A free app, still very nascent in its adoption, alerts drivers to the presence of bikers.
"The Bike Shield App, free for iPhone and Android users, sounds an alarm to drivers also using the app when a cyclist is nearby. The app works if both cyclist and driver have it running in the background, " reports Brendan Kevenides.
Kevenides reports that the app is simple and easy to use, but the only thing holding back its potential is its rate of adoption. "For it to be effective lots and lots of drivers and cyclists would have to download the app to their phones. A map on the application shows drivers and cyclists using the app worldwide. Thus far, U.S. users amount to a handful of people in California, and, now, one guy in Chicago."
Kevenides also notes the potential for the app to be installed on publicly owned vehicles and bikeshare bikes.
Jonathan Bloom first broke the news about the app for ABC 7 News.
Read the full story: Smartphone App Promises To Alert Drivers To People On Bikes
Best Apps for Urban Planning in 2022
Mobile apps continue to redefine the practices of planning—urban planning, regional planning, transportation planning, community planning, and rural planning included.
Earn Rewards for Traveling for by Foot, Bike, Bus, or Train
The city of Orlando is partnering with the Miles app.
New Google Map Layer Shows COVID-19 Infection Rates
A new layer showing the seven-day average of confirmed COVID-19 cases started rolling out to Android and iPhones last week.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
Post election, Texas is no longer Musk’s 'AI oasis'
Elon Musk dolled out $446 million on the 2026 midterms, the most ever spent by a non-canidate.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority