Our Story
When a car is parked blocking a bike lane, there are a few things you can do:
- You can shout.
- You can honk a Loud Mini.
- You can deliver a short lecture on urban transportation policy.
Now you can report it.
Honking might get the driver to move, but it doesn't solve the underlying problem of lackluster bike infrastructure and/or enforcement. So we built a way to report the incident quickly and easily, leaving a record that can help advocates make the case for necessary improvements. To make a report, open Bike Bureau on your phone and point your camera—the app locks onto the vehicle, captures the photo, reads the plate, adds the location, and prepares the report in about three seconds. Alternatively, you can upload a photo of the obstruction from your computer, and the time/location will be pulled automatically from the picture file.
Privacy is built into the capture process. Image processing happens on your phone / computer, where visible faces and non-offending license plates are blurred before the photo is uploaded. The public sees the obstruction, not the people around it.
Every submitted report becomes a point on a public map and gallery. The anonymized data is free and open to communities, advocates, and researchers, and Bike Bureau accepts reports worldwide. One report documents a problem; many reports can make the case for enforcement and safer, protected bike lanes.
Bike Bureau accepts reports from anywhere, and signed-in users get their reports auto-filed to city officials in: Boston MA, Cambridge MA, Brookline MA, Medford MA, Malden MA, Worcester MA, Alameda CA, Canton OH, Daly City CA, Danville VA, Daytona Beach FL, Elkhart IN, Folsom CA, Killeen TX, Kingsport TN, Lake Elsinore CA, Las Vegas NV, Lima OH, Midland TX, Minneapolis MN, Muskegon MI, New Haven CT, Oakland CA, Provo UT, Renton WA, Valdosta GA, Westminster CO.