● Is the ‘BikeMaps.org’ project helping to get more people on their bikes?

According to a report in Metro News, BikeMaps.org will soon be conducting focus group sessions to see if they are helping to get more people on their bicycles.

BikeMaps.org is a project that collects reports about cycling collisions and related data and presents the information on an interactive online map and through visualized data (bar charts). More importantly, it also provides information about near-misses, hazards, and bicycle thefts.

What makes BikeMaps.org so interesting is that in addition to the official police reports, it collects information provided by cyclists. This is valuable because the data provided by police reports can be very limited and doesn’t show everything that’s happening on the road.

BikeMaps.org has been in operation for almost a year and, somewhat surprisingly (at least to me) received $930,000 in federal funding. It wants to help government planning and infrastructure development for cycling, and it also hopes to encourage more people to get on their bicycles.

By holding focus group sessions, the project wants to see if it is starting to make a difference. Ottawa was one of the first cities to be part of the project.

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1 Comment on ● Is the ‘BikeMaps.org’ project helping to get more people on their bikes?

  1. need more of this… in ottawa, we all hide in our little holes (silos really), its a government town eh! can’t yah tell.

    we need more information sharing in this area for sure – what’s the safest route with a low probability of encountering traffic or getting hit.
    What areas (bike paths) are open for winter commuting?
    how are the roads after a snow fall?
    how’s the traffic?
    dangerous intersections?
    conflict sections – poor design…

    we need this for many areas, not just for commuting. Would be nice to have that for hiking, winter fat biking, running etc… the xc skiers have monopolized the park, yet many of us want to get out and do other sports yet are limited in some regards…

    we need an infoHub for cycling, hiking, running, snowshoeing etc…

    more information, the more informed choices we can make.
    Right now, ottawa hides a lot of information – its clicky that way… silos means power/control. Its a very clicky city… its a control thing eh!

    share your encounters, experiences, testimonies, etc…

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