Cycle lanes

Advice on how you can make the most of the data provided by the Cycle Lane Feature Type.

Introduction

Cycle Lane Feature Type definition: A linear feature that describes a cycle lane or cycle track and its relationship to the road or path network.

A cycle lane is defined as a section of road or path that is designated for cyclists, either segregated by a physical feature, identified by painted or other signage, or identified by a different colour of tarmac or surface type.

Please note, the Cycle Lane Feature Type represents designated cycling infrastructure, not cycle routes; therefore, routes that are part of the National Cycle Network are not captured as Cycle Lane features unless designated infrastructure is present that meets the criteria above.

Example map showing Cycle Lane features. Background map included for context.

Use cases and applications

Cycle lane data support a variety of use cases and applications:

• Planning cycle routes for active travel

• Asset management of cycle infrastructure

• Monitoring Cycle Network length and connectivity and conducting gap analysis

• Supporting road safety analysis

• Assessing the availability of safe cycling routes to access public services

Data provision

Cycle lane data are provided in two ways:

• The Cycle Lane Feature Type in the OS Transport Network Collection

• Attribution on the Road Link and Path Link Feature Types in the OS Transport Network Collection

What you'll find in this sub-section

The following sub-pages give more detailed information about the above representations and how they can be used to allow you to decide which one best suits your use case:

• Cycle Lane Feature Type

• Road Link and Path Link attribution

• How cycle lane data are created

• Known limitations