Recent European research shows that cyclists themselves can provide infrastructure quality data that is just as reliable as inspections carried out by professional experts. A three‑year study of the GREENCAGE project on citizen participation in mobility policy found that assessments made by cyclists closely matched the outcomes of expert inspections. These findings were reported in the Dutch policy platform Mobiliteit.nl, based on a European pilot in the Netherlands that compared cyclist feedback with professional assessments by the Fietsersbond (the Dutch Cycling Association).
Reliable Data from Everyday Cyclists
The European study demonstrated that structured feedback from cyclists on the quality and safety of cycling infrastructure produces results that, on average, align with professional inspections. This challenges the traditional assumption that only trained inspectors can generate reliable infrastructure data. Instead, it highlights the potential of citizen-generated data as a credible input for planning and prioritising cycling investments. Importantly, the study did not suggest replacing professional inspections, but rather complementing them with large-scale, continuous input from users. Cyclists experience infrastructure on a daily basis and can signal problems that formal inspections may miss or only detect later.
Linking the Findings to MegaBITS in Antwerp
These conclusions are closely reflected in the MegaBITS citizen participation pilot in the Province of Antwerp, where both subjective (citizen-based opinions) and objective (Floating Bike) data were collected for the improvement of cycling infrastructure. Within MegaBITS, Antwerp focused on upgrading the F106 cycle highway between Herentals and Aarschot, using innovative digital tools to broaden participation and improve data quality.
A digital citizen participation platform was developed to gather feedback from cyclists and nearby residents. Instead of relying on traditional in‑person information meetings, which typically attract a limited and often unrepresentative group, the online platform allowed citizens to report issues such as dangerous crossings, poor surfaces and narrow paths via a web‑based questionnaire and an interactive map.
Key Results from the Antwerp Pilot
The evaluation shows that the platform succeeded in reaching a much broader group of participants than traditional engagement formats. In total, 515 citizens contributed input, marking over 600 specific locations along the cycle highway. This level of engagement far exceeded the usual attendance of physical information meetings.
Planners reported that the collected input was directly usable in the redesign process. A dashboard enabled them to cluster and analyse reported issues, identify recurring problem locations and better understand where cyclists perceived safety risks.
Beyond subjective feedback, the Antwerp pilot also explored Floating Bike Data (FBD) collected via a cycling app. This data provided objective information on cyclist behaviour, such as speeds, stops and hard braking events. Although the representativity of the dataset was limited due to the relatively small number of app users, it enabled a valuable data fusion exercise. See also this article.
Lessons for Policy and Practice
The Antwerp MegaBITS pilot confirms the broader European finding: citizen input can be a reliable and meaningful source of infrastructure data, especially when collected in a structured way and combined with other datasets. While limitations remain, particularly regarding representativity and organisational constraints, the evaluation shows that citizen-generated data can strengthen early problem detection, support prioritisation and improve the evidence base for design decisions.
Together, the European GREENCAGE study and the Antwerp pilot underline a key message for cycling policy across Europe: engaging cyclists as data partners is not only participatory, but also methodologically sound. When properly designed, citizen participation tools can produce data that is timely, policy‑relevant and comparable to professional assessments, while simultaneously increasing transparency and support for cycling investments.
Photos by Province of Antwerp.
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