Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-27 17:14:06

The City is asking cyclists to download the Ride Report app for iPhone and keep it on while they ride. It automatically figures that you're biking (by speed, I guess), maps where you rode, and then at the end asks you to rate how stressful the ride was. From this it can build a map of the best routes for cyclists. I think the app includes a map based on data collected so far. (I haven't downloaded it myself yet.) Here's what the map looks like for Portland. An Android version is slated for this fall.

Jack · 2016-09-27 17:44:13

I wonder about the data not obtainable from those regular utility riders in Austin who cannot afford an iPhone. Not opposing the program, but seriously wondering whom it serves.

Darron · 2016-09-28 07:39:00

I wonder if they are already using Strava Metro data (http://metro.strava.com/). The only extra benefit this app has over Strava is it also asks you how the ride was. Strava on the other hand most likely has a bigger data set, a bigger existing user base and more historical data.

Another reason to use Strava on not just your training and leisure rides but also while you commute and run errands. I know in north Austin the popular commuting routes are easily seen on a Strava heat map.

Darron

Jack · 2016-09-28 11:24:21

[Replying to a post by MBJ that has since been deleted.]
My point is, the only data being collected is data for riders who are mostly affluent. Does the collected data also meet the needs of the less affluent riders? Of course that other data is hard to collect. Collecting the iPhone data serves who? Strava data would have a similar problem matching a large portion of cyclists' routes--I doubt the man I often see hauling his janitorial supplies by Manga uses Strava or an iPhone. Perhaps we will find a great deal of useful information on what routes riders find comfortable to and from well-off neighborhoods and good job sites and maybe that trickles down to other riders as well. That may be good enough, but I wonder. I know that we've had complaints in this forum in the past about a perceived central city bias toward cycling accommodations; is a "rich guy" bias worse or a non-issue?

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-28 11:43:42

iPhone 4's are going for $10 on eBay, including shipping. iPhone 4S's are around $50. I use a 4S myself.

Darron · 2016-09-28 14:27:35

Jack wrote:

Perhaps we will find a great deal of useful information on what routes riders find comfortable to and from well-off neighborhoods and good job sites and maybe that trickles down to other riders as well.

I agree, just looking at the strava data there is a bias to a higher volume of information on the more affluent areas of the city but that doesn't mean the data for less affluent areas doesn't exist or is not useful. So even if the guy hauling janitorial supplies doesn't' have an iphone there appears to be enough people who do riding the same route in the same areas to generate useful data. Smart phone usage is at 72% in the US (source: pewglobal.com) so by default this doesn't include just the affluent part of society no matter if you use mean or median income as a ruler.

D

chuckthomas · 2016-09-28 19:53:42

I'd be a lot less stressed if I weren't worried about being jacked up by a cop for holding my phone when I ride.

MichaelBluejay · 2016-09-28 22:35:58

Ha! :) But you know, you don't have to actually operate the app. It works automatically as you ride.

AusTexMurf · 2016-09-29 00:24:36

Thanks for posting, Michael.
Downloaded the app tonight and will give it a try.
Not enough data reported in Austin, yet.
Even bicycle technology used to collect data for COA planning must gain critical mass…

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-09-29 00:45:42)

chuckthomas · 2016-09-29 11:36:57

MichaelBluejay wrote:

Ha! :) But you know, you don't have to actually operate the app. It works automatically as you ride.

Perfect worlds are such nice places.

AusTexMurf · 2016-09-29 12:24:51

chuckthomas wrote:

MichaelBluejay wrote:
Ha! :) But you know, you don't have to actually operate the app. It works automatically as you ride.
Perfect worlds are such nice places.

I would like to think they might be…Until then,

The app is rather user friendly. Must allow location info, notifications, motion/activity monitor access. Easy to install with somewhat witty interface.
Runs in the background using minimal battery power. Launches hands free and regardless of whether app is open or not when it senses bicycle motion. Prompts for user feedback, gives distance and map, at end of ride.

I am giving it a try.

If nothing else to generate some data regarding impact of neighborhood cut through auto traffic during peak times, esp. morning school commute, for my kids, neighbors, myself, and spouse.

