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New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

mapzen.com

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Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#71

Is there a bike routing product that uses this new api that I can use? I spend hours finding the "less stressfull" bike routes. I like hills but I really value safety.

Strava[1] provides a cycle route builder that uses the popularity of routes based on their dataset of uploaded rides. As it's using recorded rides, typically by local riders, I've found it produces good routing; quiet roads similar to those you'd choose if you knew the area well.

[1] https://www.strava.com

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#72
post #19

Riding an ebike has dramatically changed the routes I take when commuting because I now prioritize safety and enjoyment over pure efficiency or avoiding inclines. My commute is 25 minutes on an ebike vs 70 on a regular bike, or 30 in a car in traffic.

Wow that's a big time difference. Why? Is it due to the extra speed the bike gives you or because you're not avoiding inclines...?

I live in Seattle and there are a lot of hills when going east/west because it's a glacial area and the glaciers come down from Canada north/south. Fun!

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#73

Riding an ebike has dramatically changed the routes I take when commuting because I now prioritize safety and enjoyment over pure efficiency or avoiding inclines. My commute is 25 minutes on an ebike vs 70 on a regular bike, or 30 in a car in traffic.

Can I ask what ebike you use?

I daily a Felt Nine E-20, it's a mountain bike with front suspension. I also have a Cube 400 and a Juiced u500 cargo bike.

I recommend spending $3k on a bike with a Yamaha or Bosch motor, it's easy to justify that crazy price if you look at the money you'll save in gas/payments/gym expenses. Most importantly, I enjoy my commute now and I feel like a part of the city in a way that car commuting doesn't give you. Also, get a pedal-assist bike not one with a hand throttle, trust me it's not better to have a throttle.

Disclaimer: My new startup is ebike related but I'm not going to be selling any bikes or hardware.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#74

Is there a bike routing product that uses this new api that I can use? I spend hours finding the "less stressfull" bike routes. I like hills but I really value safety.

Not sure what Komoot uses, but I find their route planning very effective. You can indicate what kind of cyclist you are and it adjusts accordingly.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#75
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Buying an eBike is a lot about choosing the motor you want then hunting down a bike that uses the motor. I would strongly suggest that you buy from your local bike shop and buy the brand that the bike shop normally stocks. My pick was the Brose mid-drive motor available in Tour 50nm/City 75nm/MTB 90nm models. I then bought an ex-demo one off model from a localish bike shop. https://www.ebike-manufaktur.com/en/e-bikes…

What makes it worth 3100 EUR?? That's seems a lot of money even for an electric bike. (I'm guessing your ex-demo was a bit cheaper)

Not having and using a bike is costing you many times that.

(Though if you don't need the e-thing 310€ will get you started)

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#76
post #68

I happen to know those intersections. They could have improved that wiggle route simply by rating the intersections. I'm not sure but it looks like they were not doing that. The old route crossed two stop signs and did a left turn at a traffic signal. Left turns at traffic signals really suck. The new, proper wiggle route is two left turns and a right turn, all at stop signs. Left turns at stop signs are not that muc…

Only tangentially related to your post, but, two new traffic lights are being installed on the Wiggle. Haight is getting nine new lights, two of which are at Scott and Pierce. Maybe people will wiggle slightly differently to avoid the left turns at the lights.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#77
NB: "Hybrid" bike in this context (probably) means a city/commuter bike, not an electric/human hybrid. "Hybrid" bikes used to describe upright bicycles with flat handlebars like a mountain bike, but less aggressive and narrower tires more suited to commuting than to trails. These days the industry is calling them "fitness bikes"; one presumes to avoid confusing people who think of "hybrid" as meaning battery-powered, eg in the automotive context.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#78
post #2

Wonderful. I'd really like these same features in Waze and Google Maps - if it means I can avoid having to cross a busy intersection that's not a 4-way stop, and reduce stress and increase safety, I'd gladly accept a route that's a few minutes slower. Anyone from Waze or Google Maps team here?

Only a tangent, but I just started a new job and used Google Maps to find me a route and it's absolutely glorious. It's on roads I never would have thought of, avoids streets with heavy traffic, only has 3 traffic lights.. I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck, or the fact that there are a decent number of neighborhoods through Palo Alto that are relaxed tree-lined streets, or what.. but it's only a couple miles shorter than my commute to my old job and an order of magnitude more pleasant. Looking forward to using this API to see if it recommends changes.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#79

Is there any way to see a demo of this algorithm for a route of the user's choosing? I'm not familiar enough with San Francisco to evaluate the improvement mentioned in the blog. If I could try some routes in Atlanta, however, I'd get a better sense.

The routing engine in general is available as an option at openstreetmap.org: http://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=mapzen_bicycl... I checked the request, the JS powering the OSM feature isn't sending the parameters so they are probably the 0.25 defaults there.

Wow, first thing I noticed using MapZen is it sends me over a heavily trafficked freeway overpass to my office... when a detour of only a few hundred feet has me going over a very pleasant bike bridge DIRECTLY into my office parking lot.

Will have to check out of the rest of the route vs what Google Maps has me doing now, though. I'm pretty happy with the current route but I'm new to this job so I've got a lot of route exploring to do.

Re: New and improved bike routing, with low stress options

#80

Is there a bike routing product that uses this new api that I can use? I spend hours finding the "less stressfull" bike routes. I like hills but I really value safety.

Strava[1] provides a cycle route builder that uses the popularity of routes based on their dataset of uploaded rides. As it's using recorded rides, typically by local riders, I've found it produces good routing; quiet roads similar to those you'd choose if you knew the area well. [1] https://www.strava.com

Wow. I was just playing with Strava last night and didn't realize I could build point A to point B routes because the interface is so impenetrable. (tip: search for address, then zoom the map WAY in manually, because it doesn't bother finding the address for you, click on the map to produce a dot, search for 2nd address, zoom WAY in and click to place your second dot, god help you if you don't actually know how to find the places on the map with your own two eyes).

Then it automatically built a route on some of the most heavily-traveled and bike-unfriendly roads in the area. (SF Peninsula locals: Marsh Road, Middlefield bike slaughter through Palo Alto). At least it only had a few turns. Google Maps did far, far better.

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