Nova Scotia·NewThe new Cycling Guide app may help ease the concerns of cyclists in Halifax.Cycling Guide offers tips on beginner-friendly routesAndrew Sampson · CBC News · Posted: Aug 30, 2025 12:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoDavid Trueman is the chair of Cycling Guide Foundation. ( Cristian Monetta/CBC)A new app is aimed at easing the concerns of cyclists in Halifax.Cycling Guide aims to provide cyclists in the Halifax Regional Municipality with the least stressful routes.The mobile app, which became functional for Halgonians earlier this summer, is designed to suggest routes that will be comfortable for riders according to their level of experience. “If your route is all green, you know that it’s going to be comfortable and feel safe, whereas if … parts of it are magenta or amber in colour then you know those are going to be challenging sections and you may decide that’s not for you,” says David Trueman, the chair of the Cycling Guide Foundation, the non-profit behind the app. The app was developed with financial support from the HRM and Halifax Climate Investment, Innovation and Impact Fund, he said.Both groups donated $5,000 to the project, which was matched by the Halifax Cycling Coalition, where Trueman is also co-chair. A screenshot from the Cycling Guide app. (Cycling Guide)Jackson Bonn has been cycling in Halifax since moving here about four years ago. He now works at Long Alley Bicycles, a small bike shop and service centre on Quinpool Road, where new riders often grab free copies of the HRM’s Pocket Bike Guide when they leave. That guide maps out the city to show its existing bicycle infrastructure, and suggests routes for areas where there are no bike lanes or paved shoulders. The new app complements this by allowing users to input a route, and showing them the best way to travel, depending on their comfort level.”For cyclists who are new to the city, I think it would be a great way to familiarize yourself with what we have to offer and feel a bit safer in doing so,” Bonn said. One existing option for mapping out cycling routes is Google Maps. But both Bonn and Trueman say using the popular app isn’t always seamless.Some bike routes may look fine on the app but may be dangerous. “It’s often putting me on streets without safe and effective bike infrastructure,” said Bonn. “So I definitely see the gap there.” The app has received between 200 to 300 downloads since launching in Halifax, Trueman said, but he’s hopeful the user base will continue to grow as more people become aware of what it has to offer. The app is also available in Ottawa, the Waterloo Region and Sarnia-Lambton.
Cycling in Halifax can be intimidating. A new app aims to change that
