Death Statistics 2014

[srw]

What sort of survey based method? If you asked a few thousand cyclists to tell you how far they had ridden in the last year, the data would probably be as reliable as asking them to self-report the size of their penises. You need a ruler, actually for some firm data.

Again I'm going from memory, but I believe that it's a very long-tailed distribution, and the people who contribute the most to the data are the millions who ride 5 times a year, going 10 miles each time, rather than the few tens of thousands who ride every day. And the survey-based data is coming out so far adrift from the counter data that it's impossible that the methods used to collect and adjust the counter data are right. Looking at the list of locations in Central London you can see why....



(Oh, and we can be very sure that about half of cyclists won't mis-estimate their penis length. Breast size, though, I gather is a different matter - some horrifically large proportion are wearing the wrong size bra if you believe lingerie sellers.)

 

[Mugshot]

Have they thought of using Strava?

Indeed.
A link which may be of interest to some.

 

[Fab Foodie]

(Oh, and we can be very sure that about half of cyclists won't mis-estimate their penis length. Breast size, though, I gather is a different matter - some horrifically large proportion are wearing the wrong size bra if you believe lingerie sellers.)

I'm bound to be overestimating one and underestimating the other ....

 

[Mugshot]

The consequence may be that our transport policies are determined by the needs and wants of Strava users. That would be like only taking Corsa and Saxo drivers in to account.

You made me laugh but I think you're being a little unfair.

 

[srw]

You made me laugh but I think you're being a little unfair.

Not every cyclist has a smartphone; many other tracking apps are available. Strava's primary appeal is to boy racers, of either sex. And there are many good reasons why uploading commuting rides (which start at your front door) to a public site isn't the brightest thing to do.

 

[Mugshot]

many other tracking apps are available.

There are indeed, it appears that the majority of people who chose to have an issue with strava like to pick on the segments. They could use Garmin or Map My Ride maybe but they both have segments too of course.

And there are many good reasons why uploading commuting rides (which start at your front door) to a public site isn't the brightest thing to do.

It's not difficult to use the privacy settings or to start and finish an app away from your house, the same applies to every other cycling app.

Strava's primary appeal is to boy racers, of either sex.

This is what the article says;
This information has been used to construct heat maps of the most frequently used cycling routes—including commutes, which make up 50 to 70 percent of rides uploaded to Strava.
Now it doesn't say how they came to that figure and it could of course be the case that it is the boy racer commuters that are using strava, I just thought that as the thread was considering the accuracy of data that Adrians (tongue in cheek) suggestion could be considered a little more closely, if the article is to be believed then that is precisely what some cities are doing.

 

[glenn forger]

"Per hour, gardening is more dangerous than cycling" should be used in PIFs.

 

[jefmcg]

Oh, this is depressing. No, it's going up apparently.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359311/rrcgb-2013.pdf

I think I should point out that this data is for "Reported Road Casualties" and thus excludes cycle-only accidents.


(I came off my bike and broke my clavicle, which would be a "Serious injure", except that even though the police attended, it wasn't recorded as a road casualty as there was no car involved.)

 

[summerdays]

The consequence may be that our transport policies are determined by the needs and wants of Strava users. That would be like only taking Corsa and Saxo drivers in to account.

My friends say they aren't into racing and wearing lycra so why should they use Strava, and I point out that the data collected is used by some and I want my cycling represented. Even so there will always be a skew towards the more sportier element when using Strava data.

 

[summerdays]

I want my cycling represented as well. I am not signing up for Strava though.

Well I make sure I pass over those counter things on my route but then they don't know if it was one long journey going over 10 counters or 10 shorts journeys. I'm not sure how else they can collect the information. The traffic counters always pick busy roads the sort of places that some cyclists might avoid. I usually reply to the work annual survey (on one day you have to say your modes of transport and the start and end destination I think) or how many miles.

 

[Berk on a Bike]

I don't suppose it adds to the debate in any way, shape or form, but here's the Strava heat map of the UK and parts of northern Europe. I think it looks rather lovely.

 

[slowmotion]

Very few people seem to cycle in Denmark.

 

[srw]

Very few people seem to cycle in Denmark.

Or in France outside of Paris, or indeed in the flattest bits of the UK.

 

[Berk on a Bike]

Very few people seem to cycle in Denmark.

Copenhagen is just off that screenshot, to the right. Highest density appears to be there.

 

[slowmotion]

Or it may just indicate that people in those areas aren't that bothered about Strava, which does seem to be something of an urban phenomena...

That was my (faintly light-hearted) point. I don't thing that Strava is a very good indicator of the behaviour of the population of cyclists as a whole. Personally, I think it's a rubbish one.