Fwd: Google Announces Google Biking Directions at League 2010 National Bike Summit

[Rob Hawks]

Many of you may know about this already, but just in case ...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: League of American Bicyclists <meg...@bikeleague.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 9:02 PM
Subject: Google Announces Google Biking Directions at League 2010
National Bike Summit

PRESS RELEASE
March 10, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Meghan Cahill
League of American Bicyclists
202.822.1333
Google Announces Google Biking Directions at the
League of American Bicyclists'
2010 National Bike Summit
Washington, D.C. - March 10, 2010 - The League of American Bicyclists
is proud to be the forum for Google to announce what all bike riders
have been waiting for - Grab Your Bike and Go with Google Maps. Google
is announcing at the Opening Plenary Session at the National Bike
Summit that they are adding biking directions in the U.S. to Google
Maps."This new tool will open people's eyes to the possibility and
practicality of hopping on a bike and riding," said Andy Clarke,
President of the League of American Bicyclists. "We know people want
to ride more, and we know it's good for people and communities when
they do ride more - this makes it possible. It is a game-changer,
especially for those short trips that are the most polluting,"

Users can now choose biking when deciding how to get to their
destination, starting today, March 10, 2010. If you're one of the 57
million Americans who ride a bike, mapping your daily commute, and
planning recreational or trail rides just became easier. According to
Google this has been the most requested addition to Google Maps, and
the League is delighted that they have chosen the National Bike Summit
to unveil this new feature. Google's announcement further proves the
importance of the Summit and the bicycle movement in helping our
nation become a more Bicycle Friendly America. The Google biking
directions will make it that much easier for bicyclists to get to
work, school or play.

This new feature includes: step-by-step bicycling directions; bike
trails outlined directly on the map; and a new "Bicycling" layer that
indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads. The
directions feature provides step-by-step, bike-specific routing
suggestions - similar to the directions provided by our driving,
walking, or public transit modes. Simply enter a start point and
destination and select "Bicycling" from the drop-down menu. You will
receive a route that is optimized for cycling, taking advantage of
bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly streets and avoiding hilly
terrain whenever possible.

Visit http://maps.google.com/biking to try out this new feature.
Biking directions for Google Maps is currently in Beta. Follow the
League's news feed on the new Google feature on the League's Blog,
Facebook and Twitter. If you have any further questions, contact
Meghan Cahill at 202.822.1333 or meg...@bikeleague.org.
The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness
and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a
bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of
America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and
affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit
www.bikeleague.org.

# # #

[Gintautas Budvytis]

Good start for Google (and its muscle power), but many many bike
trails are missing (paved and unpaved). For Bay Area, I use 511
BikeMapper http://bicycling.511.org/bikemapper.htm, it shows cycling
friendly streets (Google does not).

> Visithttp://maps.google.com/bikingto try out this new feature.

[Rob Hawks]

One report I've heard from use of the application is that it won't
suggest certain roads that we all know and love, presumably because
they involve climbing. Perhaps a setting to allow for these
roads/hills to be included, oriented toward skill level.

I heard a while back (last year) that a version of the google vehicle
that provides photos for Street Views was created specifically for
bike paths, routes, etc. Maybe there is a connection there and Google
just hasn't inventoried a lot of these paths. Just speculating.

The application's current faults are making some people rather hot
under the collar, with the suggestion that cyclists will now overwhelm
support services when they get lost using Google directions. I'm not
getting too worked up about that.

rob

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[Jaime Gurrola]

I've already sent them a correction about riding through Camp
Pendleton. It also will not let me choose to take I-5 as a route where
I know bikes are allowed. If you don't make it by a certain time to the
camp gates, I-5 is the only alternative. Most people I know are
terrified of riding along highways so maybe a skill level setting or
"Highways OK" button, as Rob suggested, is needed.

Jaime

[Koss, Brian R. (ARC-RE)]

I looked at it last night and had it plan a route for me in Michigan. It used bike trails along the freeway that were installed when it was built back in the late 70's but have never been maintained. Last year when I was back most of the small bridges had rotted out and were unusable. I doubt they have been repaired. I would be skeptical using it to plan a route. The digital data may exist but there is no human feedback to determine whether the data is good or bad.

--

[Greg Merritt]

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 10:53 AM, Koss, Brian R. (ARC-RE)
<brian....@nasa.gov> wrote:
> but there is no human feedback to determine whether the data is good or bad.

I believe you can send feedback, no?

-Greg

[Greg Merritt]

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 10:51 AM, Rob Hawks <rob....@gmail.com> wrote:
> One report I've heard from use of the application is that it won't
> suggest certain roads that we all know and love, presumably because
> they involve climbing. Perhaps a setting to allow for these
> roads/hills to be included, oriented toward skill level.

Indeed -- someone else reported that it suggested Shepherd Canyon to
get from Oakland to Orinda. Cyclists often avoid climbing that road
since it is steep, but that's the one the application recommended. A
setting in this regard would be great!

> I heard a while back (last year) that a version of the google vehicle
> that provides photos for Street Views was created specifically for
> bike paths, routes, etc. Maybe there is a connection there and Google
> just hasn't inventoried a lot of these paths. Just speculating.

