Data for: Rule compliance and desire lines in Barcelona’s cycling network

In this paper we study how cyclists interact with existing street design at intersections in Barcelona. We observed rule compliance (n = 5,063) and desire lines (n = 5,082) at six intersections over 12 weekdays.

We find that 78.9% of cyclists comply with intersection rules, and that female cyclists are more likely to comply. Rule incompliance is associated with the gender of the cyclists, the directionality of the bike lanes that intersect, traffic signals, and performing a turn. Our analysis of desire lines through the intersections illustrate that incompliant behaviour is driven by a need for uninterrupted travel.