Google adds bike lane feature to maps

Avoids hills, congested roads

Steve Hawley, Mar 11, 10.

UPDATE: (3/15/10, 11:04 pm): New York Post reporters claim that the new Google Bikes feature is yielding bad directions for bicyclists in New York City. Information Week also weighs in on this story with some additional background.

Google has added bicycling directions to its online mapping features, according to an Associated Press article on CNBC. The feature went online Wednesday.

The article reports:

Google spent the past six months tweaking its mapping service so it could recommend routes that would steer bicyclists away from big hills and heavily congested streets. The feature can be used to pinpoint bicycling trails in more than 150 cities.

Bike directions already have been available on some smaller Web sites, but Google is the first major Internet mapping service provider to add the option.

Google added a pedestrian mapping feature in 2008 and a transit feature in 2009. Currently, the bicycling feature is only available for US cities, including Houston.

To use the features, go to Google Maps and select “Get Directions.” Underneath the destination, select the options “by car,” “by public transit,” “walking,” or “bicycling.” A Google instructional video is included at the bottom of this post.

According to the video:

Dark green lines represent bike trails with no motor vehicles. Light green lines show streets with bike lanes. And dashed green lines show other streets recommended for cyclists. ... You’ll be routed on streets that are not too steep and are more suitable for biking.

Google Maps is the most popular service in the US, drawing 55 million visitors last month.