As Strava today (10 May) kicks off its first ever Global Bike to Work Day, the cycling app has revealed that more than 70 cities and regions around the world are harnessing its data to inform transport policy.

The new initiative is being led by Strava’s data analysis arm Strava Metro, which is urging thousands of cyclists around the world to upload the data from their commute to awareness of active travel.

With more than six million cyclists uploading their data to Strava every week, Strava Metro anonymises and aggregates the data and then partners with urban planners to improve city infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Estimated to capture 5-10 per cent of all bike movements, the anonymised data includes age, gender and information on the cycle routes including volume and congestion.

A total of 76 areas around the world now use Strava Metro data to inform their transport policy, including Glasgow, Reykjavik, Stockholm and Brisbane.

“It helps show the return on investment, on the tax dollars being used by authorities for things like cycle lanes,” Strava co-founder Michael Horvath told The Guardian.

“They want to be able to show this was money well spent, or to learn that there was something they could have done better.”

Active design has been a hot topic in recent months, especially in light of new research which found cities which strive to promote physical activity gain a significant economic advantage. The University of California study – which was commissioned by Nike and UK charity Sustrans – showed areas which foster physical activity enjoy economic benefits such as higher retail revenues plus lower healthcare and crime costs.

The initiative to promote physical activity chimes with a recent opinion piece from Health Club Management editor Kate Cracknell, which called for policymakers to embrace positive changes that embed activity into our daily lives.

To read an interview with Strava marketing manager Gareth Nettleton on how the platform aims to inspire activity – from the May 2015 edition of Health Club Management – click here.