Cycle accessibility and level of traffic stress: A case study of Toronto

This paper examines the level of traffic stress for cyclists on the street and path network in the City of Toronto. Link as well as intersection stress is calculated to develop a citywide network of cycling stress. The cumulative opportunities reachable at four levels of cycling stress are calculated for each dissemination area in the city. The results show a low level of cycling access (<5000 jobs) across most of the city at low levels of stress (LTS ≤ 2). Only at level of stress three, where cyclists may be required to negotiate with vehicles and may be in proximity of high-speed traffic, does cycling accessibility rise above 15,000 jobs for a sizeable section of the city. The link between low-stress access to jobs and the decision to cycle from home is investigated using a binary logit model. The results indicate that the cycling accessibly measure has a significant effect on choosing cycling as the travel mode with larger effect for low-stress access. The low stress cycling accessibility to subway stations is calculated as an example of the practical applications of this method and illustrates the limited cycling access to many stations in the Toronto network. Further, a theoretical scenario analysis is undertaken comparing different bicycle network scenarios. Three scenarios are tested 1) removing all cycle tracks, 2) upgrading all bike lanes to cycle tracks, and 3) decreasing street speeds by 10 km/h on the road network entire network. Scenario 3 in particular drastically increases cycling access to jobs.