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Cycle Superhighway and Quietways data now available to app designers.

• Data will make it easier for Londoners to find and use the best cycle routes

Transport for London (TfL) has challenged app designers to improve their services to cyclists after expanding the data it makes available to them.

TfL has added mapping information for eight Cycle Superhighways and one Quietway to their open data portal, allowing developers to make it even easier for Londoners to find and use the best cycle routes. New Superhighways and Quietways will be added as they open.

The information, which is provided via http://cycling.data.tfl.gov.uk/, allows developers to accurately map out the existing network within apps and on websites. This can be combined with previously released open data, such as the location of cycle parking at London Underground stations and the location and availability of bikes from the 780 Santander Cycles docking stations across the city, to help cyclists plan their routes easily.

TfL's real-time travel data is available to developers to help them create better products and services for customers. More than 600 apps powered by TfL data are used by millions of people every day, which includes live travel and journey planning information for bus, Tube and rail networks, data on station accessibility and information on the busiest times on trains and in stations on London Underground.

Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said:

'Millions of Londoners use apps to navigate around our city every day, and by ensuring this cycling data is available to developers, we can make a big difference to the way journeys are planned. By knowing where the infrastructure is and when new parts are opened, cyclists can pick the best route for them, rather than simply following the way they would go by car or bus. It's yet another way we are working to make cycling even easier for all Londoners.'

Lilli Matson, Head of Strategy and Outcome Planning in Surface Transport at TfL, said:

'The introduction of our growing Cycle Superhighways and Quietways networks has helped encourage thousands to Londoners to take to two wheels. By providing accurate route information to developers through our open data network, we can help cyclists plan their routes more easily as well as see where cycle parking or their nearest docking station is.'

The release of the data forms part of the Mayor of London's new blueprint for a healthy London. His long-term vision is to help encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle, by making London's streets healthier, safer and more welcoming.

A key focus will be getting Londoners to reduce their reliance on car use, which will not only help them be more active, but help tackle London's air pollution crisis. As part of this plan, £2.1bn is being allocated to a new TfL Healthy Streets Portfolio that will focus on getting Londoners walking, cycling and using public transport. This includes doubling the average annual spend on cycling, as announced in the TfL Business Plan, taking London's cycling spending per head to comparable levels as Denmark and the Netherlands.

Notes to Editors:

• For more information, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/open-data
• For technical briefings on TfL's open data and how it could be used by developers, please contact the TfL Press Office
• More technical information about the digital API is available to developers via the TfL Digital Blog: https://blog.tfl.gov.uk/
• Local businesses and organisations can apply for bespoke "Digital signs" which use live bus arrival data to display up to four bus stops and a map of the local area - https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/business-and-commercial/travel-for-business/digital-signs
• Early analysis of Cycle Superhighway usage has shown large increases in the number of cyclists using these routes. On Victoria Embankment (East-West), the number of cyclists increased by 54 per cent against pre-construction figures, Blackfriars Bridge (North-South) increased by 55 per cent, and Vauxhall Bridge (CS5) increased by 73 per cent.
• TfL's 'Healthy Streets for London' document sets out new focus on getting more Londoners physically active - http://content.tfl.gov.uk/healthy-streets-for-london.pdf
• TfL's business plan outlines how £2.1bn is being allocated to a new TfL Healthy Streets Portfolio that will focus on getting Londoners walking, cycling and using public transport -https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/tfl-business-plan-december-2016.pdf