Launching January 11, a new phone app called OurStreets, created by Daniel Schep and Mark Sussman, will allow cyclists and other vulnerable road users to easily report and compile data on bad driving behaviors like vehicles parked in bike lanes, drivers speeding, and aggressive driving.

OurStreets began roughly one year ago as a Twitter bot account created by Schep called How’s My Driving D.C. Designed specifically for residents of Washington, D.C., the bot allows people to tweet a license plate number to the account and receive feedback on that vehicle’s traffic citation history. The bot works by pulling information from the DMV’s public database.

Just how useful was the simple Twitter bot? All in all, “one in three vehicles through the bot had outstanding citations,” Sussman told Bicycling.



The Twitter bot was then expanded into the How’s My Driving web app, which allowed users to also include circumstantial information, like what kind of violation had been committed and whether it was a private vehicle, taxi, rideshare, or other. Users could then choose to submit the information to city services (DC311).

One of the most valuable outcomes of this app, and the OurStreets app once it launches, is the data. It’s the massive amount of user feedback and crowdsourced data that paints a much clearer and more accurate picture of what is actually happening on our streets every day. It’s especially useful for pointing out problem spots.

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In May 2019, as part of Bike to Work Week, the How’s My Driving web app was used in the Data-Protected Bike Lane Project. Seventy volunteers patrolled bike lanes around Washington, D.C., for one hour in the morning, one hour at midday, and one hour in the evening while reporting any violations they witnessed through the app. In total, the volunteers reported more than 700 traffic and parking violations in a single day.

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Over time, use of the web app increased significantly, despite being known only by word of mouth. In the year that it’s existed, roughly 18,000 reports have been filed using the How’s My Driving web app. Sussman said one third of the reports were bike lane violations, and roughly another third were violations of no-parking zones. Another common violation that app users witnessed were Uber and Lyft drivers parking at bus stops.



The most immediate outcome of filing a report through the app is likely a feeling of catharsis for the cyclist finding a truck blocking a bike lane, or for the cyclist who finds his or herself the target of an aggressive driver.

Using the app may also validate what you just experienced and confirm if a reckless driver’s behavior is habitual. For example, one Virginia driver who was reported by an app user was found to have been caught speeding on numerous occasions in the past: They received over 29 citations in D.C. to the tune of over $35,000. The district’s DMV website only provides a breakdown of the 29 most recent citations, too, meaning that this particular driver could have far more than that.



Mark Sussman

Given the success of the the How’s My Driving web app, Sussman and Schep decided to take things one step further and create the OurStreets phone app. The new app isn’t necessarily just for Washington, D.C. residents, but the citation look-up feature only works in that area for now. They are looking to expand that feature to other cities, though, and currently have plans in the works for Arlington, Alexandria, and Pittsburgh. Users from anywhere in the U.S. can still report violations if they’d like to contribute from a data perspective.



Reporting a vehicle through the OurStreets app will not guarantee that a driver will be issued a citation for that particular incident, nor will it guarantee that citations will be enforced. It ultimately depends on what city governments (those who collaborate with OurStreets) decide to do with the data they’re given.



While the app allows users to report dangerous driving, like near-misses, Sussman says people should report more serious incidents—like being hit by a driver—in an official manner. (OurStreets should not be used to report a crash, since the report will not be shared directly with police departments.)

Overall, the data can prove useful to not only cities, but advocacy groups and organizations that are working toward safer streets, and even researchers who are interested in topics like traffic safety and urban planning.

Sussman and Schep are actively looking to collaborate with even more cities and organizations to make the best use of the data they’re collecting. While all of this is great news for cyclists, Sussman says their goal is to help all vulnerable road users, making streets and sidewalks safer for everyone.

“We want people from all walks of life to use this app,” Sussman said.



Another major problem the app has highlighted in the past year? “There’s no reciprocity between Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. for non-police-issued citations,” Sussman said.

That means a driver with a vehicle registered outside of D.C. could rack up numerous traffic violations and fines in the district without any consequence to their registration in their home state.

Why is this such a big deal to residents? “Our city doubles in population during the workday,” Sussman said, because D.C. is such a major hub for employment. Roughly 40 percent of the reports they’ve received concern vehicles registered in D.C., while 60 percent concern vehicles registered elsewhere, like Virginia and Maryland.



The app also gives cities a “universal way to report micromobility issues,” tracking things like dockless bikes and scooters blocking sidewalks. The operators of those bike and scooter share programs can see what users are repeat offenders, and cities can more easily see if those operators are in compliance.



Jessica Coulon Assistant Digital Editor When she’s not out riding her mountain bike, Jessica reports on news, gear, and all things cycling related for Bicycling.

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