Pyöräväylien tiedot ja laatutaso

In recent years, cycling has become increasingly popular in Finland. Finnish
municipalities tend to have extensive cycling networks, but those networks also have
quality defects that reduce the smoothness, speed and safety of cycling. Since the
entire cycling network cannot be reconstructed at once, it must be repaired one
section at a time. This calls for a method that enables an assessment of the quality of
the cycling network. Such an assessment would, in turn, enable an estimation of the
need for measures.
Cycling network quality classification would facilitate planning and contribute, in a
number of ways, to the municipality-level development goals set for cycling. Several
municipalities have supported cycling by defining goals for a better cycling network
structure and hierarchical classification. This preliminary survey proposes a three-tier
functional classification of cycling routes, which should also be used in the national
guidelines for the planning of pedestrian and cycling routes: main network, regional
network and local network (Finnish Transport Agency 2014). A shared data model
would encourage municipalities to perform hierarchical classifications, while also
providing a common platform for storing such data.
The data model would also contribute to the goal set in the National Strategy for
Walking and Cycling, of increasing the amount of cycling by 20% by 2020. For
example,the data model will enable the generation of precise cycling maps of an area,
in order to improve maintenance and the availability of parking and to support the
development of new applications that support cycling.
The quality classes have been developed to help define the quality of the cycling
network; they comprehensively describe the quality of the routes based on a range of
properties. Each quality class is divided into three parts: static, dynamic and
perceived properties. These three parts can be used to calculate a numerical grade for
each section of the route network. Static route properties are permanent, created by
means of planning and related measures. Dynamic properties, on the other hand,
change over time, for example as materials wear out. Ensuring the quality of these
properties requires monitoring and continuous maintenance. Finally, perceived
properties consist of any characteristics of the routes or the surrounding environment
that affect cyclists' experiences.
In order to ensure the progress of the cycling data model's development, this
preliminary survey also includes a proposal for a pilot project for creating a digital
description of the cycling network for a limited area. For example, the pilot would
consist of the following parallel subsections: defining the content of the first version
of the data model and investigating the connection between the OpenStreetMap and
the Digiroad database model. Another subsection would involve the piloting of new
data generation models and tools.