What a 'Bicycle Stress Map' Reveals About the Streets of Montgomery County

Just north of D.C., transportation planners in Montgomery County, Maryland have created a Bicycle Stress Map, reports Laura Bliss:

With a new Bicycle Stress Map, county planners have quantified and mapped the “traffic stress level” of the county’s bike network, assigning a numeric value and corresponding color to every street and bike trail.

Peter Furth, from Northeastern University, created the methodology for the stress map, calculating  "TSL" values "based on traffic speed and volume, the number and width of car and bike lanes, parking turnover, how easy it is to get through intersections, and other characteristics," explains Bliss.

In addition to providing more detail about the methodology of the stress map, Bliss also analyzes the portrait of the Montgomery County bike network that emerges as a result. Among the most clear takeaways from the map: that the bicycle network is often most stressful around Metro stations and Capital Bikeshare stations.