the routes are useless and most put cyclists on dangerous roads

better off using Map my Ride or My Bikely or buy a GPS

libby

Here’s The OSM Cycle Map view of San Francisco

Bike Route Directions Are Available On Cloudmade.com

It’s the Wikipedia of maps. Anyone can contribute. And anyone can export the map data to use as they like. Current renderings may not be as easy on the eyes as Google Maps, but the data is often more up to date, more accurate, and richer than anything Google will ever provide, especially for cycling and walking. If it’s not better in your area, get involved and make it so! There’s no need to wait for Google to get around to fixing the error you told them about a month ago. Fix it now on Open Street Map and see the results instantly.

Figuring out good bicycle routes with algorithms is a tad like translating that way … except in this case I don’t even think the algorithms are particularly good.
For my commute, it has 27 turns in 6.7 miles — half of them left turns — and lots of it is on brick roads. The roads I don’t think are too bad, but they’re not the ones I take. Seems it does even worse in New York:
See http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/patient/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223500062

It’s a nice thing that cycling is considered important enough for Google to pretend to make an effort — preposterous that they think this is “doing it right” — if novices try their routes, they’ll be very reassured taht yes, we cyclists are NUTS. I’m willing to bet that they are of the “we need to make things better for biking – lets build more bike paths for the children to ride on!” school.

I would suggest though that just as google refines search results based on most popular selections from past results so too could they modify their algorythm for selecting bike routes based on an end user click and drag modification of a google generated route that is saved and sent back to a product development team.

Also, another piece of logic that might be added; Since car travel on weekdays is predictably heavy in the AM toward large metro centers and vice-versa in the PM, generate a google bike route with this in mind. A 5 lane cross section road (widely used in Central AR) would be too busy for all but the hardiest of cyclist during rush hours but OK for opposite direction travel at the same time.

All in all a good product. Very smart start. If I lived in an area for 5 or more years and always wondered where I might ride to get to work this product can give me some potential routes. This coupled with being familiar with the ebb and flow of traffic makes safe road riding safest.

Last question. Where do we submit information regarding local trails not marked on google maps? Problem report?

Good job

Missing is the Mary Avenue/280 Sunnyvale bike/ped overpass. Considering that we spent (wasted) $14M it should appear nonetheless.

There are only two paved roads accessible by bike in Rancho San Antonio Park. Map shows lots more. I guess the mtn bike trails will have to wait.

I would add Taylor Street through San Jose as a good route, all things considered.

Ray

Thank you Peter and other petitioners.

Marc, I couldn’t see the page either until after I cleared my browser’s cache and re-loaded the page.

Libby, I agree that local knowledge is critical in getting around by bike. The infrastructure in America has been built with scant attention to bicyclists for the past 50 years. To survive while getting around by bike, you have to be savvy.

I would recommend using the “Report a Problem” feature. I have submitted lots of these in Oakland, CA. I noticed that Google fixed incorrect one-way streets within a week. I also submitted information about some rather obscure pedestrian walkways and stairways. They added these, but it took about a month.

I think that Google will be inundated with additions, corrections, and suggestions from users. Cyclists can be fanatical. I just hope they are ready for the deluge!

WC to Coatesville PA

none of the routes would be good for bikers. WC to Coatesville, RT 322 is a high speed 2lane road with shoulders covered in broken glass and 2 large steel grate bridges with no shoulders, very very dangerous for cyclists, no one ever bikes on Rt 322

Rt 30 is a highway, plain and simple, again,I have never seen a cyclist on rt 30 or rt 322 and suggesting these routes to the unknowledgeable cyclist will put him in danger

WC to Kennett, The Popcopson route takes you down rt 52, again, high speed, poor shoulders, NO cyclists ever use this road

The rt 842 route is better and is very doable

I am part of the West Chester Cycling Club, we have over 250 cues on the site and NOT one uses the roads you have suggested

I am really not sure how Google can look at a map and then suggest bike routes without ever having biked on the roads

maybe you looked at them with your google street maps, who knows

WC to Kennet, RT 842, to Marlboro Springs to Marlbore Rd to Doe Run to Hickory to Willowdale to Street to Walnut and then right into Kennett

The back roads of Chester COunty are very safe for biking, very few cars, scenic and most pleasant

Your parameters for picking roads just does not work in Chester County, using the parameters of shoulders and passing lanes are not always the best for suggesting bike routes

I think Bike Routes is a good idea but not sure how you can pick routes having never biked in the area

most folks looking for biking in unknown areas use something like My Bikely

the routes are made by cyclists in the area who know the good roads

the idea of bike routes is exciting but I am not sure how it can work, no one has bike lanes here in the east, this is not Palo Alto

cyclists in areas such as mine, have learned how to find back roads that are not traveled by cars except a few locals

using bike lanes as a guide will not work in most places in the US, California and your area in particular, Mountain View, gives you a distorted view of biking for the rest of the country

Suggest you find local bike clubs and look at their cues if posted and go from there, but general road parameters is not going to work in my opinion

thanks for trying, but i think this idea needs some rethinking

libby maxim