Australia’s largest ever crowd-sourcing bike safety project – BikeSpot 2023 – was launched today at Parliament House in Canberra. The project is a collaboration between the Amy Gillett Foundation and CrowdSpot, as part of the Australian Government’s Safe Roads for Safe Cycling Program.
BikeSpot is a map that allows every Australian to say where they feel safe or unsafe while riding their bike. By making a mark on the interactive map, everyone can contribute to making cycling safe.
People on bikes can head to bikespot.org to drop a pin and answer a few questions about why they feel safe or unsafe in that location. The feedback could be positive, such as a separated bike lane that feels safe and is enjoyable to ride on. Or the feedback could identify areas that need improvement, such as a narrow-painted bike lane, high traffic speed, or missing connections in bike routes.
The information collected by BikeSpot will be made freely and publicly available to local governments, researchers and anyone else involved in road design.
Monash University has found more than three-quarters of people are interested in riding a bike, but only when separated from cars, such as on off-road paths or protected bike lanes. Previous research has also shown that the key barrier to getting more people on bikes is how unsafe they feel when riding, particularly around cars.
Active transport is increasingly a priority for governments, locally and globally. Active transport reduces traffic congestion, and improves the social, economic and environmental health of communities.
Our streets need to be shared and accessed by all – the more we know, the safer our journey. Let’s share our knowledge to build happier, healthier communities.
The nationwide project is now open and will run through to January 2024. Let’s make cycling safe. Make your mark at bikespot.org.
Comments to be attributed to Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Senator the Hon. Carol Brown:
“Australia has committed to a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2050 and this includes ensuring every cyclist gets home safely – a vital task that everyone can support by engaging with BikeSpot.
“The Australian Government is funding innovative projects like BikeSpot 2023 as part of the Safe Roads for Safe Cycling Program to reduce risks to cyclists, pedestrians and motorcycle riders, as well as future-proof infrastructure to protect vulnerable road users.”
Comments attributed to CEO of Amy Gillett Foundation, Dan Kneipp:
“Safety is a key barrier to cycling participation, so we’re asking people to make their mark on the BikeSpot map.
“People who ride bikes know better than anyone where safety improvements need to be made in their neighbourhood. This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone in the community to have input on how to make bike routes safe in their area.”
Comments attributed to CrowdSpot Founder & Director, Anthony Aisenberg:
“BikeSpot enables us to capture the ‘knowledge of the crowd’ to better understand where people feel safe and unsafe riding.
“This data complements other data sources such as official crash statistics and is critical for prioritising decisions on future cycling infrastructure improvements which lead to better planning for all road users.”
Background
BikeSpot 2023 is a collaboration between CrowdSpot and the Amy Gillett Foundation to crowdsource perceptions of cycling safety across Australia via an interactive map. The aim of the project is to develop insights into perceived safe and unsafe cycling locations and contribute to prioritising future cycling infrastructure improvements. The last BikeSpot survey ran only in Victoria in 2020 and received more than 31,000 submissions identifying key spots on an interactive map.
CrowdSpot is an award-winning, Melbourne-based digital consultancy specialising in map-based community engagement and data collection. Their mission is to help create quality spaces in a social, inclusive and engaging process. They do this by connecting decision-makers with targeted community groups through the use of online map-based social survey tools.
The Amy Gillett Foundation is Australia’s leading cycling safety organisation, driven by a core mission to reduce the death and injury of cyclists. The foundation was established in 2005 following the death of Amy Gillett, who was killed by a driver on 18 July 2005 while she was cycling in Germany with the Australian women’s cycling team.
The Australian Government has committed $6 million over two years from 2022-23 to 2023-24 to the Safe Roads for Safe Cycling Program, which is being delivered by the Amy Gillett Foundation. This program contributes to the reduction of road trauma in Australia by delivering long-term road safety benefits through improving cycling safety knowledge, resources and tools.
