The fitness app and device maker Strava has taken millions of its users' workouts and made an interactive heat map showing where people bike or run/walk throughout the world. The nice benefit of so much data is that there is enough from the SCV to really make it interesting (reminds me of the dialect survey we looked at a few months ago). You can dive into Strava's interactive map right here.
New Interactive Map Shows Exactly Where We Bike and Run in SCV
Whether running or biking, the river trails have the heaviest traffic in the valley, but it's most apparent in the bike map. Cyclists avoid all but a few major streets, opting for the river trails and the canyons. (route frequency climbs from light blue to dark blue to purple to red)
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The Run map (includes walking and hiking) shows some different patterns, and you can really see the popularity of some of the park and open space trails.
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Another thing that caught my eye was the difference between the two maps in the paseos of the older parts of Valencia. I've noticed this lately, too. Bikes used to be a lot more common on the paseos when I was a kid, but you don't encounter too many these days. They were never great for serious exercise, but it looks like the river trails have taken over, even for casual cyclists. Here's a closer look at OG Valencia.
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Should Jeff come out of retirement, I'm sure that he could do justice to the data. But in the meantime, have at it. This map link will take you directly to the SCV.
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