By: Elyse Monat

As trail and bicycle advocates, one of the hardest parts of our job is finding bicycle and pedestrian accident data. Our near-misses with the car turning directly in front of us, a small clip with a car door, some nails in the road-these things often do not get reported. Crowdsourced data has the potential to change this.

Many of us have heard of crowdfunding. A multitude of websites exist where you can register your fundraiser and ask family, friends, and strangers to support your cause. Crowdsourced geographic data follows the same principle. Instead of reporting data to a government or academic organization for further analysis, crowdsourcing allows residents to report their data live. This data then shows up on an online map and is aggregated with data from other residents.

The new website BikeMaps.org allows people all over the world to submit bicycle related data. Billings residents can now submit reports regarding bike collisions, near misses, hazards, official reports, and bike thefts. These reports will then be displayed anonymously on the map.

Reporting your accident data is important. Once enough data is reported, cyclists will be able to look on the map and better understand which areas to avoid. The map will also help BikeNet and the other powers that be to understand which parts of town most need increased bicycle safety infrastructure.

Reporting your accident data is easy. Follow the steps below. If you have any questions, please email Elyse at elyse@bikenet.org.

Go to bikemaps.org.

1. Use the “Zoom In” button in the top left hand corner of the page to zoom in on Billings, MT, or click on the search button directly below the zoom in and zoom out buttons and search for the street on which you wish to report an incident.  Note: You can only search for a street, not an exact address.
2. When you have found the location of the incident that you wish to report, click on the “Add a new marker” button located in the left hand corner below the search field.
3. Drop the marker by clicking on the appropriate location.
4. A “Submit a Report” window will open.
5. Click on the appropriate tab at the top whether it be “Incident,” “Hazard,” or “Theft.”
6. Fill out as many details as you feel comfortable with. The more information we have, the easier it will be to identify unsafe cycling areas. 

7. Check the box stating that you have read the terms and conditions.
8. Click “Submit” at the bottom of the box.

Other helpful features on bikemaps.org:

• View incidents reported by fellow users by clicking the “Incident locations” box on the right hand side.
• View rider density (as provided by Strava) by clicking on the “Rider Volume” box in the right hand side.
• Create an account and sign up to view alert areas to see if any accidents are reported along your commute/recreational route.
• Once enough incidents are reported, you will be able to click on the “Incident Heat Map” to see a density map of accidents.