{"id":8236,"date":"2025-07-03T17:46:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T15:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?p=8236"},"modified":"2025-07-07T17:53:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T15:53:40","slug":"this-handlebar-sensor-can-help-cyclists-map-out-safest-bike-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2025\/07\/03\/this-handlebar-sensor-can-help-cyclists-map-out-safest-bike-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"This Handlebar Sensor Can Help Cyclists Map Out Safest Bike Routes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Identifying the safest route through a city can be frustrating for cyclists, especially beginners. While collision data can help, it\u2019s often reactive, only available after someone gets hurt. A new sensor-based system, ProxiCycle, developed by researchers at the University of Washington, may change that by allowing cyclists themselves to help map danger zones in real time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The biggest barrier isn\u2019t hills<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While rain, hills, or lack of fitness may deter some people from cycling, one risk stands above the rest: cars passing too closely. In a survey of 389 people in Seattle,<\/a> researchers found that across all experience levels, the threat of cars discouraged people the most from riding.<\/p>\n

That fear is not unfounded. \u201cCycling is really good for your health and for the environment,\u201d said Joseph Breda, lead author of the study. \u201cGetting more people biking more often is how we reap those rewards and increase safety in numbers for cyclists on the roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, most cities don\u2019t have granular, real-time data on how often cyclists experience near misses. To fill this gap, Breda and his team developed ProxiCycle, a low-cost, handlebar-mounted sensor that records when a passing vehicle comes within four feet of the rider.<\/p>\n

Small sensor, big potential<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The ProxiCycle device is simple and inexpensive: for under $25, cyclists can attach a small 3D-printed casing to their left handlebar. Inside are two distance-measuring sensors and a Bluetooth antenna. The device syncs with a mobile app and logs every time a car passes dangerously close.<\/p>\n

To distinguish between vehicles and harmless objects like pedestrians or bushes, the team developed a custom algorithm. The system was first validated in controlled parking lot trials and then through GoPro-recorded test rides with seven cyclists across Seattle.<\/p>\n

The real-world trial involved 15 everyday cyclists, who logged 2050 close passes during 240 rides over 2 months. Importantly, the locations of these incidents correlated strongly with areas of known car-bike collisions as well as riders\u2019 own perceptions of unsafe spots.<\/p>\n

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