Tag: LCOG

LCOG Debuts App For Improving Eugene/Springfield Bicycling

Posted on by RideCoordinator

This week planners at Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), debuted “CycleLane” a free application for iPhone and Android that allows residents of the Eugene-Springfield to help planners better understand bicycle behavior.  Users in the area can download and use the application, which sends information about their preferred bicycle route to LCOG data bases for analysis and planning.

The app consists of a GPS interface which tracks a person’s ride from origin to destination. After downloading the application, it asks for a few pieces of information pertaining to the user like frequency riding and age, which are all optional and confidential.  Once the ride is completed the user is asked to submit the trip’s purpose and then the trip information is saved on the phone and simultaneously submitted to LCOG. Think of this application as a travel survey that asks where and why you are riding, but automatically maps your route rather than asking you to write it down from memory.

“The key to success will be getting local residents informed about this app and how much it will help local planners”, said Josh Roll a planner leading the effort. With more trips, riders can help inform LCOG which routes are popular for riding and at what time of day, informing the region’s bicycle planning process. Additional demographic information requested upon downloading the application will also inform policymakers of how to best plan for a diverse riding population.

The application may be downloaded for iPhone or Android from their respective markets and more information about the app itself can be found at the Cycle Lane website: http://cyclelane.lcog.org. As an incentive, users that choose to enter their email address will have an opportunity to win a free gift certificate to a local bicycle shop. Josh Roll, stated that identical technology was employed in San Francisco with great success, and they were able to gather 20,0000 unique trips, a treasure trove of data that will greatly inform their bicycle planning processes.

So get out there and use that smart phone for some smart planning help.

Input On Our Future Transportation System

Posted on by RideCoordinator

This post was originally published in similar form on the EugeneSRTS site.

There are few meetings happening this week that will inform and influence our transportation system in the coming years and your input is needed.

On Thursday (Oct. 13th) from 11:30-1:30 the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is meeting at the Eugene Public Library (100 West 10th Avenue) and will be discussing the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). It’s a good time to let the Commission know that active transportation options are important and that we need more facilities that allow more people feel comfortable walking and biking throughout our community. Public comments (limited to 3 minutes) are at the beginning of the meeting

This would also be a good time to indicate support for some of the projects called out for funding in the next round of Flexible Funding from ODOT. Those projects include the following (more information on each in these letters of support):

  • Blair/Van Buren Active Transportation Corridor
  • West Bank Bike Path completion
  • Regional Bicycle Wayfinding/Signage/Shared Lane Markings
  • Bob Straub Parkway/Mt. Vernon Road Pedestrian Improvements
  • A Bikeshare Feasibility Study
  • A Regional SmartTrips Program
  • Middle Fork Path Phase 2b
  • Highway 99/Roosevelt Pedestrian Improvements
  • Main Street Safety Improvements

Also on Thursday there is an Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, at the Library to discuss the Regional Transportation Plan. The MPC will adopt the RTP in November and we need to make sure that facilities that make walking and biking just as easy (if not easier) than driving are a center piece of that plan. Go to the open house and give feedback on the importance of a great active transportation system. Connect the paths with a system more people will feel comfortable using (families, kids, and those currently not walking or riding as much as they want because they are not comfortable doing so). Continue reading “Input On Our Future Transportation System” →