Bikeverywhere.com, a new interactive mapping website, encourages people to venture out by bike.
The website, which will help people map bicycle routes across the Upper Midwest, will launch later this month, according to its creator Doug Shidell, a Minneapolis resident.
Shidell, an avid bicyclist, has long produced bicycle maps and other kinds of guide books through Little Transport Press.
This project came about because “What I realized was, I wanted to do more. I wanted to cover more area, get more information for people,” he says, adding that a digital format seemed ideal.
He’s targeting bicyclists who are “more of an explorer or trying to get some place,” not hardcore athletes who often take the same routes over and over.
On the website, people can plan their routes by looking at practical issues or they can look for picnic areas, public art or Nice Ride bike-sharing docking stations.
“It’s more about the experience of exploring the area by bike, to see the city and rural areas in ways that people don’t normally see it,” he says. “People can start seeing what the city has to offer.”
Shidell is working with several developer teams that are helping to generate the sophisticated maps.
He’s also collected information from bicycle clubs, advocacy groups and even individual riders, to make the maps as comprehensive as possible.
Right now, the website is in the testing phase but when it's ready, those who sign up as Bikeverywhere members can print or save or share maps, he says.
Shidell also has an $8,000
Indiegogo fundraising campaign for the project going to help complete certain mapping features.
Ultimately, Shidell is trying to answer a question he hears a lot. That is, “Where can I ride my bike? My focus is on helping you get around.
The goal is to get more people to ride bikes and hopefully use it for transportation.”
Source: Doug Shidell, creator, Bikeverywhere
Writer: Anna Pratt