Creating a Safe Route to School Map with MRN

Software Requirements

QGIS 3.24 or later

Data Requirements

• Import your roadlink, pathlink and Multi-modal Routing Network data into QGIS

• Reproject your Multi-modal Routing Network data into British National Grid (ESPG: 27700)

• Filter roadlink, pathlink and Multi-modal Routing Network data further if needed, e.g. if only interested in roads under 30mph

• Import your residential and educational addresses into QGIS

• Select a school of interest from educational addresses and create this as a new layer

Building the network

QGIS has built in tools for network analytics such as service area and shortest path. However, for a visually clearer output, we will be using a plugin called QNEAT3.

Select ‘Plugins’ > ‘Manage and Install Plugins’ and search for ‘QNEAT3’. Select ‘Install Plugin’.

Once the plugin is installed, it will appear in the processing toolbox. The tool offers various analysis options, but for now select QNEAT3 – Qgis Network Analysis Toolbox > Distance Matrices > OD Matrix from Layers as Lines (m:n).

This will create a network output of the shortest paths between two sets of points.

Creating the shortest distance network

• Use your Multi-modal Routing Network layer as your Network Layer

• Set From-Point Layer as residential addresses

• Set To-Point Layer as the example school address

• Set Generated matrix geometry style to be Matrix geometry follows routes

Joining attributes to the output network

Use Join attributes by location (summary) with Multi-modal Routing Network, joining to your new network and calculating mean avgspeed:forward along the routes

Again use Join attributes by location (summary) with the merged Multi-modal Routing Network , joining to your new network and calculating mean presenceofstreetlight_coverage and os_overallpavementpresence

Merging roadlink and pathlink and joining streetlight attribution

Merge roadlink and pathlink layer together to make one layer using the Merge Vector Layers tool in QGIS

Use Join attributes by location with merged roadlink and pathlink, joining to your new network, setting the join type to ‘largest overlap (one-to-one)’ and taking the presenceofstreetlight_coverage attribute

Adding a Score attribute

Open the Field Calculator in QGIS.

Add new attributes called streetlightrating, 20mphzone and presenceofpavementrating, to OD Matrix layer and calculate a numerical value to these according to requirements.

Multiply these scorings together to get one overall rating for each route to school and style accordingly to highlight hotspots of safe and less safe routes

Example Output – RAG Map

Each potential route from an address to the school is classified into Red, Amber and Green, which can help to highlight areas which may be less safe for school transport.

Routes can either be isolated if interested in a specific area or combined to give a clearer picture of walkability over a wider area.

Note that these are example ratings to demonstrate output and should not be taken verbatim.

Possibilities to Enhance Results

• Filtering by Bus to look at bus routes to schools, and including bus stop data (e.g. NAPTAN)

• Look at crime statistics which may also affect route safety (e.g. ONS)

• Look at additional pavement attribution such as width of pavement for accessibility for buggies (in OS Data)

Creating the RAG Map - step by step process

• Import your roadlink, pathlink, Multi-modal Routing Network and averageindicativespeed data into QGIS

• Reproject your Multi-modal Routing Network data into British National Grid (ESPG: 27700)

• Import your residential and educational addresses into QGIS

• Select school of interest and create this as a new layer

• Use OD Matrix from Layers as Lines (M:N) from QNEAT3 Plugin, using your Multi-modal Routing Network as your Network Layer, From-Point Layer as being residential addresses, To-Point Layer being the school address and setting cost strategy to be along network features

• Use Join attributes by location (summary) with Multi-modal Routing Network, joining to your new network and calculating mean avgspeed:forward along routes

• Use Join attributes by location (summary) with Multi-modal Routing Network, joining to your new OD Network and calculating mean os_overallpavementpresence along routes

• Merge roadlink and pathlink layer together to make one layer

• Use Join attributes by location with merged roadlink and pathlink, joining to your new network, setting the join type to ‘largest overlap (one-to-one)’ and taking the presenceofstreetlight_coverage attribute

• Add new attributes called ‘streetlightrating’, ’20mphzone’ and ‘presenceofpavementrating’, to OD Matrix layer and calculate a numerical value to these according to requirements

• Multiply these scorings together to get one overall rating for each route to school

• Style accordingly to highlight hotspots of safe and less safe routes