Increasing bicycle use for utilitarian trips is a common city objective for health
and environmental improvement and congestion reduction, but cyclists react heterogeneously
to interventions and infrastructure. Understanding cyclist types helps in comprehending
and planning for this diverse population. This study uses data from 2004 surveyed
Montreal cyclists to generate a multidimensional cyclist typology based on seven factors
derived from 35 variables, mostly proven determinants of the intensity of bicycle usage.
The analysis revealed four distinct cyclist types: dedicated cyclists, path-using cyclists,
fairweather utilitarians, and leisure cyclists. The cycling frequencies of each group
respond differently to potential interventions and vary within commuting rate ranges with
apparent minima and maxima. Building a network adapted to different cyclist types and
emphasizing its convenience, flexibility and speed, could be an effective strategy to
increase cycling mode share and frequency among the various groups. Findings from this
study can be of benefit to transportation engineers, planners and policy makers as they help
in better understanding the impacts of various interventions on the different groups of
cyclists.