San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Moving the City

CYCLETRACKS IN SAN FRANCISCO | CYCLETRACKS IN OTHER CITIES
THE CYCLETRACKS SMARTPHONE APPLICATION | SOURCE CODE
HOW TO USE CYCLETRACKS FOR IPHONE | HOW TO USE CYCLETRACKS FOR ANDROID

NEW: CycleTracks and models estimated with the data (WEBINAR)

Learn how planners are using web and mobile device technology to study bicycle use in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Minneapolis during this webinar presentation, produced by walkinginfo.org. Details. 

BACKGROUND: UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF CYCLISTS

CycleTracks uses smartphone GPS support to record users' bicycle trip routes and times, and display maps of their rides, in order to help transportation planners make informed decisions about bicycle use in the community. At the end of each trip, data representing the trip purpose, route, and the date and time are sent to the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) for analysis. All personally identifiable data are kept confidential.* The Authority—or another agency using CycleTracks-uses the data to create models that better predict where cyclists will ride and how land developments and transportation infrastructure will affect cycling in the community. The SFCTA developed CycleTracks to help understand the needs of cyclists, in order to more effectively prioritize cycling infrastructure investments.

*—We retain the iPhone's Unique Device Identifier (UDID) or Android phone's Device ID in order to group trip data by users. No other identifying information is collected except with opt-in permission. Anonymous data may be shared with other public agencies for planning purposes.
 

CYCLETRACKS IN SAN FRANCISCO

The CycleTracks App was developed to collect data in the San Francisco area for models that would predict what types of routes cyclists were likely to use, based on rider characteristics (e.g., level of experience) and characteristics of the bike network (hills, bike lanes, and sharrows). After several months of data collection, there was a sufficient amount of "cleaned"** data to develop the bike route choice model. The results of the model development have been published in the peer-reviewed journal "Transportation Letters."

The bike route choice model shows how more or less attractive it is to bike between two points in San Francisco, based on the relative scores of a multitude of routes. The model even revealed the value of routes such as "The Wiggle" by demonstrating the distance people were willing to bike out of their way, rather than take more direct routes over nearby hills.

To capture the value of various routes, as well as the value of potential improvements to those routes, we incorporated the bike route choice model into SFCTA's regional travel demand model SF-CHAMP. SF-CHAMP is the official travel-forecasting tool for transportation planning in San Francisco, a state-of-the-art model that predicts future travel patterns within the Bay Area. It is used to analyze a variety of projects at the Authority and in the region, including the 25-year San Francisco Transportation Plan. Incorporating the bike route choice model into SF-CHAMP makes San Francisco one of the first cities in the world to be able to quantitatively forecast changes in travel behavior-and the effects on congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions-as a result of bicycle infrastructure investment. Academic papers detailing this achievement are forthcoming.

**—For example, data from users testing out the application driving across the Bay Bridge or riding Muni was expunged.

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CYCLETRACKS IN OTHER CITIES

Since the SFCTA declared the initial San Francisco project a success in 2010, a number of other agencies and municipalities have begun using CycleTracks. Both the application (iPhone and Android versions) and the bike route choice model are open source and available on Github, to fork and rebrand. We have also made the (anonymized) data collected via the CycleTracks available to public agencies who wish to publicize the original application without reworking it, which allows agencies and researchers across the country to replicate and build on what we've done. Austin, Texas, and Monterey, California, are both actively collecting CycleTracks data using the application and the SFCTA servers. Lane County, Oregon, is beta testing their own LaneTracks application, and College Station, Texas', AggieTracks is available now on the AppStore.

THE CYCLETRACKS SMARTPHONE APPLICATION

CycleTracks uses the iPhone and Android's GPS support to track users’ bicycle trip routes. It's simple to use: tap Start to start recording your ride, Save at the end, and specify a purpose (commuting, shopping, exercise, etc.). Data representing the purpose, route, date and time are sent to the Transportation Authority’s servers. (All personally identifiable data will be kept confidential.* Users can cancel a trip at any time for any reason and no data will be sent unless explicitly directed by the user.)

Think of it as a travel survey that asks you why and where you are riding, but automatically maps your route rather than asking you to write it down from memory.

Download CycleTracks from the App Store℠ or from the Android Market app on your phone. (If you're browsing this page from your Android phone, you can go directly to the app download page.)

Questions about the application? Please see the FAQ. Post your comments or suggestions to our Facebook page.

For more information on the project, e-mail Elizabeth Sall at the SFCTA, or call her at 415.522.4800.

