A new smartphone app may help alert drivers to the presence of bicyclists. The Bike Shield App, free for iPhone and Android users, sounds an alarm to drivers also using the app when a cyclist is nearby. The app works if both cyclist and driver have it running in the background.
I recently downloaded Bike Shield onto my iPhone. It is pretty cool. The interface and appearance is very simple. It is a set-it-and-forget-it sort of thing that one day could prove quite helpful. Of course, that day is in the future. For it to be effective lots and lots of drivers and cyclists would have to download the app to their phones. A map on the application shows drivers and cyclists using the app worldwide. Thus far, U.S. users amount to a handful of people in California, and, now, one guy in Chicago. But with a price that can't be beat, hopefully it will catch on. The developer of the app is apparently trying to establish partnerships with bike share companies and municipalities to get them to install the app on public bikes and buses.
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