Equitable Urban Cycleway Routing using Multi-Criteria Analysis: A Case Study of Inner South London

Abstract

Frequent cycling offers both personal benefits like disease risk reduction and wider city scale benefits like improved air quality and reduced traffic casualties. While this emphasises the importance of active-travel modal shift, perceptions of unsafety limits cycling rates. Segregated cycleways improve perceived safety, encouraging active travel, with cycleway placement and orientation being important in influencing cycling rates. However, demand-orientated routing disproportionately favours demographic groups already overrepresented among cyclists. To meet Transport for London’s (TFL) goal of increasing cycling participation across the wider population it is essential that cycleway alignment considers the needs of underrepresented groups. This dissertation uses Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) to locate routes which expand Inner South London’s cycleway network while considering the needs of underrepresented groups to equitably spread cycleway benefits. The study area is underserved by both public transport and cycle infrastructure. Network Analysis is used to find appropriate routes with road segments weighted to consider locational attributes that reflect inclusivity orientated cycling route choice parameters. The analysis finds several contiguous North-South routes in densely populated areas of South London have high suitability. Routes are characterised by their location along commercial streets with high service density and route connectivity. Analysis also identifies the value of creating a contiguous network by linking adjacent commercial corridors using residential often public park adjacent side-streets to create accessible, secure alignments. When altering impedance weights to favour high street-lighting and cycle path routing is largely consistent suggesting alignment along commercial streets is an inclusive practice