Google Maps Adds Biking Directions
Did you know that Google Maps’ most-requested feature addition is biking directions, in large part due to a vocal 50,000-signature-strong group of “Bike There” petitioners? I wouldn’t have guessed it! The petitioners’ wish is being granted tonight, with bike directions for 150 U.S. cities and 12,000 miles of Rails to Trails Conservancy data going live. Product manager Shannon Guymon will announce the product tomorrow in Washington, D.C., in an eagerly anticipated talk at the National Bike Summit.
Google’s biking directions will route users around freeways and busy streets, minimize hills and recommend wide and dedicated bike lanes. They are built using Google’s newly expanded base map dataset from last October, and will as much as possible be accompanied by Street View and Trail View imagery captured by Google cars and trikes. Guymon told us that about 10 percent of Maps usage today is for walking directions, with public transit on the rise and driving directions still owning the majority. Personally, while I love mountain biking, I’m kind of a wuss about urban riding — but maybe Google will find a way to route me around my fears.
As a avid biker I would consider it a great asset if Google Maps was to have a tracking function which would allow me to record my trips. Distance, speed, elevation. I know there are may trackers available, some of them even make use of Google Maps (and Google Earth), so why not add this feature to Google Maps Mobile? Would love it!
This is another great feature of Google Maps. I really rely a lot with GPS when I am driving. This is really a helpful tool to know where exactly to pass by when you are biking.
Awesome addition. I use Google maps when I’m driving. I’m eager to see how well the GPS will work on the handheld and how accurate the locator will be since you have to be more precise when you ride a bike. Either way, great news that Google listens to their customers requests.
it’s nice that google is looking out for use bikers!
Google Maps for Cycling is not accurate. I tried and it is giving me directions via roads that don’t intersect. If I ignore the road name, it is telling me to get on a freeway…
[...] Originally Posted by GigaOM …bike directions for 150 U.S. cities and 12,000 miles of Rails to Trails Conservancy data going live. http://gigaom.com/2010/03/09/google-…ng-directions/ [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Official Google Blog Whenever I meet someone who finds out that I work on the directions team for Google Maps, the first question I'm asked is often "So when's Google Maps going to add biking directions?

Google Maps Adds Biking Directions - GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions - GigaOM [...]
[...] Google Maps Adds Biking Directions – GigaOM [...]