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-09-29 12:53:46)

Lynn · 2016-09-29 16:38:18

I tried the Ride Report app for several weeks. I thought that in addition to helping out with data collection, it would be great to have an automatic log of how many miles I ride.

Unfortunately, the app did not work very well for me. Well over half of my trips were misclassified regarding my mode of travel, and a lot of bike trips simply didn't record at all. I've stopped using it and gone back to Strava.

I LOVE the Strava heatmap. I could stare at that thing all day long.

AusTexMurf · 2016-09-29 17:38:58

Lynn wrote:

I tried the Ride Report app for several weeks. I thought that in addition to helping out with data collection, it would be great to have an automatic log of how many miles I ride.
Unfortunately, the app did not work very well for me. Well over half of my trips were misclassified regarding my mode of travel, and a lot of bike trips simply didn't record at all. I've stopped using it and gone back to Strava.
I LOVE the Strava heatmap. I could stare at that thing all day long.

First day of use, here:
Noticed that the app uses straight lines to map routes on trails when commuting with my 7th grader on decomposed granite paths and single track trails. He uses the trail network in Williamson Creek to get under Brodie and Mopac on his commute to Small Middle Shcool. So, mileage seemed accurate on the road but not so much on trail. I also met him at the intersection of Montery Oaks and Mopac access road though the pin drop does not reflect that. The ride was probably more like 6.5-7.0 miles on the ground each way. The twistiest part of the ride on limited use single track is shown as a straight line. See image below:
small ride map

Also, if the bike ride is less than 1 mile, doesn't seem to record. Some of my daily errands are in my hood and the shorter ones did not record. Fine with me. Did record a 1.7 mile ride automatically, my shortest on record for the day so far.

Mode of travel seems to be generated on average rate of speed. I delivered a pond liner, pump, and complete setup for aquatic feature/wildlife habitat to my younger kids' elementary school via pickup truck. I drive very slowly in residential areas. Recorded my mode as bus both directions due to what I attributed as average rate of speed. Easy to correct under other trip tab. Also not certain how Other Trip data is recorded...Hopefully a work in progress. Portland and Sacramento are other cities that use the app and that have developed a much larger data base. Perhaps accuracy might improve after processing sufficient incoming data.

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-09-29 21:02:25)

AusTexMurf · 2016-09-30 07:01:12

More detailed info about Ride Report available in this .pdf on blog.
Still doesn't say what other US cities are using the app or that have collected sufficient data to actually use other than the Portland map.

Here

Edit: Fixed broken link. Apologies.

Last edited by AusTexMurf (2016-09-30 12:55:13)

Jack · 2016-10-06 10:47:53

Subject to similar concerns--maybe even to a greater degree--about bias toward relatively affluent users, a similar approach in England:
"MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND: MAP CYCLE PATHS VIA SMART BIKE LIGHTS
-> The European Cyclists’ Federation reports Milton Keynes, a town in the South-East of England of almost 230,000 inhabitants, is undertaking a project to map their cycle paths - not only where are they are, but also what condition are they in and how cyclists are using them - in order to eventually make a well-weighted decision about where to plan their future cycle infrastructure, including a significant investment in 'cycle highways'. The data that is collected through the See.Sense smart lights ( http://bit.ly/2du6NiM ), feeds into the overall city’s data hub and will allow the data to integrate with a diverse range of transportation and mobility data with real time feeds of activity. This will, it is hoped, provide a real time journey planning capability that is ready to launch in 2017. http://bit.ly/2cRfndB "

AusTexMurf · 2016-10-24 02:25:00

App has recorded 460 miles of bike travel so far. Sends more data back including duration and avg speed.

owlman · 2016-11-15 14:31:15

The Austin map is up. 14,700 rides so far: https://ride.report/austin

Jack · 2018-01-12 17:59:11

Darron wrote:

I wonder if they are already using Strava Metro data (http://metro.strava.com/). The only extra benefit this app has over Strava is it also asks you how the ride was. Strava on the other hand most likely has a bigger data set, a bigger existing user base and more historical data.
Another reason to use Strava on not just your training and leisure rides but also while you commute and run errands. I know in north Austin the popular commuting routes are easily seen on a Strava heat map.
Darron

These items are from the latest "Centerlines" newsletter from the National Center for Biking & Walking:

