D.C.-area planners map cycling stress levels
Transportation planners in one of Maryland's suburban D.C. counties have found a way to map streets based on cyclists' stress.
Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and everything in between when you join Outside+.
Feeling a bit stressed on your ride? If you’re commuting, training, or just getting some fresh air in Maryland’s Montgomery County, adjacent to Washington, D.C., transportation planners have you in mind, and they’re quantifying stress levels with a new Bicycle Stress Map.
The map highlights streets with seven different colors, which denote stress levels ranging from “none” to “very high.” Naturally, roads with high speed limits and limited bike infrastructure afford the greatest stress, while non-motorized bike paths are least stressful. Bike riders can adjust their stress tolerance level with a sliding switch to see which roads in their area are best for their next ride.
The map is reminiscent of Strava’s Global Heatmap, which shows where people are riding bikes most often, in any area where riders upload their GPS tracks to Strava.
