Google Maps launches directions for bikes for Ireland

Micilin Muc

Google have extended their Biking Directions feature to their maps of Ireland. How useful is it?

My commute would be extended by 2.5km each way and avoids all the lovely hills It does bring me to all the carparks cycle lanes though!

How would it affect your usual commute/spin?

Darkglasses

Mine's decent, almost the same route I take except it puts me down a road that's basically pedestrianized for no particular reason.

Are the green bits supposed to be road with cycle lanes, or just quiet roads?

If the former, then they've missed the two roads in Wexford town that have cycle lanes, and inserted about 20 other randoms roads that don't...

dave2pvd

In the US their bike maps/nav is pretty bad. In fact, if I were to take its advice to ride to work, I would most certainly arrive dead.

Maybe they have actually consulted cyclists for the rollout in Ireland? That would be a novel idea.

One of my favorites for figuring out the more ideal routes: Strava Heatmap

Victor

There is now a cycle planner on Google Maps. http://maps.google.ie/maps?saddr=Dartry+Road&daddr=Macken+Street&hl=en&ll=53.332308,-6.229248&spn=0.051973,0.169086&sll=53.327387,-6.253624&sspn=0.051979,0.169086&geocode=FUF6LQMdVnCg_w%3BFRTyLQMdd8Sg_w&dirflg=b&mra=ltm&t=m&z=13&lci=bike



Early days yet.

Discussion thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056956371

Inquitus

Seems very keen on taking me out of my way to go through parks at every opportunity, highly amusing idea of a route for my commute! I always found the car navigation with the avoid motorways option on my Android phone was fairly spot on.

Captain Havoc

I have almost 40km of cycle lane to work and this takes me off it.

pc11

I would generally just use the walking directions and adjust if needed.

dquirke1

Not sure what criteria google use to pick cycleable roads.

This makes me think they're grossly overestimating the average cyclists off roading ability though :eek:

link

Páid

Back in 2012, we added biking directions to our maps for a number of countries in Europe. It proved to be a popular feature among cycling amateurs and enthusiasts. We're now delighted to announce that we are now enabling biking directions in Google Maps for Germany, France, Poland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

Like in other countries, we've added information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads directly to the map. In some countries we’ve worked with partner organisations. In others users have added hundreds of kilometers of biking paths through Google Mapmaker.

http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/bringing-biking-directions-to-more-of.html

http://mashable.com/2013/05/28/google-maps-bike-directions-europe/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

Doctor Bob

Should be a useful feature, but some of the identified routes need work- all park paths are currently included as bike trails, and I'd query the designation of some roads as 'bicycle friendly', bearing in mind that many of the users of such a service are likely to be somewhat unfamiliar with the routes in question and therefore overly trusting of the query results.

Would anyone describe Dawson Street as 'bicycle friendly' in its current state? And what about when the Luas works start?

http://goo.gl/maps/uYqbO

Shedite27

4. Turn right onto Grafton Street

Hmmmmmm....

CramCycle

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Would anyone describe Dawson Street as 'bicycle friendly' in its current state? And what about when the Luas works start?

It is a road, I have cycled down it 100s of times, not sure what you mean by it's "current state"? You mean the poor surface, if so , that makes a huge number of Irish roads not bicycle friendly.

buffalo

CramCycle wrote: »

It is a road, I have cycled down it 100s of times, not sure what you mean by it's "current state"? You mean the poor surface, if so , that makes a huge number of Irish roads not bicycle friendly.

I'd supplement the surface with the taxi rank that seems to run two thirds of the length of the left-hand side, the bus stops at the bottom end, and the fact that it borders a pedestrian zone, yet doesn't provide enough priority at crossing points, leading to pedestrians crossing haphazardly (both at crossings and not).

CramCycle

buffalo wrote: »

I'd supplement the surface with the taxi rank that seems to run two thirds of the length of the left-hand side, the bus stops at the bottom end, and the fact that it borders a pedestrian zone, yet doesn't provide enough priority at crossing points, leading to pedestrians crossing haphazardly (both at crossings and not).

The taxi rank is probably about less than a quarter, it's just taxis seem to think its a make shift rank down the rest of the street, it is annoying, and something I wish either the gardai or the carriage office would clamp down (ie have an inspector go out and start handing out fines for those on makeshift ranks, stopping on double yellows, stopping on corners etc.) or even have it written into the Dublin city Bye laws that the Corpo Parking services could hand them out fines with video evidence it would pay for itself in no time, if a rank is full when they get there they should just keep moving. Anyway thats way off topic.

The bus stops don't bother me too much but I can see how they would bother some, I always stay in the middle lane all the way down (from I turn onto it) as with the rank and the bus stops it makes more sense, a bit of signage in this regard would do no harm.

