Bikers, Pedestrians Seeking Better Web Maps
So says the Baltimore Sun newspaper in a reprinting of an Associated Press article:
“They haven’t yet reached the Holy Grail of ‘I want to go from here to there, show me my options,’” said Bryce Nesbitt, a walking and biking advocate in the San Francisco area.
The first challenge: how to account for factors that make bicycle and walking routes different from driving paths.
Pedestrians need sidewalks, but don’t have to abide by one-way streets. Walkers and bikers can cut through paths or trails not meant for cars, but they must avoid highways. Bikers, unlike walkers, need to think about whether a road is paved, and are prohibited from sidewalks in some cities.
I usually try to track down everyone mentioned in the article, including the author of the article, just to let them know about our efforts, but I’m a bit on the busy side at the moment. I figure I’ll try to ping Bryce Nesbitt since he’s in San Francisco, my new locale. If anyone wants to let the good folks in Philly and Broward and other areas know about our efforts, that’d be awesome.
Google’s implementation of walking directions was definitely a very positive step for all of us.
