A petition that asks Google to add bicycle routes in a “Bike There” application for finding directions at Google Maps is gaining a lot of support already.
The idea was broached by an Austin bicyclist at the Google Maps “Bike There” blog less than two weeks ago, and already more than 3,800 people have signed a petition at PetitionOnline.
Several commenters at blogs promoting the idea suggest that Google already is working on this, and plans to roll it out later in 2008.
How it would work
The sought-after “Bike There” feature would work like the “Take Public Transit” feature in some cities where Google has coordinated transit routes and schedules with its maps. In that application, users are given the choice of getting directions by cars or transit, with estimated travel times for each.
Of course the people suggesting the “Bike There” idea don't have to figure out how it will work; they have to leave that up to Google.
The originator of the idea recommends that Google use city and county maps of bike lanes, bike trails and bike routes. I suppose most urban areas have such maps, although I don't know how up-to-date they are.
The Practical Pedal Blog, however, doesn't care about bike lanes and trails. It just wants to know the shortest route between two points that avoids potential trouble spots — roads where lanes are too narrow for cars and bikes to travel side by side.
Solution
Finding a bike mapping solution that meets the needs of both styles of bicycle riders could be a difficult problem for Google. Maybe the developers could take both into account.
If Google is already working on this, I'd still recommend signing the petition anyway. It might motivate them when they stumble across vexing problems of finding bike maps and satisfying bike rides with different needs.
Go here to sign the petition.
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