Evolution of dedicated cycling infrastructure in three Canadian cities: 2009 to 2022

Abstract

There has been a recent surge in cycling infrastructure implementation across Canada. Accurate cycling infrastructure implementation data are required to evaluate impact on safety and mobility. The objectives of this paper were to quantify the accuracy of municipal cycling infrastructure classification and cycling infrastructure installation dates, and to examine temporal trends in the implementation of on-road dedicated cycling infrastructure. We undertook this work in three Canadian cities; Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, from 2009-2022. Infrastructure classification accuracy was assessed using the Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety (Can-BICS) system, and implementation dates were verified using Google^TM historical street view imagery and grey literature. Temporal trends in cycling infrastructure implementation were documented using the verified data. There were discrepancies in infrastructure classification resulting in  underreporting in Toronto (8.8%) and Vancouver (8.3%) and overreporting in Calgary (1.7%). The most common misclassification was the municipality reporting the presence of a cycle track, when the infrastructure was a buffered painted lane. Agreement between municipal data and verified installation dates was only 42% in Calgary, 75% in Toronto, and 83% in Vancouver. Infrastructure doubled from 19.2 to 34.2 km/1,000 km roads in Vancouver, 18.7 to 40.2/1,000 km in Toronto, and 1.2 to 11/1000 km in Calgary over the study period. There was accelerated infrastructure implementation in Calgary and Toronto related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights and addresses data gaps necessary to examine accurate trends in implementation and to enable future longitudinal studies related to the impact of infrastructure on safety and mobility