National Assessment of Bicycle Friendliness Using a Spatial Approach: Focus on Universities and Communities

Abstract Bicycle mobility as a sustainable form of transportation has been increasing, particularly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, evaluating bicycle friendly areas, including communities and universities, across the United States is valuable. The League of American Bicyclists organization has a certification for bicycle-friendly universities (BFUs) and bicycle-friendly communities (BFCs). This research investigates existing BFUs and BFCs based on a spatial and frequency analysis of factors to understand trends in bike-friendly certification across the country. The results show that the majority of BFCs and BFUs fall within a megaregion boundary with the highest density in the Great Lakes and the Northeast. In addition, the majority of BFUs are located within BFCs. Using a Geographic Information System, the BFUs and BFCs are mapped and compared based on density, proximity, as well as demographic, climate, multimodal systems, university-specific, health, and land use factors, in order to determine commonalities in existing bike-friendly areas.