Clean Ride Mapper Lets Montreal Cyclists Find Best Routes

Clean Ride Mapper helps cyclists find the shortest and cleanest routes. (Screen capture from Clean Ride Mapper)

An engineer at McGill University has developed a tool that can tell cyclists in Montreal where the best routes for riding are, based on air cleanliness, noise levels and traffic congestion, according to TreeHugger. The tool is called Clean Ride Mapper.

Users begin by selecting a starting point and destination for the ride they want to take. From there, the tool, which is available online, shows three route choices. One will take the cyclist there quickest. Another will take the rider through patches of cleaner air. The last will make sure they aren’t exposed to high levels of noise.

The developer, Maria Hatzopoulou, an assistant professor of civil engineering, notes that obtaining the data for Clean Ride Mapper wasn’t easy. He and others had to collect four years’ worth of measurements with help from cyclists in Montreal who pedaled around expensive air quality sensors.

Top image: Clean Ride Mapper helps cyclists find the shortest and cleanest routes. (Screen capture from Clean Ride Mapper)