In Jakarta, two new apps represent a giant leap for pedestrians and cyclists. According to the New Cities Foundation, the winner of the Jakarta Urban Challenge is an app that helps pedestrians and bicyclists find safer routes they can share.
The Squee Mobile App received a $10,000 prize for top honors in the contest, open to Indonesians 18 to 35 years old.
Second prize promotes the safety of women and girls while commuting. The Jalan Aman (“Safe Passage”) app aims to make it easy for women to instantly share their locations, report abuse and find safe transport, New Cities says. The developers received $6,000 for their invention.
The Cyclist Urban System took third prize. Rather than an app, this is a plan to introduce “cyclist hubs” across a megacity known for its gridlocked traffic. Bicyclists would reportedly have access to refreshments, repairs, dressing rooms, first aid, route information and rentals.
The competition was sponsored by the foundation and Connect4Climate. More details here and here.
Citiscope is a nonprofit news outlet that covers innovations in cities around the world. More at Citiscope. org.
