When I made about the pavement widths mapping I tweeted that I had some ideas for a little project related to cycling infrastructure. After a bit of effort, it is ready to go! -> http://www.cyclingreporter.org  #cycling #cork

It’s a website that offers two functions. The first is a map of the cycle lanes/paths/tracks in Cork City as well as cycle parking – http://www.cyclingreporter.org/view 

The second function is the ability to submit reports related to hazards and design issues related to the cycling infrastructure and also record cycle path obstructions, e.g. parked cars. http://www.cyclingreporter.org/reporter . It works on both mobile and in the browser.

Effectively, it allows the crowd sourcing of our collective cycling knowledge and experience in Cork to support new and not so new cyclists, while also building a useful and open dataset.

At the end of each month I will collate this data (which is all anonymous) and open it up to allow others to download. This means it can be used by local cycling action groups to support their activities.

The data can be used to quantify the cars parking in cycle lanes issue, demonstrate the lack of interconnection between cycle lanes/tracks, and raise awareness to other cyclists about issues to be aware of.

I will also submit the data to the local council so that can be given the opportunity to address the issues raised. However, I am not expecting them to rush out and do this, but I have decided to be optimistic and at least give them the opportunity.

There is more detail on the website ( http://www.cyclingreporter.org ), so take a look and read through the project and FAQ. If you have a spare 5 minutes, submit some reports and contribute to the dataset (submitting reports is probably a bit easier on a bigger screen than on mobile)

The underlying cycling infrastructure data was made from my memory, Google Street View, and the Cork Cycling Campaign map – so I have most likely missed some things. You can report any issues with the data on the reporter as well ( http://www.cyclingreporter.org/reporter )

I will continue to maintain the data and reflect any changes due to the COVID-19 response and I will also update the attribute data for the cycle lanes/tracks, such as width, the amount of lighting, mandatory/advisory cycle lane etc.

I am running this as a trial until September to see if it proves useful, or if it falls flat. This idea came about from my frustration in the lack of action from city leaders with regards the promotion of cycling in the city (and that was even before COVID-19!).

I hope that the data produced via this site can contribute in some way to improving cycling in the city. I am very much open to hearing feedback/comments and how the data can be used or if there is anything else that can be added to the site http://www.cyclingreporter.org .