BiciZen

BiciZen is a free, open‐source mobile and web platform that empowers everyday cyclists to crowdsource detailed observations of their rides, ranging from hazardous intersections and lane-blocking parked cars to positive infrastructure features. BiciZen aims to help municipalities and advocacy groups pinpoint where bike infrastructure upgrades are most needed. 

Problem Addressed: Many cities lack up‐to‐date, hyper-local information on cycling safety and comfort. Traditional data sources (e.g., crash reports) account “near misses” and subjective concerns like poor surface quality. BiciZen fills this gap by giving cyclists a direct voice in reporting: safety hazards (e.g., near-miss hotspots), infrastructure deficiencies (e.g., broken lanes), and positive reinforcements (e.g., high-quality routes). 

SDGs: 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 13 (Climate Action) 

Relevance for Climate Action: Promotes active mobility, low-carbon transportation and reduces motorised vehicle reliance. Supports climate adaptation by improving infrastructure resilience. By making cycling safer and more appealing, BiciZen shifts modal share away from cars, lowering urban CO₂ emissions. Data‐driven improvements (e.g., shaded bike paths) enhance resilience to heat waves and extreme weather. 

Real-World Pilots: BiciZen is used as a data repository, for instance, documenting the evolution of the construction of cycling infrastructure in the city of Sant Cugat (Barcelona) or storing harassment data collected through the Association of Cyclists in Terrassa (BiTer)  (Honey-Rosés, 2025). 

This project has participated in the Impetus Bootcamp 2024 under the name Stop Bike Theft

How It Works:  

1. Riders record trips or submit spot reports via app or web. 
2. Reports are geotagged, categorised, and visualised on an interactive map. 
3. City planners and NGOs export data for analysis, policy briefs, or infrastructure proposals. 

Main contact: Institut de Tecnologia i Ciències Ambientals (ICTA-UAB). 

Website: https://www.bicizen.org 

Other Related Projects

• SimRa: A crowdsourcing platform that identifies near-miss hotspots using GPS and accelerometer data from cyclists. 

References

• Honey-Rosés, J., Liebscht, L., Batista, P., Benatallah, B., Brussel, M., Flacke, J., ... & Vilariño, F. (2025). BiciZen: Lessons in the development of a crowdsourcing mobile app to make cities more bikeable. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 6(1), 143-168.