Viewing bike paths in Google Maps
March 5, 2015 8:36 AM Subscribe
When I route bike directions in Google Maps, I have the option to "show bike paths," which are marked with green lines, dots, etc. Useful! However, the blue route line that tells me where to go also blocks me from seeing whether the route Google is suggesting is a bike path/bike-friendly. How can I view both at the same time, so I can figure out what sections on my route are bike-friendly? Example here.
Best answer: On preview: Yeah, what oxisos said.
I've hit the same trouble as you, and the only way i've found to see that information is to click and drag the blue line away from the suggested path and pretend that I want to reroute around a given road. Then I'll look at the now-uncovered road to see if it's bike-friendly, and then drag the blue line back into its original placement.
Don't forget to click-to-remove the little dot you just made on the blue path, so Google doesn't try to route you through that point later on.
posted by cmchap at 8:49 AM on March 5, 2015
I've hit the same trouble as you, and the only way i've found to see that information is to click and drag the blue line away from the suggested path and pretend that I want to reroute around a given road. Then I'll look at the now-uncovered road to see if it's bike-friendly, and then drag the blue line back into its original placement.
Don't forget to click-to-remove the little dot you just made on the blue path, so Google doesn't try to route you through that point later on.
posted by cmchap at 8:49 AM on March 5, 2015
Response by poster: Huh. Am I wrong, or is this kinda bad design? I've been dragging the route away, but then yeah, Google thinks that I'm trying to take a 1-block detour. I'm surprised there's nothing smoother.
posted by c'mon sea legs at 8:53 AM on March 5, 2015
posted by c'mon sea legs at 8:53 AM on March 5, 2015
Yeah, I agree the design fails in this use case. But at least you somehow got bike routes and directions showing on the same screen. I still can't figure out how you did that!
posted by oxisos at 9:08 AM on March 5, 2015
posted by oxisos at 9:08 AM on March 5, 2015
Best answer: To get route and directions on the same screen: there should be a "show bike paths" link if you mouse over the suggested bike directions. Not sure how to remove the blue directions path, unfortunately, at least not in a way that allows you to bring them back with one click. You could open two browser tabs, one with the directions and one with just the bike routes, and switch between them.
Google Earth does allow you to separate the directions as a layer you can hide or show, but I think it doesn't have Maps's bicycle route map included by default (there may be a downloadable overlay for this? I am seeing results for "Google Earth [location] bicycle overlay" for a few places).
Either way, don't forget to check out the aerial maps, since that'll usually let you squint to figure out which intersections are light-controlled (Google bicycle and walking directions have a tendency to suggest crossing arterials at uncontrolled intersections.) An unrelated-to-Google tip: if it's a longer trip you're routing, printed bike route maps can be super handy to spread out so you can see the whole thing at once, and are a good thing to carry with you in case of phone fail.
posted by asperity at 10:32 AM on March 5, 2015
Google Earth does allow you to separate the directions as a layer you can hide or show, but I think it doesn't have Maps's bicycle route map included by default (there may be a downloadable overlay for this? I am seeing results for "Google Earth [location] bicycle overlay" for a few places).
Either way, don't forget to check out the aerial maps, since that'll usually let you squint to figure out which intersections are light-controlled (Google bicycle and walking directions have a tendency to suggest crossing arterials at uncontrolled intersections.) An unrelated-to-Google tip: if it's a longer trip you're routing, printed bike route maps can be super handy to spread out so you can see the whole thing at once, and are a good thing to carry with you in case of phone fail.
posted by asperity at 10:32 AM on March 5, 2015
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posted by oxisos at 8:48 AM on March 5, 2015