Back in April we launched the iPhone app for NYC (blog post). Since then we got plenty of feedback - hootin and hollering - requesting added features to make the app easier to use. We put our developers at Door3 to work and today we're happy to announce that version 1.2 of the Ride the City iPhone app is now available.

Key features of the Ride the City iPhone app include:

• As on the website, the iPhone app steers cyclists toward routes that maximize the use of bike lanes, bike paths, greenways, and other bike-friendly streets. The app avoids high-traffic streets and steep climbs.

   

• Cyclists may use Ride the City at home and while they’re traveling. The app works in Austin, Chicago, Louisville, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington DC. New cities will be added with no additional charge to the iPhone user.
   
• The app uses autocomplete, remembering previous addresses or locations that have been entered.
   
• When closing the app for any purpose (to take a call or send a text, for example), the previous state is kept in memory so a user can easily access the last route that was generated.
   
• Find the nearest bike shops (and get directions to one) with just one touch.
   
• Users can adjust the level of safety and essentially how far they’re willing to go out of their way to ride on safer streets, or they can choose a more direct route instead.
   
• The directions are displayed on an easy-to-read scrollable screen that also includes the distance, a time estimate and the amount of climbing on the route.
   
• Ride the City’s routing data is built on user feedback. The Report an Error button is displayed prominently on the map, allowing users to provide suggestions when the app steers them the wrong way.
   
• As on the website, Ride the City utilizes a CloudMade basemap that is sourced from OpenStreetMap, the volunteer community mapping project that is making a free map of the world.
   
• The app is compatible with iPhone OS 4 and previous versions of iOS.

The app is available from the iTunes App Store for $2.99 (less than the cost of a tall mocha latte). For users who would prefer to not pay for the app, they can access a version of Ride the City formatted for Mobile Safari at www.ridethecity.com.