Lots of global companies use OpenStreetMap. Take Strava, for example:

The Strava Global Heat map shows cycling activity around the world, including Christchurch. ( https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#12.00/172.58547/-43.50785/hot/ride ).

The road lines are based on OpenStreetMap ( https://medium.com/strava-engineering/get-on-the-map-dca5d2693c37 ).

By improving OpenStreetMap we can ensure that our fellow citizens are making decisions based on accurate information provided through 3rd-party providers.

A quick lunchtime stroll with osmTracker in hand resulted in creating bicycle parking points on Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch, New Zealand.

The gps trace wobbled around a lot as it didn’t seem to be able to get a good fix among the tall buildings but it was accurate enough to identify the points on the LINZ aerial photos.

osm.org/user/Adam%20Heinz/traces/2514597

Adam Heinz 3 October 2017

Went for a stroll with OSM Tracker down Cambridge Terrace to check out the new path for pedestrians and cyclists, created as part of the Accessible City plan.

The GPS trace can be found here osm.org/user/Adam%20Heinz/traces/2446464

My weekend adventures in editing the “Papanui Parallel / Puari ki Papanui” raised a big question: how could I demonstrate personal knowledge of this major cycleway developed by the Christchurch City Council? ( osm.org/user/Adam%20Heinz/diary/41739 )

I decided to try OSMTracker to see if I could demonstrate where I had been. ( osm.wiki/OSMTracker_(Android) )

Within minutes of finishing work I had downloaded OSMTracker for free from the Google Play store and was on my bike. ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.guillaumin.android.osmtracker&hl=en )

I whipped out my phone at the intersection of Bealey Avenue and Colombo Street and opened the app. It asked me to enable GPS in Google Location services. As soon as I had a “GPS fix” - the accuracy wavered from 3 to 5 meters - I hit the “cycle track” button followed by “cycleway” and pedalled northwards.

The route itself was a dream to ride on a road bike. I felt so safe that it was a rude shock to realise I was crossing an intersection and hadn’t looked out for my own safety. Fortunately the drivers were very considerate and gave way to me. After being cocooned on the segregated cycle track, the section of “greenway” along Trafalgar Street was a sharp reminder of just how frightening it can be to cycle on the road at night.

Before I knew it I had arrived in comfort and style at the end of the cycleway at the railway crossing on Sawyers Arms Road. A quick hit of the save button and I had my first GPS trace. ( osm.org/user/Adam%20Heinz/traces/2436735 )

The return journey southwards was just as quick and easy and I had my second GPS trace. ( osm.org/user/Adam%20Heinz/traces/2436734 )

The “Export to Open Street Map” option was greyed out so I hit “Export as GPX”. This was the first moment where I was left scratching my head - I even had to resort to reading the instructions. ( http://learnosm.org/en/mobile-mapping/osmtracker/ )

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How hard can it be to map a cycle route in Christchurch? I hit the “Edit” button on Open Street Map to find out.

The Christchurch City Council (CCC) is developing a programme of 13 major cycle routes to connect suburbs to the central city. “Papanui Parallel / Puari ki Papanui: This cycleway will connect Northlands and the Northern Line Cycleway to the Central City”. The CCC website has a page on the Papanui Parallel with detailed plans of the approved scheme design for every section of the route. ( https://www.ccc.govt.nz/transport/cycling/major-cycle-routes/cycle-routes/papanui-parallel/ )

Only a small stub of the Papanui Parallel was visible on the osm cycling basemap on the north side of the intersection of Colombo Street and Bealey Avenue. Construction of the Papanui Parallel is nearly finished so it seemed appropriate to update.

My first step was to address the route as a relation. I used the Little River Rail Trail as a guide, as the Little River Link Trail is an official project referenced by both the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and CCC. The Little River Rail Trail is tagged as “rcn”; the Coastal Pathway, by way of contrast, is tagged as “lcn” even though the link to CCC cycle projects is unclear; so I tagged the Papanui Parallel as “rcn” - a regional cycle network. Someone seems to have set up a CCC custom tag, so I also tagged the Papanui Parallel as “ccc=cyclingroute”.

Starting at the southern end of the Papanui Parallel, Sheet 17 of the plans seemed fairly straight forward. “Bike Lanes” on the left and right side were clearly “tracks” as being “separated from the road by curbs, parking lots, grass verges, trees or another physical barrier, but is running parallel and next to the road”. ( osm.wiki/Key:cycleway )

… See full entry