On yer bike! Cyclists take most comfortable route over quickest

People prefer a flat road          Photo: Meredith Glaser via Amsterdamcyclechic.com

Cyclists choose the most comfortable route over the quickest one, according to a study by Royal HaskoningDHV engineers and Eindhoven University of Technology.

The Parool reports that cyclists choose their path dependent on the quality of the road surface and extent of hills, rather than going for the shortest distance. They would rather cycle for four more minutes than tackle a steep bridge or bumpy road, the study says.

This flies in the face of conventional traffic modelling (and the recommended route from Google Maps) which assume bikes will always take the quickest path. The research found that segregated bike lanes were considered particularly important for electric bike users and older cyclists.