The data collection in the first sub-project on cycle data was started in September 2018 and it was tested to collect data through two smart collection methods. The first part was a collection of travel data through the TravelVu app. The cyclists who participated had their entire travel pattern with roads and means of transport easily logged just by having their mobile phone on the bike ride. The collected data showed which routes the cyclists chose through Lund. The second part of the project was “Push To” — a collection of places where cyclists experienced traffic insecurity. Every time the cyclist experienced uncertainty in traffic, they could mark it by pressing a button on the handlebars. The button communicated via Bluetooth and collected data can give an idea both of individual locations that may need an improved solution and of general situations that may be useful to avoid in future planning.

“It is important to know how cyclists choose their cycling routes and whether they always choose the same route,” says Emeli Adell, Business Area Manager for Future Transport at Trivector Traffic in an interview conducted in autumn 2018. We also want to know whether the measures to improve the cycle paths are being carried out in the right place or if cyclists have different perceptions. These are questions that are largely unanswered, but which are important to get answered for future urban planning. There is great potential for improvement and by using smarter technology, larger amounts of data can be collected with better precision. The data we collect will also be important for research.

During the month of August, about 500 lunda cyclists were recruited and participants could choose to participate in only one or both surveys. Those who wanted to participate and contribute were given the opportunity to register via website and QR code, among other things, in social media and on posters in the city.

The project was seen as so interesting that the way to collect data in Lund was demonstrated during the international transport conference ITS World congress in Copenhagen. ITS is the largest international congress for intelligent transport systems and in 2018 it ran from 17 to 21 September 2018. The congress participants were then able to view visualizations of the collected data via screens.

In the past, Lund Municipality has made point measurements and counted cyclists at certain times and in certain places in the city.

“Before we counted the traffic in points, now we see the whole journey,” Erik Nilsgart at the Technical Administration in Lund told me. We now get an answer as to whether one travels as we believe or chooses differently. We will also be able to see completely new things, like how to ride a bike at night. This is new data that Malmö University will analyze and maybe they will find something exciting.

“This is probably more comprehensive data than we have today, but is of course also a way to test the technology,” said Helena Runesson at the Technical Administration. It is interesting to see the result - maybe it will surprise us or the picture we already have will be confirmed.

All data were analyzed by Malmö University.

“It is an unusual survey, but this type of data collection will grow in the future,” said Emeli Adell. The smart phones and digital technologies will provide completely different opportunities and it will provide a better understanding of where and why we cycle.

There are many conceivable uses for the results.

“The hotspot data we receive gives cycle planners the opportunity to visit places where people feel unsafe,” said Anna Clark, Trivector. There, for example, they can see if a hedge should be trimmed, if traffic signals should be changed or if there are other reasons they feel unsafe. The GPS data we get in can provide an opportunity to determine which should be the priority routes in the city. These routes, for example, are usually shot only when it snows.

How is the project taken forward?

• Within the SOM project, a visualisation project was made based on data from the cycling project and a third cycle project where data from TravelVu was compared with data from point measurements

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What was the result?

• Malmö University analysed the data and felt that the survey provided relevant data and thus could be seen as a good way to conduct bicycle surveys.

• The municipality of Lund studied some unsafe points and in some cases was able to directly detect that a traffic light did not work as intended.

Facts Smart urban planning with cycling data

The project is a sub-project of the SOM project is part of the Strategic Innovation Programme for the Internet of Things, IoT Sweden, which is funded by Vinnova. The project started on 1 September 2017 and ran until December 2020.

Project Time: 2018-04-01 - 2019-10-20

Project Manager: Emeli Adell, Trivector

Partnerschappen: Trivector, MiThings, Hövding, Malmö University, Lund Municipality, Malmö City, Mobile Heights

Erik Nilsgart and Helena Runesson, Technical Administration in Lund Municipality.