If you love to get around on your bicycle, the City of Windsor will soon have an app to help you find the best places to ride.
The City launched this week its City-County Cycling Technology initiative, or 3-C-Tech, to develop an app that not only will help bicyclists find the best trails to ride on, but also provide information on how to navigate neighbourhoods safely. The initiative is being undertaken by Windsor Hackforge, a local technology space; the CWATS active transportation network, and Windsor-based developer Parallel 42.
Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie, who chairs the city's bicycling committee, told WindsorNewsToday.ca that the app will go beyond just a basic trail map.
"Most people who live in the area are obviously familiar with the roadway network," said McKenzie. "But, being able to actually identify the active transportation infrastructure, and the best routes to take based on what is actually in the physical space, that is the benefit there for us."
McKenzie said the base of the app will be the City's own "open street" map system, and the bicycling-specific information will be created by the app partners and bicycle-loving residents.
"Hackforge is going to organize over the next number of months some of these 'hack-a-thons'. They're also calling them mapping parties, which will bring in the cycling community as well," said McKenzie. "We're going to identify the routes, quantify them in one way or another, and layer that on top of the open street map."
The app will also depict area landmarks, and local points of interest will be allowed to submit information to be included on the app to make them accessible to bicyclists.
McKenzie said the target date for the app's launch is set for the end of the year.
Residents can provide input on the 3-C-Tech app by taking the survey on the City's official website.
---with files from Adelle Loiselle
