New CyclePhilly App Aims to Help Plan Better Bike Lanes


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CyclePhilly

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia posted today about a new free app for Philly cyclists called CyclePhilly. Its goal: to record trip data to help city planners get a better handle on where bike trips take place and how to better accommodate them. Meaning? With enough buy-in from Philly cyclists, the app’s data could be used to pave the way for new and better bike lanes down the line.

The app was created by Code for Philly volunteer developers. It works thusly: You download the app, hit start when you begin a ride, hit stop when it’s over, and add some easy info about the purpose of your ride. Your phone’s GPS function logs your trip and puts it on a web-based map that includes everyone else’s rides. The outcome is an interactive community map that shows where everyone is headed to and coming from on two wheels. The image above shows the Philly bike-commuter map as of this writing.

Cycle Philly is a collaborative effort between Code for Philly, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia and the Bicycle Coalition. Download it for Android and iOS here. And for more fun with local running/biking maps, go here.

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