond what the extra kilometres alone would explain.
Why it worked
Building a whole connected network at once, rather than isolated stretches, gave people safe door-to-door routes and drew new riders quickly. More riders then made each trip safer.
Sources
- Marqués, R., Hernández-Herrador, V. & Calvo-Salazar, M. (2014). Sevilla: a successful experience of bicycle promotion in a Mediterranean context. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 191.
- Marqués, R. & Hernández-Herrador, V. (2017). On the effect of networks of cycle-tracks on the risk of cycling. The case of Seville. Accident Analysis and Prevention.
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