App: A bike map and guide for Chicagoland

Consider this: You like to use the Chicago Bike Map but you don't always carry it with you. You want to be reminded of where the bike lanes and trail access points are. But you do carry your smartphone with you, all the time.

In April 2012 I launched my first-ever app, the Chicago Bike Guide. It works similarly to the "Chicago Bike Map" (the City's printed one) in that it shows the presence of on-street bike lanes, multi-use trails, and train stations. It works like Google Maps, though, where you can pinch and zoom to interact with the map.

Divvy, train stations, directions, The Chainlink, Twitter, points of interest, it's all right here.

Available for Android and iOS.

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Permalink Reply by Richard on July 25, 2012 at 1:54pm

I've worked with Phonegap before. Can you set up a bit bucket (private code repository)?

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Permalink Reply by Tom Kompare on July 25, 2012 at 1:59pm

It's a place of historical significance for the American movie industry. I used to live around the corner from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essanay_Studios

Steven Vance said:

What is Essanay Studios?

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on July 25, 2012 at 2:15pm

These are my notes from the tour:

Essanay Studios 1345 W. Argyle

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company building - silent film studio.
Best known for producing Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.
Founded 1907 by George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson,
Originally on Wells = Peerless Film Manufacturing Company / August 10, 1907, name changed to Essanay ("S and A")
Essanay's first film, An Awful Skate, or The Hobo on Rollers (July 1907) starring Ben Turpin (then the studio janitor), produced for only a couple hundred dollars, grossed several thousand dollars in release. Result: The studio prospered and in 1908 moved here
Stars: George Periolat, Ben Turpin, Wallace Beery, Thomas Meighan, Francis X. Bushman, Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Tom Mix, Ann Little, Helen Dunbar, Harold Lloyd, Lester Cuneo, Florence Oberle, Virginia Valli, Edward Arnold, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Rod La Rocque.
Studio co-owner Gilbert Anderson starred as "Broncho Billy" in westerns
Louella Parsons was a screenwriter - became Hollywood gossip columnist.
Both Co-owners received Oscars - George Spoor in 1948 and Broncho Billy Anderson in 1958
Chicago's weather and popularity of westerns forced Gilbert Anderson to take part of company to California
The Chicago & new Niles studio still produced films for another five years – more than 1,400 titles in 10 years
Produced first American Sherlock Holmes (1916), first American A Christmas Carol (1908), first Jesse James movie, The James Boys of Missouri (1908).
Some of world’s first cartoons (Dreamy Dud was the most popular character).
After – Building hosted firma that produced industrial films, a non-profit television corporation and the Midwest offices of Technicolor.
Now St. Augustine's College; the main meeting hall is named the Charlie Chaplin Auditorium

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on July 25, 2012 at 3:01pm

I'd be nice if you also had GPS capability turned on, so at least you know where you are in relation to the map and how to get to nearest bike path from where you are.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on July 25, 2012 at 3:05pm

It does have a GPS feature. It uses the phone's location services (cell triangulation, wifi positioning, and actual GPS). When you first open the app you should get an alert that asks if "Bike Map" can use your location. Click "Allow". When viewing the map, click the "locate me" button (it looks like a scope target, a circle with 4 small lines inside the circle).

Have you tried to do this and encountered a problem?

Just Will said:

I'd be nice if you also had GPS capability turned on, so at least you know where you are in relation to the map and how to get to nearest bike path from where you are.

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on July 25, 2012 at 3:06pm

DOH, yes and yes, and turns out I deactivated my location services the other day for some reason

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Permalink Reply by prof.gfr on July 25, 2012 at 3:59pm

There's a new buffered bike lane on South Wabash (south of Congress for at least two blocks...haven't gone all the way down...). Just FYI for the next update. Great work Steve.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on July 25, 2012 at 4:13pm

Glad to hear you got it working.

Just Will said:

DOH, yes and yes, and turns out I deactivated my location services the other day for some reason

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on July 25, 2012 at 4:14pm

That's in the list for updating. Thanks!

prof.gfr said:

There's a new buffered bike lane on South Wabash (south of Congress for at least two blocks...haven't gone all the way down...). Just FYI for the next update. Great work Steve.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Kompare on July 25, 2012 at 8:49pm

Hi Steve.

I added a link to your offline bike app at the bottom of http://velociped.es/

Cheers.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on September 4, 2012 at 7:40am

Just FYI, the app will be free on Friday, September 7, in celebration of Open Streets on State Street the following day, and because the app was updated to version 0.4. Buy now or update.

What's new in the current version?

Updated map tiles to include the latest new bikeways*
New points of interest, including sports stadiums, parks, and bike Fixit stations (stands with tools to make minor repairs or adjustments, plus an air pump)
New crash resource page describes what to do if you get in a collision with an automobile (sponsored by Lawyer Jim Freeman)
Reorganized points of interest; now sorted by category
Increased contrast between CTA and Metra lines for better visibility

* This update doesn't include the buffered bike lane on Clark Street between North Avenue and Walton Street currently under construction; doesn't include the buffered bike lane on Halsted Street between 69th and 75th Streets. These will be available in the next version.