The iPhone version of CycleTracks is a mopimp production. Both versions of the app are funded in part by a Caltrans planning grant.

*—We will know your iPhone’s Unique Device Identifier (UDID) or your Android phone's Device ID in order to group trip data by users. No other identifying information is collected except with your opt-in permission. Anonymous data may be shared with other public agencies for planning purposes.
 

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CycleTracks Source Code

If you are a developer interested in creating mobile apps based on the CycleTracks source code, you can browse or fork the code for the iPhone or for Android. We encourage you to find great ways to build on it!

Note that the source code is licensed under the Gnu GPL license version 3, which means you must provide the source code to any changes you distribute.

Associated Papers:

• "A GPS-based bicycle route choice model for San Francisco, California" (PDF)
• "Bicycle Route Choice Data Collection Using GPS-Enabled Smartphones" (PDF)
• "Completing the Cycle: Incorporating Cycletracks into SF-CHAMP" (PDF)

HOW TO USE CYCLETRACKS FOR IPHONE

1. Selecting a Trip Purpose:

• Tap "Trip Purpose" on the Record New Trip screen.

We’re interested in the MAIN purpose for each trip you make. Think about why you are out and about on your bike to begin with. If you’re unsure how to categorize a trip, select "Other" from the Trip Purpose chooser. You can always attach an explanatory note to your data before transmitting.

• After making your selection, tap "Save." You’ll be returned to the Record New Trip screen.

2. Personal Info:

This is completely optional, and, if you choose to participate, only has to be done once. It involves a few basic questions useful to our study, but they’re optional and confidential. If you wish to give us your email address (which will not be shared with any third parties), we can keep you updated on the progress of the study.

• Tap “Personal Info,” fill out the form, and tap "Save."

3. Recording a bike trip:

• After selecting a trip purpose, tap "Start."
• The screen will lock and dim, to conserve battery life.
• At the end of your trip, unlock the phone and tap "Save" to upload your data to the Transportation Authority’s server. Add a comment if you like.
• You can choose not to save or transmit any trip for any reason. Simply quit the app rather than tapping "Save." No data will be transmitted.

In order to remind you that the app is running and to save your battery, your iPhone will ring like a bicycle bell and vibrate after 15 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter. If CyclesTracks is running when your iPhone battery reaches less than 20% of its charge, the app will automatically stop collecting data and quit.

Steps to make sure CycleTracks works properly

• DO NOT push the "Sleep/wake" button on top of your iPhone while running CycleTracks: it will stop recording and you’ll lose your trip data. The app must be visible on your screen in order to work properly; the screen is dimmed to conserve battery life.
• DO NOT push the "Home" (main menu) button while on your ride or CycleTracks will stop recording.
• DO NOT change tracks or playlists in iPhone’s iPod while running CycleTracks. Begin play before starting CycleTracks.
• If you receive a call in the middle of a ride, CycleTracks will stop recording while you are on the phone. When you finish the call, CycleTracks will restart and resume recording.

Sharing your Saved Trip maps

"Saved Trips” shows maps, dates and start times of your trips. You can share the maps with others:

• Tap Saved Trips at the bottom of your screen to see your list of previous rides.
• Choose one, zoom in or out, and take a screenshot.
• Share the screenshot via email or download it to your computer.

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HOW TO USE CYCLETRACKS FOR ANDROID

1. Recording a Trip

• Tap the Start Recording button to instantly start recording a bike trip. This will activate the GPS receiver on your phone and begin tracking your ride. You can tap the Pause button to temporarily stop or start receiving GPS updates. Click Finish when you're done with your ride.
• Thanks to Android's background-app capability, you don't need to do anything special to keep CycleTracks running. You can put the phone to sleep or use other apps while recording. The small green CycleTracks icon in the notification bar will keep recording your moves. Note: the SFCTA does not recommend using your phone while you're in motion!
• In order to remind you that the app is running and to save your battery, your phone will ring like a bicycle bell after 15 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter. If CycleTracks is running when your battery reaches less than 10% of its charge, the app will automatically stop collecting data and quit.

2. Selecting a Trip Purpose

We're interested in the MAIN purpose for each trip you make. Think about why you are out and about on your bike to begin with. If you're unsure how to categorize a trip, select "Other." You can always attach an explanatory note to your data before transmitting.

3. Personal Info

Tap Menu > Edit User Info. This is completely optional, and, if you choose to participate, only has to be done once. It involves a few basic questions useful to our study. They are optional and confidential.

If you wish to give us your email address (which will not be shared with any third parties), we can keep you updated on the progress of the study, and will enter you into a raffle for some neat prizes.

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