AMHERST — Traffic counters being installed on two area bike paths by University of Massachusetts researchers could help demonstrate that simplified schematic maps, outlining optimal routes and points of interest like grocery stores and cafes, may get more people using bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters.
With a goal of encouraging transportation alternatives to personal cars, which would lower greenhouse gas emissions, Eleni Christofa and Jimi Oke, both civil and environmental engineering academics, are placing the counters on the Swift Way connector, the dedicated bicycle lane along University Drive in Amherst, as well as the protected Northampton Bikeway that runs between Northampton and Florence.
The new counters, developed by Easy ZELT, supplement an existing counter in Hadley, and will serve to collect baseline data that should demonstrate whether more cyclists are out and about once the maps are available.
The schematic maps, currently being designed, are similar to what a rider on a subway may see on a map, with geographical accuracy sacrificed for simplified relational information. They are not intended, though, to replace wayfinding by smartphones, says Oke, an assistant professor and principal investigator.
“But the idea is to create awareness and enable users to develop a mental map of the network in their area,” Oke said. “They will show people a snapshot of all the bicycle information and perhaps encourage them to bike more.”
When the maps are ready for distribution, likely by July 2026, they will be put in public places and points of interest in Northampton, Amherst and Hadley.
“The main thing we want to test is whether the installation and distribution of bike maps can be associated with a statistically significant increase with bike usage, based on counter data collected in the year before and the year after,” Oke said.
Being in a rural area, Christofa said that bike paths and bike lanes are often not visible to a large segment of the population and not understood as a way to get around.
“A lot of times we’re talking about bike trails that are hidden and not on the main road,” Christofa said. “Providing information to residents and visitors on where those types of bike infrastructure exist and where different types of amenities exist will be very helpful.”
Bicycle trail maps in the area exist, but not on a centralized platform, and they also don’t do a good job illustrating where points of interest fall along the various routes, according to the researchers.
The research is being supported by a two-year, $40,000 Armstrong Fund for Science grant that could answer the question, “can bicycle use and schematic maps reduce emissions?”
“Which is kind of a bold question,” Oke said. “But research has shown that 60% of all the trips we would take by car are one to three miles, so there’s a huge potential for bicycles, or even e-bikes.”
The researchers are also circulating surveys to collect data on so-called “micromobility” use, the barriers that exist to biking and what might motivate someone to ride.
That survey, which will be used in the development of the maps, is at https://umassamherst.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d6yvQ7BRzig5ZYy
Oke said that solutions regularly suggested include getting more buses on the road as infrastructure, or extending the existing bus network, but there is already an underutilized resource.
“And so, what are ways we could make better use of what we currently have?” Oke said. “We think better maps are one answer to this question.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
