An analysis on NY Citi Bike data from August 2018 and case for investment in Des Moines Bike. Tableau was used in the analysis and visualization. Project for the UC Berkeley Data Analytics Boot Camp.
Please find the accompanying dashboard presentation at Tableau Public Site and sample images below.
NYC Citi Bike is operating a robust business with over 2.3 million bike rentals in a given good weather month. The popularity rises with users born after the mid 1990s with their average trip duration greatly increasing. This is a trend we expect to be similar for Des Moines Bike.
In looking at the NYC Citi Bike location data, there is a greater concentration of bike rentals starting in areas with greater numbers of tourists. This is a good marker for Des Moines Bike. While, Des Moines does not have the number of tourists that NYC sees, according to the Catch Des Moines tourism website, over 13.7 million visitors came to the greater Des Moines area in 2016. On a smaller scale than NYC Citi Bike, Des Moines will have the tourism demand to support a large portion of the rental business of Des Moines Bike.
Some questions I considered were 'What is the population of Des Moines and how does it compare to New York City?' and 'Does the population affect the number of people who will use the bike-sharing program?' I used the evaluation of population data to set the initial expectations for Des Moines Bike. According to the US Census Bureau, the 2019 estimated population of New York City was 8,336,817 and of Des Moines was 214,237. I propose that Des Moines Bike start with number of bikes about 2-3% that of NYC Citi Bike. Based on that projection, I propose that a given good weather month would have aproximately 58,600 rentals.
Another factor for consideration is the support from the cities and the dedication towards a bike friendly atmosphere. According to the NYC Cycling in the City report from May 2019, there are 1,240 lane miles of bike lanes and 480 of protected bike lanes. Des Moines has far fewer lanes with 63 miles of paved trails according to the city's parks and recreation department. But for future growth, Des Moines has made dedicated bike lanes a goal and focus according to the City of Des Moines Comprehensive Plan. Though the current number of bike lanes are less than New York City, the lower population of Des Moines also means that there is less traffic for bikes to compete with compared to New York City. Based on the current information, I believe that the goals of Des Moines are in line with supporting a bike rental business in the city.
Other further items for discussion include evaluation on the differences between NYC and Des Moines in bike safety, the average distance between tourist attractions and the average inner city commute distance.
- Tableau
- Excel
Tableau Worksheet 1
Tableau Worksheet 2
City of Des Moines Comprehensive Plan, Adopted April 2016. 2016, cms2.revize.com/revize/desmoines/document_center/Development%20Services/Planning%20and%20Urban%20Design/PlanDSMAdopted20160425.pdf?pdf=Plan%20DSM%20-%20Creating%20Our%20Tomorrow%20Land%20Use%20Plan&t=1599138906558&pdf=Plan%20DSM%20-%20Creating%20Our%20Tomorrow%20Land%20Use%20Plan&t=1599138906558.
CYCLING IN THE CITY - Welcome to NYC.gov | City of New York. May 2019, www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/cycling-in-the-city.pdf.
Des Moines Trails, 2019, www.dsm.city/departments/parks_and_recreation-division/places/trails.php.
Tourism Matters, 2020, www.catchdesmoines.com/about/tourism-matters/.
“U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New York City, New York; Des Moines City, Iowa.” Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2020, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newyorkcitynewyork,desmoinescityiowa/PST045219.