How Cyclists Commute

Stava's running & cycling tracking app includes a 'commute' option, which allows users to tag their runs & rides to and from work. It also allows Stava to provide maps which show how Strava users commute to work.

Strava Insights has provided a number of interactive maps showing how cyclists commute in some of the world's major cities. The maps provide a heat-map view of the most used roads and bike paths used by cyclists in their daily commutes.

Stava's Global Heatmap already provides a nice overview of where Strava users most like to run and cycle. You can now compare the Global Heatmap with the commuting maps in Strava Insights to see if there is any difference between routes popular for commuting and routes used for other activities.

Comparing the commuting map of London with the Global Heatmap of London there does seem to be some differences in the routes chosen by cycling commuters and those taken by other cyclists. Major roads seem to be more popular for cyclists when commuting. The Global Heatmap shows minor back roads being used more than in the commuting map. This suggests that leisure cyclists may be more likely to use longer routes with less road traffic than commuters. Commuting cyclists however seem to favor speed of travel over other concerns.