New bicycle route mapping tool: Cyclowiki

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This last Friday November 14 was the official unveiling of "Cyclopath Geowiki," a new wiki-based online bicycle route mapping tool that promises to make it more convenient to plan your next bike trip.

U of M researchers Reid Priedhorsky and Loren Terveen introduced the Cyclowiki to a group of public agency staff, planners, local consultants and advocates, giving a thorough overview of the tool's exisiting capabilities and function and of potential improvements and features for future releases.

The tool is already functional, simply go to http://magic.cyclopath.org/ (also on this site's sidebar), click on "Routes" in the left sidebar, and then choose "Find new route" and enter your trip's beginning and ending point. The system will find a route for you in the same way that Google maps can provide automobile driving directions or Metro Transit's route finder will.

One of the great advantages of the tool, however, is that becasue it is wiki-based, the route supplied will take into account up-to-the-minute information from others users who rate route segments on bikeability, temporary conditions (gravel resurfacing, construction detours) and other characteristics.

Additionally, the tool allows users to choose the kind of route the system provided by choosing the relative importance of "bikeability" of the route (how bicycle friendly the route is) vs. overall distance for the trip.

Want to make this tool even better? Sign up to become one of the wiki editors, and recommend it to your friends.

Congratulations and many thanks to Bike Walk Twin Cities, the Bike Walk Ambassadors Program, Transit for Livable Communities and the University of Minnesota researchers who made this tool possible!