LOUISVILLE, KY (BRAIN)—BikeClicks.com, Louisville's online community for cyclists, has launched Safe Rides. Safe Rides is a program that allows cyclists to log unsafe incidents or conditions they encounter on our local roads into a database enabling all members of the Web site to easily access this information and pinpoint possible "trouble spots" in their city.
The online tool is a combination of Google Maps, Street View and a BikeClicks database that delivers a user-friendly visual presentation to ensure that your next ride is a safer one. Users can report incidents, accidents and fatalities which show up on a map of the city providing a visual indication of potential danger zones along with a detailed description of the incident.
The program came about as a response to the fact that many cyclists are hit by cars, chased by dogs and yelled at or "buzzed" by angry drivers each day.
"For a year now I've been thinking there must be a better way to log and track accidents and near misses that happen to the thousands of cyclists out there on our roads each day. While the most serious of these events make the nightly news, many more never get reported beyond the cyclist telling their riding buddies about it the next day," said Steven Webster, co-founder of BikeClicks.com.
"Wouldn't it be nice to see sections of town that have an unusually high number of angry drivers? Or know that an intersection you commute through every day has had 49 near misses in the last year and a half? What about that pack of dogs in the same neighborhood that chases down cyclists on the club rides?"
Webster's concerns led to a conversation with Kentucky Mountain Bike Association (KYMBA) president and Bicycling for Louisville's board president, Michael Dulin, who shares Webster's enthusiasm for the safety of the cycling community and the importance of sharing information about these incidences.
"Safe Rides is the first program of its kind that allows cyclists in our community to self-report incidents, keeping the cycling community better informed and better prepared as they head out onto our city's streets," Dulin said.
Incidents can be reported and viewed by members of BikeClicks.com. Becoming a member of the Web site is free and easy. Future plans include trail and street conditions. For more information on Safe Rides and BikeClicks, log onto www.bikeclicks.com or contact Steven or Suzanne Webster at info@bikeclicks.com.
