Cyclists urging N.L. riders to share hazards and accidents with database

Bikemaps.org is a website and app that's designed to alert cyclists of accidents and bike thefts in their area. A group in St. John's is promoting the app this summer in hopes of getting people on board.

BikeMaps.org is a website and app that gives cyclists a place to log traffic encounters

Gary Moore · CBC News · Posted: May 31, 2017 8:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 1, 2017

A bike app that shares information from cyclists across Canada is designed so serious and casual cyclists can report what is happening on the street. (CBC)

Cyclists take note: there's an app out there designed to make riding a little more safe, and a group in St. John's is working on collecting more data about cycling in Newfoundland and Labrador.

BikeMaps.org is a database of information about cycling accidents, close calls, and traffic hazards all around the world. The site also runs as an app on iPhone and Android phones, and contains safety information uploaded by cyclists.

The Bike Maps app is simple to use and allows cyclists to upload a number of different experiences, including hazards and bicycle thefts. (Gary Moore/CBC)

The program was designed a couple of years ago in British Columbia and is starting to catch on around the world. The local group is trying to boost the level of interest in this province.

"There are lots of apps out there, and unless people have heard about it and unless you really try to promote it — your app is not necessarily going to get more usage than, you know, any other kind of generic app," said the group's Daniel Fuller.

Fuller, along with some people from Safety NL and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, applied to receive funding from BikeMaps.org to help promote the app in the province.

"I think everyone is really interested in improving the quantity and the quality of the data we can have around cycling," said Fuller. He said the data can help make cyclists aware of high traffic areas.

Powerful tool

The app is easy to use, and it takes only a minute to upload and share an experience to the site. Cyclists are able to log a variety of situations on the site, including bike thefts, collisions and near-accidents. The more data that's on the site, the better for everyone who's cycling.

Daniel Fuller is one of the people in St. John's who's promoting bikemaps.org over the coming weeks. (Submitted)

"It's locally contributed data, and it's the actual people who are on the road cycling, reporting what's happened to them and what they're experiencing. And that's a powerful tool."

Fuller said the data from the site is also important for urban planning — to help design new cycling infrastructure.

"The bike maps data can help identify locations that are particularly dangerous. It can also help identify locations that are particularly safe."

The app is designed to identify locations that are safe, as well as ones that are dangerous. (Darren Bernhardt/CBC)

Fuller said his group will be out to cycling events over the summer and will also target community events that are not tied to the sport in hopes of reaching out to casual cyclists too.

"For your average person who maybe cycles once a month, or goes on a ride along a trail somewhere, we want those people to be contributing data as much as your spandex-clad cyclist who's out there really regularly," he said. "We're trying to get a picture for what cycling is like for all kinds of different cyclists."