The long awaited Google Maps for bikes is here! http://maps.google.com/biking
According to the Google Product Manager's Post (here), Google wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of bike lanes, and calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills.... The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy played a large role in helping to roll out this service to Google maps users. At the time of Beta release Google maps had 12,000 miles of trails and bike lanes recommended for 150 cities across the US.
Sounds great to me!
To find biking directions, select "Bicycling" from the drop-down menu when you do a directions search:
Another feature of the map is detailed information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads. This can help you get a better sense of your route, or let you find trails nearby for a recreational ride. When you're zoomed into a city, click on the "More" button at the top of the map to turn on the "Bicycling” layer. You'll see three types of lines appear on the map:
- Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
- Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
- Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes
Just as with standard Google Maps, there is a “Report a Problem” tool for end users to help the system improve.
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