/CycleSafe

Crowdsourced map of unsafe road areas for cyclists

CycleSafe

CycleSafe is a web app that allows cyclists to report dangerous road hazards, including construction, dangerous roads, and low visibility.

This project was developed at the National Day of Civic Hacking on May 31, 2014, sponsored by Code for San Jose.

More features will be added later!

Who would use CycleSafe?

  • Cyclists who ride a regular route and need to be prepared for any delays.
  • Cyclists looking to plan a ride in an unfamiliar area.
  • People looking for data to support bike road/trail improvements.

Why would they use it?

  • They are unfamiliar with an area.
  • They want an update or want to provide an update on existing conditions.
  • Future add-on: Trip planning from point-to-point.

How would they use it?

    How to find information about hazards:
  • Select location to see if there are any hazards on their planned route.
  • Get more information by clicking on map points.
    How to report hazards:
  • Click to select a location on the map.
  • Enter data into the form
  • Future add-on: upload a photo

Possible real-world uses for this app:

USE CASE 1 – Preventative Measures

Michelle bikes to work every day. Before she leaves, she pulls out her iPad and goes to the CycleSafe website. She learns that there is a hazard along her route. There is road construction but it's not particularly dangerous. She leaves the house knowing to be careful approaching that location. As she travels, she notices the reported hazard isn't there anymore. When she arrives at work she goes back to CycleSafe and removes the hazard. In the future, Michelle will be able to update items from a mobile app.

USE CASE 2 – Reporting a problem

On her way home from work, Michelle has to come to a sudden stop along Santa Clara Street in front of the Sharks Arena. Traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction due to construction of a new statue commemorating the Sharks Stanley Cup victory. When she gets home Michelle goes to the CycleSafe website and logs an incident in the system. In the future, Michelle can pull off to the side, snap a quick photo of the area with her smartphone and then automatically upload the photo with the incident report.

USE CASE 3 – Basic Trip Planning

John and Kathy are planning a day-long bike excursion. Typically they find an area and then start exploring. Today they are bringing their niece and nephew on the trip so they want to make sure the route is safe. CycleSafe lists major incidents, but she doesn’t see anything in her area. In the future she may be able to create trip maps but for now she can at least see if there are any dangerous places on their route. Seeing no major problems, they put on their helmets and protective pads, pack snacks and water and head out for the day.

FUTURE USE CASE – Use of the data collected

Once we have a significant pool of data, it can be analyzed for trends. Neighborhoods could use the data to identify areas of concern and work with their city, county, etc. to make these areas safer.

Get ideas from users and develop add-ons like safe travel paths, recommending improvements to roads, bike lanes and trails.