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'By Bike' Option Added to (USA) Google Maps
Posted: 10th March 2010
Tantilisingly (at least for non-US residents) Google has launched a long-awaited 'By Bike' direction finder option to its industry standard, ubiquitous, online mapping platform.
Above: The 'By Bike' mode in operation. At the moment, you can get directions from Walnut Creek to Berkeley, but sadly not Wolverhampton to Birmingham...
Launched to coincide with the US National Bike Summit, the new functionality allows users to request point-to-point directions for cycling, in the same way that car users and walkers have been able to do for some time. The cycling routes use quiet roads wherever possible and traffic-free facilities.
Check out Google's own YouTube promo
The add-on, currently in Beta mode on maps.google.com, and covering the US only at present, also allows users to report hazardous or inappropriate routes, meaning that over time, the mapping team can hone the cyclist's route-finding database based on real-world feedback.
The big question is, when will the same functionality become available in the UK and the rest of the world?
