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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

#21

Post by brookside »

jschwartzi wrote: post #7
arikr wrote: 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?

Yeah, this is a serious problem with Google Maps directions. They want to send cyclists down the fastest routes, which are usually the least safe routes. There's a route in Kent, WA that Google was recommending that was downhill on a 45 MPH two-lane street with no shoulder or dividers. Meanwhile, about a mile further south there was this safe, car-free route that wound through residential subdivisions.

As a cyclist another large issue I have with google maps is a suggested route's overlay having no transparency, so it's not possible to tell which parts of the route are indeed safer bike lanes and not just riding in traffic.

I find myself constantly getting directions, then cancelling the navigation so I can once again see indicated bike lanes and adjust accordingly. A slight opacity on the route indicator would be a godsend.

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

#22

Post by xythian »

erentz wrote: post #19
boxcardavin wrote: post #12

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...?

For me it's a combination of consistent speed and being able to not care about inclines at all. The safest bike route to work for me is ~2 miles longer than the optimal route and includes a steep incline. This is a pain on a regular bike, but no big deal on my ebike.

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

#23

Post by MBlume »

Spivak wrote: post #9
Facemelters wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing it will optimize for dedicated bike paths since you shouldn't be riding your bike on the sidewalk.

If we added bike lanes to sidewalks rather than roads I think it would solve a lot of the complaints motorists have.

We should take land away from motorists, not from pedestrians.

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

#24

Post by cjf101 »

baldfat wrote: post #11
maxerickson wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likely not as many (most?) sidewalks aren't officially open to bikes (Regardless of enforcement on the one hand and regardless of some people preferring to use them on the other).

I remember as a 12 year old a cop swore at me and told me he was going to take my bike if he saw me ride on the sidewalk again. So then 2 blocks later ANOTHER cop is swearing at me calling me crazy and going to drive me home for riding on the road when there was a sidewalk to ride on. I laughed and said the other one told me to get off the sidewalk. He called him and they got in an argument and hung up on him. I just…

Heh, that's awesome. I think it illustrates how confused people are in general about where bikes are supposed to be, which I think is a complicated cross of law, culture, cycling ability, and infrastructure.

The police have never hassled me for being on any road on a bike. But man, do the dudes in pickup trucks with truck nuts love to tell me to get off the road.

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

#25

Post by jlarocco »

sathomasga wrote: post #4

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.

I was wondering the same thing.

The screenshots in the article would be more helpful if they were zoomed a little closer, at least enough to show all the street names being mentioned. A topo or shaded relief map would also help.

I'm glad people are working on this. The bike directions on Google maps aren't very good, IMO

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

#27

Post by twobyfour »

Spivak wrote: post #9
Facemelters wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing it will optimize for dedicated bike paths since you shouldn't be riding your bike on the sidewalk.

If we added bike lanes to sidewalks rather than roads I think it would solve a lot of the complaints motorists have.

Good god, please no! The most harrowing pedestrian segment of my commute isn't crossing the 8-lane highway with poorly timed lights (though that's a close second). It's the one block where the bike lane is officially marked as being on the sidewalk.

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

#28

Post by burritojustice »

maxerickson wrote: post #6
sathomasga wrote: post #4

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.

Hi! I'm with Mapzen. Yes, the default for `bicycle` are now 0.25.

If you're familiar with Leaflet, it's also pretty easy to draw routes in mapzen.js and pass different parameters to the router -- check the bottom of that post.

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

#29

Post by icebraining »

arikr wrote: 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?

It's not GMaps, but I've been using Bike Citizens and it has an option to select one of three profiles, depending on how much you want to avoid busy/larger streets (Note: as far as I know they don't use Mapzen's algorithm.)
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