Thursday, October 06, 2016

Days of the week cycle data compared #Analytics #HDSDA #87

A final look at cycle counter data from DĂșn Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council compares the mean daily number of bicycles passing by the counter at Blackrock Park on the Rock Road on the way into Dublin. This time, I have taken the totals for each day of the week for 2015 (excluding the first and last incomplete weeks of the year), and plotted them on a bar chart (using Excel) as follows:


You can see Tuesday is the busiest day of the week with an average of 669.5 bicycles passing per day. Wednesdays and Thursdays are almost identical, with Mondays and Fridays trailing behind. Weekends have the lowest figures, with Sunday being the quietest day on this road.

So what can we read into this? We can't blame the weather for reduced cycling at weekends! No surprises, but it would appear that (along with other traffic) work days are busiest with people cycling to in the main to work and College. Why the difference between the days of the week? Cycling is, of course, a physical activity, and perhaps us south Dubliners are tired after a weekend. Friday is also a quieter day when many of us leave our bikes at home. 

I wonder if these patterns are replicated at other cycle counters elsewhere in Dublin and in other cities. Might be a nice student project for someone?

No comments:

Post a Comment