Issue 16: The Bicycle-friendly roads classification should be used selectively for genuinely useful routes
Summary: According to Google Maps, the dashed green Bicycle-friendly roads classification indicates "roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes." In practice, there is no consistent threshold of safety or comfort for a road to be marked as Bicycle-friendly.It is highly desirable for the Bicycle-friendly roads classification to be explained officially in more detail as the intended way to add only recommended on-road bike routes that don't have Dedicated lanes. These recommended on-road routes should then be added systematically and comprehensively to build out a strategic grid of cycling routes that are dense enough and well-connected.
Details:
1. As there is no useful guidance, some roads totally unsuited to cycling are marked as Bicycle-friendly - either by error or just to fill gaps in government's bike networks
An excellent example is Hoddle St, one of the busiest roads in Melbourne and which is extremely bicycle-unfriendly except for one section southbound where the bus lane can be safely used by cyclists only outside of peak morning hours when cars are parked in it (thus not sharing with buses).
Yet, a map editor has marked up the entire section heading north as also a "Bicycle-friendly road." In reality, the road heading north couldn't be more bicycle-unfriendly. Moreover, while cyclists can legally share the southbound bus lane with buses during the morning peak hours, it is not safe at that time.
2. Many streets that are a key part of the actual bikeway network are not marked as Bicycle-friendly roads as there is no coordinated, strategic approach to creating a bikeway network on Google Maps
One of the key problems with Google Maps Cycling layer as an effective cycling map is that its primary focus is on including all nominal cycling facilities (e.g. "Dedicated lanes that may only be part-time, in door zones or on dangerous, high speed roads) rather than on strategically identifying the most recommended, connected and useful bikeway routes (e.g. Oregon Metro's Bike There map)
On my Better By Bicycle - Melbourne Bike Grid Map I map only the genuinely safe-enough, useful and connected routes that form part of the real bikeway grid used by local cyclists. Many of these routes that aren't off-road Trails or have Dedicated lanes need to be added to Google Maps Cycling layer as "Bicycle-friendly roads".
For example, Rae St in Fitzroy North and the adjacent connecting streets directly north of it, are a key north-south bikeway link in the nearby grid but these streets highlighted below do not appear as Bicycle-friendly roads on Google Maps Cycling layer.
You can read much more detail about how Google Maps Cycling layer can evolve toward becoming a high-value bikeway grid map here:
> Melbourne map of key cycling transport routes, infrastructure and destinations
Further Info:
The Urbanist
> What's so hard about a bus lane?
VicRoads
> Victoria Parade - Hoddle Street Bus Upgrade Project
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