Bicycle Directions in Google Maps
Google just added a cool new feature to their Maps Application that lets you pick out routes that are best for cycling. Looks like they are using data from city maps based on mapped bike routes. As we know, Washoe RTC doesn’t necessarily have all the existing bike routes on the map, but this is a start.
“To use the new biking directions you need to click on the ‘Get Directions’ link in Google Maps and choose the ‘Bicycling’ option from the drop down menu. When you select the ‘Bicycling’ option the map view will change to show the roads and paths that are suitable for biking. Bike paths with no cars are shown in dark green and roads with bike lanes are shown in light green.” Read More
Here are two routes I mapped from my office to UNR.
Bike Route
Car route
Here’s the current Reno Bike Pedestrian Advisory Committee Map. This was mapped by the volunteer committee with the goal that it become part of the official map and take the place of the old Reno Bike Map. It would be awesome if google had a way for local groups to contribute to that map.
-M
Overall it seems pretty decent. I can only find one marked “bike route” in Reno on it (the pedestrian bridge over I-80 behind St. Mary’s), but it does a good job with the existing data. It even knows about public alleys that aren’t even listed as public streets (there’s a 6-block-long alley in Old Southwest between Haskell and S Virginia).
Yeah. I didn’t realize that was an alley. I used to commute through there from the old office. I would take Watt. instead of that alley. they both die out at taylor. If you take Bonnie Briar at the north end of virginia lake you can get around that kink. If you can get up to Lander St. before you get too far north it’s nice, but slow since there are a lot of stop signs.
Not that you can go to wrong there. It’s not perfect, but it isn’t exactly a problem area. Check out that Bike map link at the end of the post. It should be complete.
-M