How safe do you feel riding your bike on the road?

That's the question the Amy Gillett Foundation is asking Victorian cyclists via BikeSpot, a digital crowd-sourced mapping project.

Amy Gillett Foundation has launched BikeSpot to map safe and unsafe areas for cyclists in Victoria Source: Getty

First launched in Melbourne in 2016 by Crowdspot, the project has now been extended to all of Victoria and aims to improve safety and stress levels for cyclists.

Cyclists share their insights into their daily riding experiences using the BikeSpot data-mapping tool which also captures and displays real time details as Victorian cyclists add their 'spots’ at specific locations where they feel ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ when on their bicycle, and why.

Users are also encouraged to vote and comment on the documented spots. 

"Collecting and understanding the community perceptions of cycling safety at different locations is incredibly important," Anthony Aisenberg, CrowdSpot director said. 

“If you don’t feel safe riding it will have a direct influence on your willingness to ride.”

“If a single section of a route is perceived to be highly stressful, many will decide not to ride."

Aisenberg said the 2016 mapping in Melbourne demonstrated how the data captured by BikeSpot complements other information such as crash statistics, "to help complete a picture of what it is like to cycle in Victoria."

Dan Kneipp, CEO Amy Gillett Foundation said BikeSpot will help in the fight to reduce the 6,000 injuries and 40 deaths associated with bike riding every year. 

“It is an essential tool for understanding the specific safety concerns of Victorians so we can make the road safe for everyone," he said. 

"We’re excited that a new button has been added to the 2020 app so people who drive can indicate the safe and unsafe spots they experience. We know drivers can feel nervous when interacting with cyclists and this data will help us understand where this happens on Victorian roads,” he said. 

For more information on the project, click here.