Bicycling on Google

walkingbootweather

Google Maps shows the nation’s cycling lanes. Apparently goes live from 5.00pm today.

Looked at my area and while you can display routes, and plan "Bicycling directions", already, they don't look very complete.

Is it any better for your area?

gtvlusso

Not too bad for Brizzle TBH....! My commute is mapped.

Kieran_Burns

Click the 3d button - it's way cool!

Sharkyssurfers

hmm just did a quick test and it decides that i can cycle through the rotherhide tunnel :shock:

dhope

My suggested commute seems extremely keen to get away from the roads. Reckon it needs to add a small cost to turning onto a new road to make it make sense to not snake around all the sideroads to shave 100 metres off a 10mi commute.

Kieran_Burns

Just tried mine. Clearly someone hates cyclists.

It's sending people down the A453 which is the main route into Nottingham from the M1 South.

Deathtrap springs to mind.

mattcroad

It almost got my journey right, took me off the A24 to go for a pootle in Clapham Common though.

I was disappointed in the time however, 8.2 miles in 54 minutes, all I ever get is 32-34 minutes myself Maybe it needs to learn that cycling in London is quicker than driving.

Oh well, that took me away from work for 5 minutes.

bails87

It took me from my house, down some footpaths and onto a dual carriageway, before winding down side roads rather than just getting on the parallel 30/40mph road that I use. Going through 8 crossroads is probably more dangerous than being on a slightly busier road.

Once I corrected that by dragging the route, it directed me onto the A46. No thankyou!

spasypaddy

took me along the north circular for my commute rather than the shorter and safer route

optimisticbiker

Hmmm...clearly doesnt take elevation into account...

Route 1 - almost my current route in is 12.0 miles (actually 12.2) 1hour 18min (well under an hour for me) via A5, Marylebone Road (I actually go via Regent Park, its nicer)

Route 2 - up the A1 through Holloway/Archway - 12.9 miles 1hour 19min :eek: only 1 min longer despite the extra mile, the difficulty of cross the N Circular at Henleys Corner (no way on a bike!) and the long climb up Archway Road - not a nice route...

I think its best used for 'preliminary planning' only...

rjsterry

Hmph. Just found at least two big glitches around one of my routes: It doesn't recognise the wiggly bit of CS7 that avoids E&C roundabouts, nor has it updated the road layout in Brixton since they allowed you to ride straight up the hill instead of round the back of St Matthew's Church, although they have sorted out that annoying glitch that wouldn't let you go North on Moorgate.

Initialised

CycleStreets comes closer than any of the routes Google throws up.

nation

Route it comes up with is ... odd.

Seems determined to avoid the A-road (with bus lane) that I use. I use it because it's a straight shot to work and involves very little interaction with traffic. There are a couple of iffy junctions, to be fair, but the google route still goes through them and in fact adds a couple more as it veers back and forth across main roads.

It's all tiny side streets through a pretty iffy area. It's probably doable, but I'm not sure I'd want to use it at night.

Funnily enough, the "walking" directions nail my commute almost exactly.

Cyclestreets is pretty much unusable for Brum because it refuses to acknowledge that people might not want to use canal towpaths.

msmancunia

In theory it got mine correct - cycling route 66 all the way down into Manchester from Chaddy.

Unfortunately, this puts me on the Rochdale Canal - steps, cobbles, narrow paths and wino and junkie dodging, and takes 90 mins on my now defunct hybrid. There isn't a cat in hell's chance either me or my road bike would last five minutes. I'd rather take my chances on Oldham Rd, thanks.

(I don't actually blame Google for this - in bike utopia it's the perfect route. I just don't know who thought that a trip down the canal was a viable route for anything other than a BMX.

cyclingprop

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

hmm just did a quick test and it decides that i can cycle through the rotherhide tunnel :shock:

You can. I have. Wouldn't recommend it though.

Cycloslalomeur

cyclingprop wrote:

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

hmm just did a quick test and it decides that i can cycle through the rotherhide tunnel :shock:

You can. I have. Wouldn't recommend it though.

It's not that bad. I've even rollerbladed in it. Just make sure you take the lane in order to discourage silly overtaking.

richVSrich

nice! but why dont the blue routes show up??...odd since they are the main cycling routes in london...

richVSrich

edit: double post.....

lockstock666

Did no one else use cyclestreets or similar to map their route in the first place?

Google did not hit the same route, added 3/4 mile to my journey. Weaving around streets in order to get to a cycle lane. It is probably safer for me tho.

walkingbootweather

I have found bikeroutetoaster to give me the best 'real world' route options. Has anyone done a study on the respective tools? If not perhaps we should come up with a list of alternatives and try them all. Might even make an interesting article for the mag?

wgwarburton

walkingbootweather wrote:

Google Maps shows the nation’s cycling lanes. Apparently goes live from 5.00pm today.

Looked at my area and while you can display routes, and plan "Bicycling directions", already, they don't look very complete.

Is it any better for your area?

Has anyone else tried to submit comments/corrections?

Google doesn't seem to know about a local bike path but my attempts to use the tell-us-how button failed.

On my commute it currently recommends a section of path that I've never used, despite having grown up cycling in the area and then moved back and commuted between these points for ten years... Guess I should go and explore :-)

Cheers,
W.

jonomc4

Well it selected the exact route into work that I now use - one that I worked on over a 6 month period to find the best route.

So for me I have to give it top marks.

cyclingprop

Cycloslalomeur wrote:

cyclingprop wrote:

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

hmm just did a quick test and it decides that i can cycle through the rotherhide tunnel :shock:

You can. I have. Wouldn't recommend it though.

It's not that bad. I've even rollerbladed in it. Just make sure you take the lane in order to discourage silly overtaking.

My point is that it's grotty, rather than particularly bad.

Sharkyssurfers

cyclingprop wrote:

Cycloslalomeur wrote:

cyclingprop wrote:

Sharkyssurfers wrote:

hmm just did a quick test and it decides that i can cycle through the rotherhide tunnel :shock:

You can. I have. Wouldn't recommend it though.

It's not that bad. I've even rollerbladed in it. Just make sure you take the lane in order to discourage silly overtaking.

My point is that it's grotty, rather than particularly bad.

still not sure, as the route missed out the cycle superhighway to get to westminster and wanted me to go through the tunnel south of the river and pop back up just before milbank :shock:

gbsahne001

My suggested route is only suitable for a MTB and even then you end up covered in mud from head to foot, as my family will testify to, as I've used it for the last 2 days (avoiding the torch). It also has you jumping of the side of a flyover bridge to pick up the path below it.

veronese68

It's alright as a guide, but not ideal. Strangely it picks up on the first part of the path through Bushy Park for me, but then goes along the road instead of carrying on along the path.

madtam

It certainly does seem to completely ignore the terrain. On my short commute (5 miles)it suggests 2 detours off the main route along the valley, both of which are up the valley side on small back roads. They would probably add an additional 5 minutes each and certainly make it a harder ride. What makes it worse is that on both occasions the main road is wide open and unbroken by junctions as well as being the only 2 sections where the local council has decided to paint cycle path lanes onto the road. The detours both have a couple of extra junctions to negotiate as well as narrower streets with parked cars as well as the climbs.
The timings are a bit slow as well but that I can live with.

I think more work is required.

SimonAH

This seems to work pretty well - just used it to plan a 19mile route in to the office with my M.D. that we'll hit next week.

http://www.cyclestreets.net/journey/2811325/