Digital tool allows users to map routes and bicycling areas according to the amount of traffic stress they can tolerate
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has refined its award-winning Bicycle Stress Map to allow users to map their routes and identify all the areas they can reach on roads that do not exceed their tolerance for traffic stress. The upgraded map is available on the Planning Department’s website.
Launched in April 2016, the map displays traffic stress in a way that helps the public make decisions about where to bicycle in the County so they feel safe and comfortable. In addition, the digital tool is helping planners understand the impediments to bicycling and where changes are most needed as they develop the Bicycle Master Plan.
In creating the map, Planning Department staff evaluated nearly 3,500 miles of roads and trails in the county to determine the level of stress on each road segment, from low to high.
Users can toggle between stress levels to reveal the bicycling network available to them, depending on the different levels of traffic stress they can tolerate. They can determine from the map how well public facilities are connected by bike to surrounding neighborhoods and can also view videos linked to the map that explain the experience of bicycling in areas with different traffic stress conditions.
Now the tool has been upgraded with new features that allow you to:
- Map your route according to your traffic stress tolerance.
- Identify traffic stress on roads in your bicycling area.
View the new and improved Bicycle Stress Map.