FixMyBerlin Project in Berlin

Organisation type

Public administration at local level

Use case area

Transport

Geographic scope

Germany

Domain

Environment
Governance and implementation

Challenge:

Cycling lanes in cities often leave much to be desired, increasing the risk of accidents and reducing the incentive for people to cycle. Ensuring that cycling lanes are well-designed, properly maintained, and clearly marked is crucial for the safety of cyclists. Berlin aspires to become a true cycling city, such as Amsterdam. However, in addition to poor quality cycling lanes, data on cycling, cycling paths and cycling planning was hardly being published, difficult to find and not prepared in a way that was understandable.

Approach:

In September 2018, the FixMyBerlin platform was launched under the domain ‘FixMyBerlin’ and presented to the public. The platform shows two central maps: the state of the cycling infrastructure today, and the plans in Berlin's districts. Both maps are connected to each other, so that current and future infrastructure can be compared. Almost all twelve Berlin districts as well as the central Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate support the platform and make their planning data available. A specific data standard for combining cycling plans was developed with the districts and is now being actively used. All relevant data is passed on via a publicly accessible API as open data within the framework of the Open Database License (OdBL). Data is leveraged from user submissions, municipal data, geospatial data and other open data sources. The resulting map-based online platform brings together cycling data, such as the quality of cycle paths, the width and the safety, among other factors, clearly communicates the administration's plans for cycling lanes and thus relieves them of enquiries. It also serves as a technical basis for further future services. The FixMyBerlin frontend application is built using React and TypeScript. It employs Webpack for module bundling and Babel for JavaScript transpilation. The project uses Cypress for end-to-end testing and Jest for unit testing. The application supports multiple regions and languages. Deployment is automated via Netlify, with separate branches for development and production.

Outcomes:

Based on the map application, dialogs have already been developed through which the administrations can query the needs of the population. For example, users can report where they would like to see more bicycle parking facilities or new lanes built. They can also gather information about available cycling lanes in a given area, whether there are ongoing constructions works in an area which impact existing lanes and planned cycling lanes. Another service for the measurability of subjective safety in cycling is currently being designed, researched and developed by FixMyCity GmbH as part of the National Cycling Plan (NRVP). The platform works with local government and other stakeholders to push for better cycling infrastructure and policies, and engages with the community through events, workshops and campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of safe cycling infrastructure, demonstrating how open data can make a tangible difference to the lives of citizens.

Data Sources:

Data is sourced from user submissions, municipal data, geospatial data and other open data sources and aggregated by the FixMyBerlin platform. Planning data is provided by all twelve Berlin districts as well as the central Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate.

Additional information:

Point of Contact:

infofixmycity [dot] de (subject: Anfrage%20FixMyCity) (info[at]fixmycity[dot]de)
hellofixmycity [dot] de (hello[at]fixmycity[dot]de)