The City of Winnipeg is looking for volunteers to strap a GPS device to their bicycle and let officials track their course.

The project, being done with the Centre for Sustainable Transportation, is intended to generate information that will help the city expand its active transportation network. The network offers routes for cycling and walking that are convenient alternatives to busy city streets.

The project co-ordinators want more than 900 cyclists to participate. The volunteers — people who cycle more than once a week — will be asked to attach a GPS unit, called the Otto Driving Companion, to their bikes.

They will also be asked to answer some questions about their travel.

"All this information, combined with the GPS units — which can be uploaded to Google Maps, or Google Earth maps — will be provided back to the City of Winnipeg as information to help them identify the priority uses of cycling routes in Winnipeg," said Terry Zdan, a sustainable transportation policy consultant who is in charge of the project.

The Ottocycle project runs from May 1 until Oct. 30. Each volunteer will be asked to carry the pocket-sized device for about two weeks.

For more information, or to volunteer, people are asked to call 204-988-7182 or email ottocycle@uwinnipeg.ca.

Bike to Work Day

In other cycling notes, the city will hold its second annual Bike to Work Day on June 19. It's a day when motorists are encouraged to leave their cars at home and instead cycle to their places of business.

The city also released a new cycling map on Wednesday. It shows Winnipeg's current active transportation network, and has been updated for the first time since the city hosted the Pan American Games in 1999.

The map is available at retailers across Winnipeg. For the closest location, call 204-925-5686.

Bike and bus program

Winnipeg Transit's Bike and Bus Program is returning, effective May 1 until Oct. 31. Most Route 60 buses will be equipped with bike racks, so cyclists can switch their green commute between two wheels and four.

The racks, which are on some other routes as well, are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There's no cost to use the rack, just the usual bus fare.

The program complements transit's bike locker pilot project happening this year. Lockers that can accommodate two full-sized bicycles are available at two locations: St. Vital Shopping Centre (in the Transit bus bay) and Osborne Junction (on the centre island).

There is a partition in the middle of the locker that splits it into two compartments with each compartment having a private entrance. The locker is free and can be secured with U-shaped bicycle locks or cables.