Close Call on your Bike? Map it!
Riding a bike can be fun and exhilarating, but the possibility of a crash is a concern for even the most experienced rider. Many riders will go well out of their way to stay off certain roads, worried about staying safe in traffic. It may surprise you to know that most bike crashes do not involve another vehicle but are falls caused by road hazards like poor pavement or obstacles. According to the 2020 Active Transportation & Health Indicators Report, most bike-related emergency department visits are reported as non-collision incidents, such as falling off a bike. Bikemaps.org is a crowdsource tool for mapping cycling safety. It was developed by researchers at Canadian universities to collect data on bike collisions and falls. The goal of this is to help identify where cycling infrastructure should be improved, and to help cyclists plan safer routes. . The site has an interactive map where you can zoom in and enter location and description information about cycling incidents in any community in Canada.
We want you to….
Use bikemaps.org to report any falls, near misses, or crashes that you have on your bike. It might be an unexpected curb or post in the wrong place that caused a fall. It could be the way an intersection is designed that leads to a near miss. Recording near misses is important because they indicate locations where actual crashes could occur.
At the Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee, we are working to build the local data base so that we can improve local bike safety. Anyone can enter data on the simple interactive map, recording hazards that they see and experience while riding.
Go to BikeMaps.org and use the interactive map to record your incident or one that you witnessed.
There are four simple steps to using the mapping tool:
1. Go to BikeMaps.org
2. Zoom in on the map to the area of concern,
3. Click the “Start a report” button at the top left of your screen, and then click where the incident occurred. Or if you’re on a mobile device, just double-tap the location on the map.
4. Record the information (collision, near miss, hazard).
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