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Bike Friday goes Futuristic – become a ‘human sensor’ !

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Manchester Friends of the Earth are inviting people in Greater Manchester to join in with a Bike Friday cycle ride on Friday 27 February and help map the cycling experience in Manchester. (1)

Bike Friday will be contributing to this year’s Future Everything festival lab PuBliC: People, Bikes and Cars, a collaborative project from the Centre for Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh and the Manchester Cycling Lab. The project will collect data to help inform the future cycling development. (2)

Everyone joining a Bike Friday cycle route will have the opportunity to engage with the project as a human sensor to gather GPS data, ideas, and insights about our urban environment. Being a ‘human sensor’ might sound a bit unnerving, but it’s simply done through a smart phone appPeople can take part in the project wherever their cycle route takes them on Friday by downloading the iPhone app Comob Net (sorry, iPhone only at this stage), joining the group “FutrPublic” and activating the App. (3)

Graeme Sherriff, from Manchester Friends of the Earth said: “This is a really exciting project that can help provide great insights into what it is like to cycle in Manchester – we look forward to seeing the results.”

Bike Friday combines a range of cycle rides into the City Centre from various locations as well as working with companies and local authorities in Greater Manchester to promote cycling, improve cycle facilities and to encourage more people to continue cycling to school, work and for leisure all year round.

CONTACTS FOR COMMENTS

Graeme Sherriff, Manchester Friends of the Earth sustainable transport campaign co-ordinator. Mobile: 07948 405071

Pete Abel, Love Your Bike. Mobile: 07951 642858

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

(1) The Bike Friday cycle rides start at 8am from Chorlton Library, Levenshulme Station, Prestwich Pizza Express, Sale, Withington Library and Tescos Blackley and this month will finish at approx 8.30am in Albert Square, Manchester City Centre

The Worsley and Stockport rides start earlier at 7.40am. The Bike Friday cycle rides take place on the morning of the last Friday of every month (except December). The rides go a moderate pace, have experienced ride leaders, are entirely law-abiding and can help people develop more confidence in their cycling abilities. See www.bikefriday.org

(2) See http://futureeverything.org/events/public-2/ for details of the PuBliC event at FutureEverything.

(3) The Comob Net app is available here.

(4) Bike Friday is coordinated by Love Your Bike (Manchester Friends of the Earth) and Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign (GMCC)Love Your Bike is an award winning Manchester based campaign aiming to promote cycling and help make it an even more attractive, accessible and fun way to get around. Co-ordinated by Manchester Friends of the Earth, the campaign works in partnership with other like-minded organisations. See www.loveyourbike.org