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New Bicycling Route Maps on Google

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Started 1 year ago by pbarney
Latest reply from lifeontwowheels

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pbarney
New Albany
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Google has just released bike route maps for their popular mapping service today. As of now, you can route your directions specifically for biking and your directions will be optimized to use bike paths and roads with bike lanes, and avoid high-traffic areas, dangerous intersections and excessively hilly areas.

Another feature that I like is that it shows me exactly where all of the best biking (or walking) areas are in Columbus.

Here's a link to Columbus with the bicycling routes highlighted:

http://ow.ly/1gv6X

From the looks of thinks, i seems like Dublin wins the prize for most bike-friendly community. Thoughts?

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Seems pretty decent; emphasis on utilizing the bike trails/MUPs for the main part of the route. Not an issue but it probably won't be of much use to people who take side or main roads primarily. Good for beginners though.

I've been playing around with a few of my old commutes when I lived in the city. Find it very weird that they actually direct you away from Oak to get to downtown. That's one of the most popular (Bryden as well) E-W routes I hear people recommend and have recommended myself.

Overall seems like a half-decent tool to get some idea of where to go. Some of the route selections seem goofy, like the Oak St thing or taking High over Front. Those are just my personal choices though.

Although I am a bit biased, probably the best tool to find a route is going here and asking people who actually cycle in and around Columbus for route advice.

Dublin and Westerville both have pretty good trail systems. There is a group working to build a Westerville to Arena District trail to facilitate commuting. The problem with most of our suburban cities is that they support very good park to park, off road trails that are great for recreation.

They just don't offer a great connection to the surrounding region that can make bike travel that much more accessible and useful. Columbus may not seem bike friendly, at first glance, but the interconnected secondary roads throughout most of the city and the extensive trails make for a pretty good combination to access most of the city and even parts beyond. Over time, the emphasis will be greater regional connectivity. I know the Alum Creek Trail is getting closer to completion, eventually providing access from Groveport to Easton to Westerville. Eventually Goveport south to Canal Winchester and east to Reynoldsburg.

Posted 1 year ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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pbarney wrote >>
Here's a link to Columbus with the bicycling routes highlighted:
http://ow.ly/1gv6X
From the looks of thinks, i seems like Dublin wins the prize for most bike-friendly community. Thoughts?

It looks like whoever made the Dublin map made the sidewalks the bike routes. I hope this isn't an official Google map :-p

Posted 1 year ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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michaelcoyote wrote >>

pbarney wrote >>
Here's a link to Columbus with the bicycling routes highlighted:
http://ow.ly/1gv6X
From the looks of thinks, i seems like Dublin wins the prize for most bike-friendly community. Thoughts?

It looks like whoever made the Dublin map made the sidewalks the bike routes. I hope this isn't an official Google map :-p

It's correct as shown. Instead of sidewalks on both sides of a street, Dublin generally has a 10 foot wide asphalt path on one side with a 4 foot concrete sidewalk on the other.

Incidentally though, this map is missing a lot of the roadside and offroad trails in Dublin.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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pbarney wrote >>
From the looks of thinks, i seems like Dublin wins the prize for most bike-friendly community. Thoughts?

it's just the architecture and naming of things. Where other places may have "sidewalks", dublin puts down asphalt instead of concrete squares and calls them "multi use paths". They're nice, though.

What is more interesting is that they have 'bike paths' crossing the Oval at OSU. Technically, no bike riding is allowed on the oval.

Posted 1 year ago #
paktinat
KLD
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It's interesting that google considers all the sidewalks on the north and south oval bike paths.

Posted 1 year ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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Also that instead of taking the Scioto Greenway into downtown, it prefers riding on Long/Spring St from the 670 E exit ramp.

I'm thinking there are many kinks.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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Twixlen wrote >>
I'm thinking there are many kinks.

Yes, this map is certainly kinky.

Posted 1 year ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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Analogue Kid wrote >>

michaelcoyote wrote >>

pbarney wrote >>
Here's a link to Columbus with the bicycling routes highlighted:
http://ow.ly/1gv6X
From the looks of thinks, i seems like Dublin wins the prize for most bike-friendly community. Thoughts?

It looks like whoever made the Dublin map made the sidewalks the bike routes. I hope this isn't an official Google map :-p

It's correct as shown. Instead of sidewalks on both sides of a street, Dublin generally has a 10 foot wide asphalt path on one side with a 4 foot concrete sidewalk on the other.

Ugh.. I hate trail placement like that. It's just begging for a right hook while crossing an intersection. All the more reason to avoid Dublin :-p

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Twixlen wrote >>
Also that instead of taking the Scioto Greenway into downtown, it prefers riding on Long/Spring St from the 670 E exit ramp.
I'm thinking there are many kinks.

I don't think it's connected all the way, yet. That's part of the recent announcements of trail projects over the next few years.

Posted 1 year ago #