GoogleMaps for routing?

mrkev83

I have to go from Eccleston to Atherton and having a look on Google maps distance ranges from 16 to 21 miles. I change options to either by car excluding motorways or hit the bicycle icon (which produces a longer route). Is Google the best to use for working out routes? I'm on a road bike and it tries getting me on route 55 which I believe is a canal path so would be unsuitable hence the using car excluding motorways option

Kareny

Google is Ok as long as you take the time to zoom in and check the route. It let's you move bits of the route around so if you want to avoid bits eg your canal path then you can just change that bit and keep the rest.

monkimark

I'd change the bit at the end where you wind up in chorley

Either use the car route and just check it doesn't take you down any scary dual carriageways or use the bike route and check it doesn't take you down the canal.
I don't think there are any roads that really need avoiding round there - I used to ride it quite a lot when I was younger to visit a mate who worked at the bike shop in ecclestone (which I can't for the life of me remember the name of) - mind, that was about 20 years ago.

twoshots

I use BikeRouteToaster for any routes I plan. But I know others who use MapMyRide.

mrkev83

Sorry guys just noticed I'd put to chorley, I meant to Atherton

desweller

If you use BikeRouteToaster then you can choose from a number of different maps, including Google Maps. It will also generate a route cue card for you to follow. I think you can configure it to stick to roads but to avoid motorways etc.; I don't think that will stop it picking a busy A-road though.

I also use MapMyRide, which is a bit easier to use, but just as bad at putting you either onto a bridleway in cycling mode or an A-road in driving mode.

When I'm touring I do use these tools to generate an initial draft of a route, but I then check it in detail as I know I'll have to make adjustments. None of them are bright enough yet.

Initialised

They need better rules, like "Avoid bridleways unless it reduces route by x miles," "Avoid busy A-roads with less than three digits," "Avoid unpaved cycleways/bridleways," "Prefer Singletrack," "Prefer routes with on road cycle-lanes," a few more road classifications than "Highway/Motorway" a bit of fuzzy logic and time and weather sensitivity would help as some routes that are fine for road bikes in the dry just aren't when it gets muddy. Near here the A1 has a 7am-7pm ban on slow farm and construction vehicles but this doesn't apply to cycles so some routing software (Cyclestreets) like to send you that way despite it being motorway in all but name and legality.