Transit App Adds Safety-First Bike Routes

A new update to the Transit travel planning mobile app will let users prioritize safe bike routes, reports George Kevin Jordan in Streetsblog USA.

“Go Bike, from Montreal-based company Transit, now allows users to make biking their first mode of transit, shows safer bike routes first, and provides multiple bike route options.” The app is asking users to contribute information to ensure accurate data.

As Jordan explains, “Companies like Apple and Google have had hiccups and complaints about their navigation apps for cyclists, and while they have made improvements, there’s still a pathway for other competitors to create or improve their navigation services for users.” 

For years, users struggled to find information about bike lanes, traffic lights, and safe routes using mapping apps. Now, “The app will display a route, and the percentage of bike lanes and paths on the journey, then orders them by safety first. So users will get directed to protected bike paths, then bike lanes, then residential streets, before the app offers up busy car-dominated roads.”