Google Maps has offered routes specifically for bikes since the beginning of 2010.
In the age of riding your bicycle with your iPhone in your back pocket with easy accessibility to Google Maps, cyclists can plot out the best route for their rides, including the topography and traffic conditions.San Francisco is one of the first cities on these maps!
As stated in the 24-7 press release, cycling advocates, many of whom had been petitioning Google for years to add this feature, were ecstatic. As reported by Mary Catherine O’Connor at wired.com, Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists stated “This new tool will open people’s eyes to the possibility and practicality of hopping on a bike and riding. . . . It is a game changer, especially for those short trips that are the most polluting.”
To create the mapping tool, Google developed an algorithm that uses several inputs, including which streets do and do not have a dedicated bike lane.
