I can’t find my Postcode

It is very possible that you will not be able to find your own postcode using the CycleStreets search. This is due to the data source of postcodes that we are using, and you can contribute too.

CycleStreets could use the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF), however that is very expensive at over £5,000 (and some postcodes can be inaccurate). Instead we are using data from two sister projects of OpenStreetMap (where the data for the routing engine comes from). These are FreeThePostcode and NPE Maps. At some point in the future postcode data in OpenStreetMap will be included too.

(If you have a spare £5k hanging around, that would enable us to obtain the PAF, let us know!)

Adding postcodes if you have a mobile phone with a GPS in:

• If you have an iPhone 3G there is a really easy way to add more postcodes to the data set, thus allowing you to enter that postcode in the future. First up install the iPhone App iFreeThePostCode and then go to the place that you want to add with your iPhone and start the app. You will need to allow location services while the phone searches gets your current location. Enter the postcode and when the accuracy is below 75 metres you will be able to submit your postcode and within a fortnight it will be available for searching. You will normally need to be outside to get the good GPS accuracy.
• If you have an Android phone you can use either andnav or freethepostcode available from the Android Market.
• If you are using a J2ME-compatible phone with an internal or bluetooth GPS, then you can install a program called TrackMyJourney. These apps have the ability to submit postcodes too, however require more technical ability to manage.

Shaun