One example of the Sydney transformed cyclist trip count data being used.
The aim of this exercise is to simply encourage Government to make cycling routes available on line as a Web Map Service for all to use. This alone will promote more cycling.
This competition has released counts from a few cyclist trip counters in Sydney. This count data can now be shown in the context of the counter's location and the surrounding cycling routes. As an example, cycling advocates could use this count data to help promote the case for HarbourLink, a project designed to remove a major barrier to cycling in Sydney.
Do you know how to access the cycleway over the Sydney Harbour Bridge? How many people cycle over it each day? Will Sydney Mayor Clover Moore's plans increase the number who do? What route has been proposed for the northern approach?
Currently the northern access is via a very large set of stairs. How many people are actually prepared to push their bike up & down these stairs everyday - refer image above. What's being done to improve this sorry situation?
Short of time? Take a quick look at the transformed count data in Google Maps minus the mashing.
Got some time, then continue:
Cyclist routes are not the same as those of a motorist or a walker. They are typically formed from a variety of elements such as quiet roads, shared paths, cycleways, laneways, underpasses, cut throughs and even staircases. These routes are not readily understood, nor apparent to non-cyclists. Traffic engineers and town planners need this route information to implement appropriate cycling infrastructure. Cyclists advocating for better cycling infrastructure can make good use of it to.
Here's a map of off road routes in Melbourne being served as linestrings in a KML file and decorated by php. This map makes it immediately apparent that there is a gap in Melbourne's network that needs to be eliminated. The aerial photography indicates the gap could possibly be closed, as the land is not built upon. Use the "Satellite" button - top right. Note the trail selection at the bottom of the above map, the permalink and the "Earth" button.
Many more gaps appear to the west of this location at the Malvern Valley PUBLIC Golf Course.
This map will act as our surrogate for a Government served map for Melbourne. We will look at Melbourne first as the data is more complete. Rather than mashing various info into another website that can't be altered, we will use raw feeds to create a dynamic mashup. In this mashup, the emphasis is on Google Earth (GE), which is a free download:
Download Google Earth.
The Melbourne map from above in Google Earth: load off road routes as kml
Load on road routes as kml
And a Melway map grid as kml. We then cross reference to the local Melway street directory.
Mash in the Melbourne cycling counters as kml - click on the markers for a photo. Count data can not be shown in the marker bubbles as reuse is not allowed. However VicRoads could serve it up.
Load the minimal route map for Sydney as kml
A very small sample of Sydney count information has been made available for use & reuse by this competition. It has been transformed from Excel files and a pdf table derived from the Excel files, to a csv file served by php as kml. The marker bubbles now show the count data at each point. Check the count data for counters 90902 xx on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Transformed count data as kml
There are plans for a couple of new cycleways in Sydney. Annotate their routes using Google Earth.
Load the annotations as kml
Set up the view and email image to your MP directly from Google Earth requesting that the Government get going on building it - refer image at top of page:
There currently exists kml feeds that show hundreds of cyclist count sites around Melbourne & Sydney, together with the flow information represented visually by line width on the map. The route maps for Melbourne exist - so serve them.
Counts can also be used to estimate:
Total trips, kms travelled, equivalent train loads, equivalent traffic lanes, CO^2 not produced in tons or black balloons equivalents, fuel saved, money saved and body fat burnt. It's already been done but not for reuse. The licensing just needs to be more open.
Using some of the latest counting hardware technology, a geo feed database could be updated using xml over 3G say weekly.
A kml network link acting as a news feed could show new developments on a map ie a new footbridge here, a new path here, number of cyclists has doubled here, path closed for works, path fixed, etc - your taxes at work.
A footbridge for cyclists reopens
This could be overlaid on the Government supplied cycling route map:
How long by bicycle?
Problems (it's buggered) on the bike paths can be reported here and once again this could be overlaid on the Government supplied cycling route map. Note that the "complaint" area is limited to Stonnington and Boroondara CCs in Melbourne in this link.
Make a report
We need a mashable cyclist route map feed made available on line, in a form that suits geobrowsers, so that non-cyclists can see what we see. This will help to promote cycling as transport.