Anyone who's spent a winter in the Netherlands knows that cycling safely is a challenge, and slippery surfaces during winter are a major cause of cycling accidents. In order to better prepare cyclists for slippery conditions, Fietsberaad has created a new website where cyclists can report icy spots and accidents resulting from them.
The new site is called GladdeFietsroutes.nl ("Slippery bike paths" in Dutch), and a mobile version is also available to allow users to get updates when they're on the go.
The main page features a Google map set to the location shared by the user, with dots indicating slippery spots. If you click on a dot, you can see how many people have named this spot as slippery and read stories about their experiences. You can also agree by clicking on the red "Me eens" button.
Municipalities will hopefully use the collected reports to respond more quickly to dangers posed to cyclists, and have the option of providing up-to-date feedback via Twitter (@gladdefr) about ice control and how bottlenecks are being addressed.
Note that because the site is so new, it currently only has data available for Rotterdam and a few other areas, but will be updated with additional ones soon.
Source: Fietsberaad.nl