How DVRPC Uses Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Data

DVRPC staff analyzes data to uncover trends in the behavior of people walking and biking. Using the data, we can make informed conclusions about what might be causing a particular behavior pattern. The data analyses and their conclusions help inform policy decisions at all levels of government and help guide future infrastructure investments for bicyclists and pedestrians. 

What can we learn from the data?

DVRPC has analyzed bicycle and pedestrian data and made the results available through a variety of publications. 

Data Bulletins

DVRPC has published a series of data bulletins analyzing bicycle and pedestrian count data. 

How did bicycle volumes change at cyclical program locations in Philadelphia from 2014 to 2022
Published May 2023

This analysis investigates how bicycle volumes in Philadelphia, collected as part of the cyclical program, changed between 2014 and 2022. It examines bicycle volume trends by neighborhood and facility type.

What was COVID-19’s impact on bicycle and pedestrian volumes at two locations in Philadelphia?
Published November 2022

This analysis examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected bicycle and pedestrian traffic at two locations in Philadelphia. Using data collected from the intersection of Front and Chestnut streets and the Schuylkill River Trail near the Walnut Street Bridge, the analysis compares pre-pandemic usage from March 2019 to March 2020, to usage in July 2021 to July 2022, when some residents began to resume normal activities despite COVID-19’s lingering presence.

What can the permanent counters on Spruce and Pine streets tell us about bicycle volumes?
Published April 2021

This analysis highlights shifts in commute patterns during COVID-19 on two of Philadelphia's most-ridden bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets between November 2020 and February 2021. 

Cyclical Program Summaries

Since 2014, DVRPC has been taking cyclical bicycle counts throughout the region. In 2019, DVRPC launched its cyclical pedestrian program. Learn more about the programs through these publications.

DVRPC's Bicycle Cyclical Count Program Story Map - 2014 to 2022
Published March 2024

DVRPC’s Bicycle Cyclical Count Program, launched in 2014, collects and analyzes bicycle volumes to track trends at 134 locations in the nine-county region. The story map analyzes bicycle volumes from 2014 to 2022 to provide planners, lawmakers, and the public with a better understanding of changes in bicycle volumes over time, across different geographies, and on different bicycle facility types. The data is intended to inform policy decisions at the municipal and county levels and to help guide future bicycle infrastructure investments.

DVRPC Southeastern Pennsylvania Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program Summary
Published April 2020

DVRPC’s Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program, launched in 2019, counts pedestrians at 170 locations in the five Pennsylvania counties served by DVRPC. This program aims to track pedestrian travel trends in various representative contexts throughout the region over time.  To balance the size of the project, only on-street locations with sidewalks on at least one side of the street were included.

DVRPC's Bicycle Cyclical Count Program Memo
Published February 2016

This memo analyzes the findings from 2014 and 2015, the initial two years of DVRPC’s Bicycle Cyclical Count Program. It maps and describes the different types of bicycle facilities at the 150 original count locations across DVRPC’s nine-county region.

Cordon Line Trends

DVRPC collects data on bicycle and pedestrian trips at multiple locations that cross the geographic boundary, or cordon line, surrounding the Philadelphia and Camden Central Business Districts (CBD). This bicycle and pedestrian trip data is collected at the same locations every five years. Comparing the trip data to earlier collections helps planners identify travel patterns and behavioral changes, which informs the regional travel model.

Find more information about the cordon line programs in Philadelphia and Camden:
2000 - 2020 Travel Trends in the Philadelphia Central Business District
2020 Camden CBD Cordon Data

Disclaimer

While every effort is made on the part of DVRPC to provide valid and current information, DVRPC makes no representation or warranties, express or implied, about the validity of this information and is not to be held responsible for errors in data obtained from this website.