To Encourage Cycling, Time is of the Essence

What's the best way to get people to bike? "[M]ake clear the costs of not biking, in minutes saved or dollars not spent," writes Emily Badger. A new tool developed by Zach Rausnitz uses Google Maps data to compare travel times of alternative modes.

1 minute read

November 9, 2013, 11:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

A new tool for bike-share users in Washington, D.C. developed by Fierce Government editor Zach Rausnitz takes the comparative approach of Google Maps' direction service to point out how using a bicycle can save both time and money compared to other modes of transportation.

"Rausnitz has used historic data from actual Capital Bikeshare member trips to calculate the average time a ride takes between any two stations in the system (he threw out the crazy outliers in his calculations)," explains Emily Badger.

"This comparison is so powerful – and this is the kind of data any bike-share system needs – for one big reason. It's not enough to make it possible for people to bike. What advocates really need to do is make clear the costs of not biking, in minutes saved or dollars not spent."

FULL STORY: The Simplest Way to Get People Biking

Friday, November 8, 2013 in The Atlantic Cities

Transportation District of Columbia Bikes bike share Google Maps The Bikeshare Trip Timer View More

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