Issue 11: Google Maps Cycling Directions should enable avoiding high speed roads
Summary: Google Maps Cycling Directions will often use high speed roads in its recommended routes if there are no obviously safer, direct-enough alternatives. This is particularly the case when those high speed roads are marked as having Dedicated lanes (even though this is typically just paint).In reality, when motor vehicles are travelling above 60km/hr and can pass unprotected cyclists less than 3m away, these are always uncomfortable (and often seriously unsafe) cycling conditions that very few cyclists would choose to ride in. Instead, they'll take longer, indirect routes or even ride on the sidewalk if necessary. Problematically, in countries like Australia, there can be bike lanes or shoulders targeted at cycling on roads with speed limits up to 80-100km/hr. When Google Maps displays these as undifferentiated bike routes this can cause serious safety issues.
Based on my experience, it's not even clear that Google Maps Cycling Directions makes any significant distinction between a road with a Dedicated bike lane and a speed limit of 40km/hr and one with a Dedicated bike lane and a speed limit of 90km/hr. If this is the case, it's an appalling oversight which is easy to correct systematically. It should be obvious that the greater the speed limit gets over 50km/hr, the more sharply roads should be deprioritised as cycling routes.
Details:
1. A typical example of Google Maps Cycling Directions recommending use of a 80km/hr highway because it is direct and is marked as having Dedicated bike lanes
On 14 Feb 2016 I decided to cycle from Fitzroy North to Wyndham Vale train station before catching a train to Geelong. I wanted to check out the 23km Federation Trail and also see what cycling conditions were like in the outer west Melbourne suburbs.
The Federation Trail is an extremely safe off-road route that looks like this:
Google Maps Cycling Directions then recommended I take the Princes Highway to keep going west toward Wyndham Vale Railway Station:
These are the cycling conditions on the 80km/hr Princes Highway at the point Google's Cycling Directions say I should start using it:
And these are the cycling conditions on the Princes Highway once the "Dedicated lane" kicks in after the Hoppers Ln intersection. Note the bike lane is a shared left turn lane and vehicles may travel in it at 80km/hr for several hundred metres before turning.
Obviously, I chose to ignore Google's Cycling Directions recommendation of Princes Highway. Indeed, as usual, all three of its recommended routes were far from optimal.
I chose instead to use the footpath along Old Geelong Rd. In most middle and outer suburbs the footpaths along such roads are rarely used by pedestrians and perfectly suited to safe cycling as long as you are very careful about crossing each intersection.
And once the shared parking and bike lane ended on Heaths Rd I used the footpath along that road to get most of the way to Wyndham Vale station:
Google Maps Cycling Directions don't currently allow popular and tolerated use of footpath cycling if contrary to current road regulations and signage. However, that doesn't mean they should channel cyclists down dangerous roads with no protection (other than paint) from vehicles travelling at 80km/hr.
They can at least prefer indirect routes on lower speed roads. Particularly, because roads with speed limits of 60km/hr or less (i.e. not highways) do typically have bikeable footpaths alongside while highways often don't.
The simplest implementation to prevent at least Highways being part of Cycling Directions is to enable the existing Route Options > Avoid Highways checkbox for Cycling Directions as already exists for Driving Directions.
It is a sad sign of how car-centric Google Maps currently is that motorists have this option to avoid highways but cyclists do not. Below you can see the same Google Maps Directions but for Driving and how by selecting to Avoid Highways the Princes Highway route is hidden from the recommended routes.
An even better solution would be to provide cyclists with an "Avoid Speed Limits > ___" option and a box to enter in your preferred number (e.g. 50km/hr or 70km/hr). Cyclists could then use this flexibly to refine the safest and most comfortable routes. For example, starting with a lower number and incrementally increasing it to find the best balance between safety and convenience.
Further Info:
Google Map Maker
> Road attributes
Maps Speed Limits
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