CycleStreets Ltd

CycleStreets is a British not-for-profit social enterprise and cycling technology project that provides a free cycle journey planner for routes throughout the United Kingdom. Its service is intended to help people plan bicycle journeys by offering route choices and information that are more relevant to cycling than conventional general-purpose road directions. The project is built around open geographic data and combines OpenStreetMap mapping with elevation information from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and official postcode data. The service grew out of the Cambridge Cycle Campaign Journey Planner, an earlier Cambridge-focused initiative launched in 2006. It was developed by Simon Nuttall and Martin Lucas-Smith, two Cambridge-based cyclists who worked on the project as both users and technical contributors. CycleStreets launched nationally on 20 March 2009, at a time when cycle routing was also beginning to receive attention from larger public-sector transport-planning services. Its initial purpose was to make useful cycle routing available without charge and to support cycling as a practical form of transport. During its early development, CycleStreets expanded from basic point-to-point routing into a broader set of trip-planning and route-presentation tools. Circular-route planning was introduced in June 2009. Later in 2009, users gained the ability to export routes for GPS devices, plan journeys involving ferry services, view elevation profiles and select so-called balanced routes. In 2010, the service added short video sharing, Google Street View imagery on route pages and postcode lookup. These additions made the planner useful not only for finding a route but also for evaluating its terrain, landmarks and practical riding conditions. CycleStreets has also participated in the wider open-data and transport-technology communities. During development, its founders advised Transport Direct on the CycleNetXChange standard for exchanging cycle-route information. The project was presented at OpenStreetMap and cartography events and held a developer day in 2010 to discuss technical matters and cycle-routing development. Its use of OpenStreetMap data reflects a collaborative model in which community-maintained geographic information is an important part of the service's foundation. The project has been largely self-funded but has also received targeted support. Reported grants included funding from Cycling Scotland for an Edinburgh version that was subsequently promoted as a Scotland-wide system, Cambridge City Council's Sustainable City project and the Co-op Community Fund. It has additionally benefited from in-kind contributions, including geographic information made available through OpenStreetMap. In December 2009, CycleStreets received a Highly Commended distinction in the ACT Travelwise annual awards. By August 2015, the service had planned more than 45 million itineraries, indicating substantial usage for a specialist cycling-planning platform. CycleStreets is best understood as a public-interest digital mobility service rather than a conventional consumer brand: its value proposition combines free access, national coverage, cycling-specific routing and open-data development. Publicly available reference material does not establish a conventional corporate ownership structure, revenue scale or current executive team beyond the project's identified founders.

CycleStreets originated in Cambridge through the work of Simon Nuttall and Martin Lucas-Smith, both frequent cyclists who wanted to improve the availability of cycling-specific journey information. The direct predecessor was the Cambridge Cycle Campaign Journey Planner, launched in 2006. During the development period, the founders also advised Transport Direct on CycleNetXChange, a data-exchange standard for cycle-route information. This work placed the project within the emerging ecosystem of public transport portals, open mapping and cycling advocacy. The national CycleStreets service launched on 20 March 2009. Its launch coincided with news that Transport Direct was preparing to test cycle routing in a limited number of locations, but CycleStreets pursued a broader and more open approach. The planner used OpenStreetMap as its principal map source, supplemented by Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data and official postcode information. This combination allowed the service to provide route planning together with terrain and location data relevant to bicycle travel. The product developed rapidly during 2009 and 2010. Circular routes were added in June 2009, followed by GPS export and ferry-aware routing in August. Elevation profiles and balanced-route options arrived in October. In early 2010, the service added sharing of short video clips, Google Street View images on route-description pages and postcode lookup. These features broadened the platform from a simple directions tool into a richer planning and route-evaluation service. The project was also presented at the OpenStreetMap State of the Map conference in July 2009 and at a cartography summer school in September of that year. In March 2010, CycleStreets held its first Developer Day, including technical discussions and a cycle-routing session associated with WhereCampEU. The project operated on a not-for-profit basis and was largely self-funded. It received a £5,000 grant from Cycling Scotland to develop an Edinburgh version, which Cycling Scotland later promoted as part of a Scotland-wide system. Other reported support included £3,200 from Cambridge City Council's Sustainable City project in February 2010 and £1,000 from the Co-op Community Fund in March 2010. OpenStreetMap and other contributors also provided valuable in-kind geographic information. The funding model supported development without changing the service's free-to-use public orientation. Recognition and usage grew alongside the technical platform. CycleStreets was Highly Commended in the ACT Travelwise annual awards in December 2009 and reached 100,000 planned journeys by early 2010. By August 2015, it had processed more than 45 million itineraries. The available historical material does not document a later corporate restructuring, a conventional commercial parent or a detailed current management structure. CycleStreets is therefore best characterized as a public-interest cycling service and social-enterprise project built around open data, community participation and free access.

