We just received this from UVic. They are reaching out to Nanaimo to try and spread their new app. Check it out, it’s a good one:
Did you have a near miss on your bike to work today? Would you like to alert fellow cyclists to a hazard? BikeMaps.org is a research website where you can log cycling incidents: collisions, near misses, hazards, or thefts. The web-map was launched in the fall of 2014 by the Spatial Pattern Analysis and Research (SPAR) Lab in UVic’s Geography Department with the goal of capturing more data on cycling safety. It is estimated that only 30% of cycling collision data is collected by official sources, such as insurance claims with motor vehicles, leaving the vast majority of incidents unreported.
To date, over 1100 incidents have been logged in 18 different countries. In the Greater Victoria area, where the majority of pins are located, BikeMaps.org researchers have been able to highlight some hotspots of risk based on citizen mapping. (www.BikeMaps.org/blog/p/3 ). Mapping has also begun to accelerate in Vancouver and Calgary.
BikeMaps.org researchers are encouraging Nanaimo cyclists to participate as well. Logging an incident is anonymous and only takes a minute or two. Website visitors also have the option to create an account to receive notices of any incidents in their area. A mobile app has just been released on Google play for android devices. The iOS version should be ready later this summer.
We welcome all feedback and interest in the project. Get in touch by email info@bikemaps.org, on twitter @BikeMapsTeam, or through Facebook (BikeMaps.org).