Piaw has a write-up and pictures of the Google Streetview trike for MUPs:

http://piaw.blogspot.com/2008/12/streetview-trike.html

> The application's current faults are making some people rather hot
> under the collar

I, for one, want my money back! Oh, wait... almost forgot: I'm the
seller, offering my attention span and viewing/mapping habits to
Google. ;)

What I do like about the new tool is that it does allow for some
reasonable routes where both walking and driving directions would give
very bad or unrealistic routes for a cyclist. For example, SF to
Sausalito:

o Driving -- bridge and bike-disallowed highway.
o Walking -- walk to ferry (ok, walking the bridge would be better,
but it used to have you circumnavigate the bay at a distance of
hundreds of miles!)
o Cycling -- bridge

-Greg

[Greg Merritt]

I just discovered the following:

When you view the route, you should see the following on the left of
your screen:

''Bicycling directions are in beta.Use caution and please report
unmapped bike routes, streets that aren't suited for cycling, and
other problems here.''

When you click the "here" you get this nice little form that helps you
specify the issue very precisely. You can even check a box to have
them e-mail you when the issue has been addressed!

-Greg

[Massimiliano Poletto]

> BikeMapper http://bicycling.511.org/bikemapper.htm, it shows cycling
> friendly streets (Google does not).

Actually, it does. See SF for example. Click on "More", check
"Cycling". Bike paths are dark green, bike lanes light green,
bike-friendly routes dashed green.

More info:
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-time-to-bike.html

And yes, if you see a problem or a bad route, please click on "Report
a problem." This project is only a few months old, and will surely
improve.

max

[Jack Holmgren]

Hi Greg,

I'm guessing that Shepherd Canyon snuck in there due to the deluxe and juicy bike path on the old rail bed that takes one a long way up the hill?

Does it show the rest of the bike route to the ridge or just stick you on SC?

Jack

Hasta la victoria siempre.

---

[Greg Merritt]

Yeah, it does indeed look to direct riders to use the trails through
there. Here's their route:

http://tinyurl.com/ydqpudn

-Greg

[Barb McQuinn]

This is "Bike Route 8", which is indeed signed from Moraga Village up to
Skyline. I ride it commuting home sometimes from Alameda to Arrowhead Dr.,
but I always wondered how hard-core the city bike route planners must have
been to have made something as steep as Saroni, Glencourt, and upper
Arrowhead an "official" route!

-----Original Message-----
From: sfra...@googlegroups.com [mailto:sfra...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf
Of Greg Merritt
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:13 PM
To: San Francisco Randonneurs

Subject: Re: [SFRandon] Re: Fwd: Google Announces Google Biking Directions
at League 2010 National Bike Summit

http://tinyurl.com/ydqpudn

-Greg

--

[Keith Hearn]

By all means, if you notice a trail that is missing, report them. Or if you get routed on a street that you think is unsafe, report it (and a better alternative, if you know one). I work at Google (but not on this product) an have been playing with this for a few months. It's not perfect yet, but they've put it out for people to use so they can get feedback and make it better.

One problem I have with it is that it tends to make excessively convoluted routes. I've seen routes that have dozens of turns on tiny little residential streets rather than taking more direct routes. Even worse than the SFR brevet route from Larkspur through Fairfax. ;) Sometimes this is done to avoid hills. As others have noted, it really tries to avoid hills sometimes. I think they plan for the casual rider, not for crazies that actually like going out for rides with thousands of feet of climbing. I agree with those who have suggested having settings so you can let it know how hill-tolerant you are. I'm pretty sure that's on their list of things to do.

Just remember that it's a work in progress, so check the route before you ride, and please send feedback if you see problems so they can get fixed. They really do pay attention to the feedback and want to make this as useful as possible.

    Keith

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 10:44 AM, Gintautas Budvytis <sen...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> # # #

[Rob Hawks]

Keith,

Thanks. Getting a small peak behind the scenes is enlightening and it
is good to know of Google's commitment.

rob

[Greg Merritt]

You won't believe this, but that is almost EXACTLY the route I take
through there. I love it.

What do you propose as an alternative?

-Greg

Le Mar 10, 2010 à 19:50, Peter Armstrong <armstro...@gmail.com> a
écrit :

> it is curious- to get from my place in Lafayette to my friends on
> Telegraph
> and 57th, it suggests going up through Moraga and Canyon via Pinehurst
> (which is what I would do), but then down Shepherd Canyon and then
> side
> streets through Montclair parallel to Hwy 13 until you get to Lake
> Temescal.
> Then down Chabot to Claremont.
>
> I guess I'd only use it if I was in an unfamiliar town, and couldn't
> find a
> bike store to ask for suggestions.
>
> Peter

[Greg Merritt]

> PInehurst>Skyline>Tunnel>Ashby>Claremont>Martin>Ayala>57th

Ok -- your route adds a mile or two and some more climbing.

I have gone that way when I've wanted more time and miles on the bike.
If I want even more, I'll take Grizzly all the way to Spruce.

Then again, there are lots of ways to extend a route. ;)

If I want to get where I'm going (i.e., home), I go Shepherd to
Montclair to Temescal, down alongside 24, and so on, generally as
Google maps suggests. I was so happy when a friend tipped me off to
this route. It's quicker, shorter, and less climbing -- the clear
winner in my book for travel / transportation purposes.

-Greg