As for the pedestrians, nothing you can do about that, they can spring out from anywhere in that area, bottom of Grafton St. and College Green are far worse for it though in my eyes, at least they stop due to the fear from the buses and taxis on Dawson St. :pac:

On the surface note, resurfacing the end of the street there would be money far better spent than the huge waste of money they plan on spending on Grafton St.

Rant over

loinnsigh

Shedite27 wrote: »

4. Turn right onto Grafton Street

Hmmmmmm....

Well there you go - in a nutshell, useless...

Doctor Bob

CramCycle wrote: »

It is a road, I have cycled down it 100s of times, not sure what you mean by it's "current state"? You mean the poor surface, if so , that makes a huge number of Irish roads not bicycle friendly.

I too have cycled down it hundreds of times (including just this lunchtime), but that doesn't make it 'bicycle friendly'. It is a decidedly inhospitable cycling environment for all but the most experienced cyclists, which is what I was getting at in my original reply:

Doctor Bob wrote: »

bearing in mind that many of the users of such a service are likely to be somewhat unfamiliar with the routes in question and therefore overly trusting of the query results.

What would your definition of 'bicycle friendly' be? I tend to consider a 13 year old child cycling alone as a good rule of thumb, and Dawson Street fails that test comprehensively, for all the reasons listed by buffalo.

And Yes, I'd agree that my criterion makes a huge number of Irish roads not 'bicycle friendly'.

Bear in mind that 'bicycle friendly' does not mean 'vehicular cyclist friendly'.

rp

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I tend to consider a 13 year old child cycling alone as a good rule of thumb ... 'bicycle friendly' does not mean 'vehicular cyclist friendly'.

OK, by that criteria, I guess I'd agree: my N4 commute is marked bicycle friendly, which for the most part I think it is, but no way would I let my 13yr old daughter out on it alone.

Victor

CramCycle wrote: »

On the surface note, resurfacing the end of the street there would be money far better spent than the huge waste of money they plan on spending on Grafton St.

Grafton Street is unsafe, with subsidence and slippery paving bricks.

Part of the cost is being funded by the retailers.

CramCycle

Victor wrote: »

Grafton Street is unsafe, with subsidence and slippery paving bricks.

Fair enough, I didn't mean nothing should be done, my understanding is they are constantly replacing damage done to the brick work, I didn't know about subsidence etc. so there were costs I never would have factored.

Part of the cost is being funded by the retailers.

Thats great to hear, fogive my ignorance but does it really cost that much to redo a street, I have no experience in the area, so maybe I was in the wrong to say it but it seems extortionate. If thats the price, then fair enough, it just seems like alot of money. I realise there is planning, admin costs, labour etc. but I just can't fathom that much for it, whats the sq. metres of the street etc.

Anyway this is off topic, apologies for the rant

CramCycle

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I too have cycled down it hundreds of times (including just this lunchtime), but that doesn't make it 'bicycle friendly'. It is a decidedly inhospitable cycling environment for all but the most experienced cyclists, which is what I was getting at in my original reply:

Apologies, I thought you meant because they were aiming you down that street that they were calling it safe by default, the little green dots didn't show up in my version of google maps, only through your link, in fact, it seems to make every effort to avoid the street and drag you through Grafton St. on my browser.

What would your definition of 'bicycle friendly' be? I tend to consider a 13 year old child cycling alone as a good rule of thumb, and Dawson Street fails that test comprehensively, for all the reasons listed by buffalo.

I don't have a definition to be honest, I have levels of safety or comfort. I find dawson St. reasonably safe, all the bus stops are before a left turn, traffic is one way, its on a slight decline so keeping up with traffic is not difficult for most. Non PSVs should turn right (although loads don't). If everyone paid attention to the rules, it would be a great street but I suppose you could say that about almost every street in Ireland. It could do with more signage but like every road in Dublin, the biggest problem are the other people on it rather than the road itself.

CramCycle

has anyone got their report unusable/unsafe button to work, it comes up at the top of directions but doesn't seem to do anything?

Inquitus

CramCycle wrote: »

has anyone got their report unusable/unsafe button to work, it comes up at the top of directions but doesn't seem to do anything?

Doesn't work for me either. I tried to report the stairs in the park it wanted me to cycle down.

Rock of Gibraltar

It indicates Ashton Quay to Heuston Station as bicycle friendly which is quite generous. I noticed that in Brussels roads described as bicycle friendly were those considered shared bike/car streets, presumably as part of some designated cycle route, with large painted bikes on the surface like this
http://goo.gl/maps/WTK59