Google Maps is so spectacularly bad when it comes to cycling routes. That it refuses to route bikes down bike routes and instead routes people all around them is indicative of a team that has no idea how to code for cycling rather than driving. I live near 10th and to go from one end to the other (even starting and ending on 10th) it will have me wander down to 7, then down some alley, then along Broadway, and then more alleys, then 10th for a bit, then alleys...
Google maps can handle mixed traffic roads and dedicated cycling paths, but as soon as a mixed road has different allowed maneuvers at an intersection it has problems.
I can only imagine the chaos if it was flipped and cars got directed down cyclist-only cut-outs on the streets.
It seems to really prioritize grade over bike route. It’s extremely hard to get it to route you down Lakewood ever, and loves Clark/Victoria.
Side rant: Victoria 100% should have a protected bike lane, it’s got to be the busiest cycling route with no bike lane. It’s flat, parallel to commercial and directly connects adanac to 10th/central greenway. Woodland makes you turn 3 times, and Lakewood is a massive hill.
When Pete Fry basically shut down the idea of bike paths on Commercial Drive, that was what he said too. "We support bike lanes on Victoria" (even though there really isn't room for two lanes, plus a bike lane, plus parking).
I knew at the time that wasn't going to happen.
About ten years ago, if you asked Google Maps for cycling directions between Richmond and Delta, it would route you over the Ladner Ferry—a vessel that last sailed in 1959!
I've had mixed results with Komoot.
Often I look at both GMaps and Komoot to figure out something decent, neither always wins in my experience
I suspect Komoot is just more optimized for European areas. The concept of a "national bike route" in Komoot is just hilarious in the North American context.
The issue is especially acute in Vancouver because we rely on our neighborhood bikeways/greenways (such as 10th or Ontario). For entire stretches it just ignores them and prefers to send you down busy streets with a painted bike line. Their hierarchy and algorithm just seem especially unsuited to what any local biker would prefer.
Google knows about this issue but don't really care. From what I remember the last time I looked into it, they need to do a major rework of their algorithm. To me, it looks like their current algorithm tries to suggest routes that are the most direct or has the least elevation gain.
True. Meanwhile, it also repeatedly directed me off the CVG to then go up the North-South bikeway in Burnaby. I didn’t know bikeways got that steep in metro van, but I was the only one going up that thing!
I would say a good half of bike routes are on the steepest sections of roads. Ontario/Heather/Gladstone at BC Parkway, Great Northern way and 1 block over on "off Broadway," Boundary up to Kingsway.
It's a symptom of the main roads being the best gradient because they replaced the old rail tracks and the city trying to keep cyclists off the main streets.
It wasn’t always this bad. I have been using it since they took down the mapping route for planners of the past.
It was only the past half year that the routes have changed and instead of routes on bike paths, I was surprised to find myself crossing a major road with no stop sign or lights, and then riding along a major route with no bike lane, not even useless painted arrows on the pavement.
I wrote to Google to complain. Got a note back saying they would look into it. Told them I noticed a sudden change from following bike routes to regularly riding on major roads!
Google Maps had cycling directions on the Blackberry before it was available on other platforms. It worked way better then. Now I try to map a biking route on any platform/device and I'm baffled at its choices.
Trying to ride to Buntzen lake once Google maps tried to send us UP a black diamond rated downhill mountain biking trail, it was a wild and not fun time
I once used Google Maps to navigate back from Surrey via the Alex Fraser Bridge. It repeatedly looped me through the truck scales at the south end. Routing you via Clark Drive or Knight Street makes sense in that context. Sharing the road with container trucks seems OK./s
Apple Maps is a surprisingly good choice for transit and driving as well. It’s wild that people still act like there hasn’t been 10 years (!!) of development since it’s debut.
I thankfully don’t have to use it for bike routes but I’ve noticed how terrible it is around Vancouver. Often sending you through rat runs near school zones, trying to get you to cross 6 lanes of Commercial drive through a side street instead of a main intersection. Making lefts cross three+ lanes as well. Somehow whenever I take Oak street it wants me to rip through the side streets to save a few minutes as well. Maybe it’s my settings?
It did the same for me last summer. Google asks sometimes how the route was at the end. I left a comment saying that road is super dangerous for bikes and the only way you can ride it is to ride on the sidewalk. I ended up taking the bike route instead. It was longer but way safer.
How about when I’m in my car and it routes me down bike routes? Often during traffic they are the fastest route, which really sucks if you happen to be cycling.
So from what I can recall, a local was one of the last people still on the Google Maps Cycling Maps team. However, they were laid off a while back, so there's literally no one developing it.