• 2015

  More than 45 million itineraries planned

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  Reported usage exceeded 45 million planned itineraries by August 2015.

• 2010

  Additional route-description and sharing features arrive

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  The platform added short video sharing, Google Street View imagery and postcode lookup, while also reaching 100,000 planned journeys.

• 2009

  National CycleStreets service launches

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  CycleStreets launched on 20 March as a free cycle journey planner intended to serve users across the United Kingdom.

• 2009

  Circular routing and advanced route tools added

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  The service introduced circular-route planning, GPS export, ferry routing, elevation profiles and balanced-route options during its first year.

• 2009

  ACT Travelwise award recognition

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  CycleStreets was Highly Commended in the ACT Travelwise annual awards.

• 2007

  Founders advise Transport Direct on CycleNetXChange

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  During development, Simon Nuttall and Martin Lucas-Smith advised Transport Direct on a cycle-route data-exchange standard later used in its cycle-planning work.

• 2006

  Cambridge Cycle Campaign Journey Planner launches

  [1]CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org

  The Cambridge-focused predecessor to CycleStreets was launched, establishing the technical and civic foundation for the later national service.

A free, open-data-oriented and cycling-specific journey-planning service for practical bicycle travel in the United Kingdom.

• Digital mobility service · 2009

  CycleStreets national cycle journey planner

  The core CycleStreets service plans bicycle journeys across the United Kingdom. It uses OpenStreetMap mapping, elevation information and postcode data to generate cycling routes and present route details. Its development has included options for different journey styles, circular trips, ferry connections and terrain-aware evaluation. The service is free to use and is designed for practical cycling, rather than serving only as a recreational mapping tool.

• Mobile application

  CycleStreets mobile application

  CycleStreets has distributed a mobile application intended to provide access to its cycle-routing service on mobile devices. The available reference material identifies the application through the project's Google Play presence but does not provide a detailed product history, release chronology or current feature list.

• Public-sector and regional cycling platform

  Regional CycleStreets implementations

  The project has supported regional versions of its planning system, including an Edinburgh implementation funded by Cycling Scotland. That work was subsequently promoted as a Scotland-wide system, illustrating how the underlying service could be adapted for local or national cycling-information initiatives.

• 2010

  Expansion of route-planning and route-description featuresOther

  Background

  Early users needed more than basic directions to assess the suitability and practical conditions of cycling routes.

  Action taken

  The service added video sharing, Google Street View imagery and postcode lookup, building on earlier GPS export, ferry routing and elevation features.

  Aftermath

  CycleStreets became a broader route-planning and evaluation platform and reached its first 100,000 planned journeys.

  Source

• 2009

  Launch of the national CycleStreets plannerProduct launch

  Background

  The Cambridge Cycle Campaign Journey Planner provided the starting point for a broader service at a time when public interest in dedicated cycle routing was increasing.

  Action taken

  CycleStreets launched a free national cycle journey planner using open mapping and supplementary elevation and postcode data.

  Aftermath

  The project expanded its route types and supporting features, received external recognition and eventually recorded more than 45 million itineraries by August 2015.

  Source

• 2009

  Adoption of open-data and cycling-specific developmentStrategy

  Background

  The project sought to provide useful cycling directions without relying on a conventional proprietary mapping platform.

  Action taken

  CycleStreets based its routing service on OpenStreetMap and supplemented it with public elevation and postcode datasets.

  Aftermath

  The approach supported national coverage, community participation and continued development of specialist cycling features.

  Source

1. 1CycleStreetsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CycleStreets official websitecyclestreets.net