TEXAS: BIG DATA TO SHOW SOME CYCLISTS' ROUTES
-> Marketplace reports to help planners in Texas learn more about which routes cyclists are traveling, they have purchased 2 years worth of data from the popular cycling app Strava, which has 84,000 Texas users. Strava Metro has been aggregating the data and selling it since 2014 to 100 cities globally. The data tracks at most 20% of the biking community, and tends to over represent wealthier middle-class white males and under represent minorities and women. http://bit.ly/2Esr6IS

FORT WORTH, TX-STRAVA METRO DATA PARTNERSHIP
-> The City of Fort Worth has partnered with Strava Metro, allowing users to record their human-powered travels and then have the routes compiled anonymously with millions of other Strava members. Metro aggregates that data and then works with city planners and advocates to improve commuting in Fort Worth. By uploading commutes to Strava, transportation planners can determine what infrastructure is effective and what is problematic, providing a powerful tool for making improvements and creating better bike lanes, multi-use paths and car-free streets. http://bit.ly/2EtQ7U7

Darron · 2018-01-15 11:32:40

https://ride.report/austin

65K rides recorded. Comparing with Strava this seems to show the same major routes (Strava does have a lot more minor routes). I was surprised to see the comfort ratings in the areas I'm familiar with. For example Balcones Country Club area and Jollyville was red and Parmer was green? Duval is red going east but green going west except for under 183 where it is green both ways (this is the only area without a bike lane). Seems odd.

daveintex13 · 2018-01-16 09:38:36

I use both Strava and Ride Report. With RR, a user can rate a route: ‘Stressful’, ‘Mixed’ or ‘Chill’. But that is for the entire route. It used to be just two categories: basically good or bad, no ‘Mixed’ option. I have not found a way to rate short segments of a route. Say I pedal 10 miles to work. When I stop, I can rate the entire route. But while most of those 10 miles are very ‘Chill’, there are a few brief segments that are definitely not ‘Chill’. So, how should the route be rated? For several dozen rides, I rated the route as whatever the green category was called, back before they offered three options. I stopped rating routes because I wasn’t sure my rating was helping. Maybe I’ll re-start rating using the ‘Mixed’ option. That still doesn’t help for the short segment problem, though.
~davew~

Jack · 2019-11-13 21:36:35

Darron wrote:

Jack wrote:
Perhaps we will find a great deal of useful information on what routes riders find comfortable to and from well-off neighborhoods and good job sites and maybe that trickles down to other riders as well.
I agree, just looking at the strava data there is a bias to a higher volume of information on the more affluent areas of the city but that doesn't mean the data for less affluent areas doesn't exist or is not useful. So even if the guy hauling janitorial supplies doesn't' have an iphone there appears to be enough people who do riding the same route in the same areas to generate useful data. Smart phone usage is at 72% in the US (source: pewglobal.com) so by default this doesn't include just the affluent part of society no matter if you use mean or median income as a ruler.
D

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … via%3Dihub
On that point about possible bias: Journal of Transportation and Health for Dec. 2019 has an article by
Garber Watkins and Kramer on "Comparing bicyclists who use smartphone apps to record rides with those who do not: Implications for representativeness and selection bias"
noting reasons to think there would be a bias in the data gleaned from apps and suggesting ways to correct for the bias.

Bicycle Austin forum

#1 2016-09-27 17:14:06

Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#2 2016-09-27 17:44:13

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#3 2016-09-28 07:39:00

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#4 2016-09-28 11:24:21

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#5 2016-09-28 11:43:42

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#6 2016-09-28 14:27:35

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#7 2016-09-28 19:53:42

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#8 2016-09-28 22:35:58

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#9 2016-09-29 00:24:36

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#10 2016-09-29 11:36:57

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#11 2016-09-29 12:24:51

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#12 2016-09-29 16:38:18

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#13 2016-09-29 17:38:58

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#14 2016-09-30 07:01:12

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#15 2016-10-06 10:47:53

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#16 2016-10-24 02:25:00

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#17 2016-11-15 14:31:15

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#18 2018-01-12 17:59:11

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#19 2018-01-15 11:32:40

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#20 2018-01-16 09:38:36

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

#21 2019-11-13 21:36:35

Re: Help create a bike-friendly map of Austin with the Ride Report app

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