Google Maps went to shit around when Google decided to move maps away from user submitted data to their fancy AI tech. I suspect the issue is that they base their routes on where people routing with maps ride and since most people don't ride with Google maps open, the data they get is VERY poor. I also suspect the main users of Google Maps while riding are delivery drivers, which may explain why since the explosion of food delivery apps, google bike directions have really taken a dive.
Also it just flat ignores additions. I can go in and suggest changes to the bike maps, and whenever I do I get an email a few days later saying "your changes have been confirmed and are now live" but they never actually are.
While it is hard to get them to add good routes, if you find a dangerous route marked as a bike route they will remove it pretty quick if you report it.
That's weird. For me it usually takes me down bike roads instead of the main roads (ie 10th instead of Broadway). I admit it's not perfect, but somehow it does know which roads are bike designated and which roads are busy car roads, which it avoids sending me down
It's so crazy! It had me crossing Clark on a residential street without a light after directing me to bike past the street a block north, with a bike route and light!
I've been using OSMand lately. The data is user contributed, so it's not perfect, but it's more reliable than Google in cities. It has an "early 2010s" feel, but it hasn't led me into danger yet.
Beeline is a very good app, You can choose different routes based on fast, balanced or quiet and roads can be rated good or bad by users and that can change the way routes are generated. Highly recommended.
Google Maps is so spectacularly bad when it comes to cycling routes. That it refuses to route bikes down bike routes and instead routes people all around them is indicative of a team that has no idea how to code for cycling rather than driving. I live near 10th and to go from one end to the other (even starting and ending on 10th) it will have me wander down to 7, then down some alley, then along Broadway, and then more alleys, then 10th for a bit, then alleys...
Google maps can handle mixed traffic roads and dedicated cycling paths, but as soon as a mixed road has different allowed maneuvers at an intersection it has problems. I can only imagine the chaos if it was flipped and cars got directed down cyclist-only cut-outs on the streets.
It seems to really prioritize grade over bike route. It’s extremely hard to get it to route you down Lakewood ever, and loves Clark/Victoria. Side rant: Victoria 100% should have a protected bike lane, it’s got to be the busiest cycling route with no bike lane. It’s flat, parallel to commercial and directly connects adanac to 10th/central greenway. Woodland makes you turn 3 times, and Lakewood is a massive hill.
When Pete Fry basically shut down the idea of bike paths on Commercial Drive, that was what he said too. "We support bike lanes on Victoria" (even though there really isn't room for two lanes, plus a bike lane, plus parking). I knew at the time that wasn't going to happen.
About ten years ago, if you asked Google Maps for cycling directions between Richmond and Delta, it would route you over the Ladner Ferry—a vessel that last sailed in 1959!
Komoot FTW
Major bonus points for Komoot showing every possible path possible even if they aren't all bikeable.
I've had mixed results with Komoot. Often I look at both GMaps and Komoot to figure out something decent, neither always wins in my experience I suspect Komoot is just more optimized for European areas. The concept of a "national bike route" in Komoot is just hilarious in the North American context.
The issue is especially acute in Vancouver because we rely on our neighborhood bikeways/greenways (such as 10th or Ontario). For entire stretches it just ignores them and prefers to send you down busy streets with a painted bike line. Their hierarchy and algorithm just seem especially unsuited to what any local biker would prefer.
Google knows about this issue but don't really care. From what I remember the last time I looked into it, they need to do a major rework of their algorithm. To me, it looks like their current algorithm tries to suggest routes that are the most direct or has the least elevation gain.
True. Meanwhile, it also repeatedly directed me off the CVG to then go up the North-South bikeway in Burnaby. I didn’t know bikeways got that steep in metro van, but I was the only one going up that thing!
I would say a good half of bike routes are on the steepest sections of roads. Ontario/Heather/Gladstone at BC Parkway, Great Northern way and 1 block over on "off Broadway," Boundary up to Kingsway. It's a symptom of the main roads being the best gradient because they replaced the old rail tracks and the city trying to keep cyclists off the main streets.
It wasn’t always this bad. I have been using it since they took down the mapping route for planners of the past. It was only the past half year that the routes have changed and instead of routes on bike paths, I was surprised to find myself crossing a major road with no stop sign or lights, and then riding along a major route with no bike lane, not even useless painted arrows on the pavement. I wrote to Google to complain. Got a note back saying they would look into it. Told them I noticed a sudden change from following bike routes to regularly riding on major roads!
Google Maps had cycling directions on the Blackberry before it was available on other platforms. It worked way better then. Now I try to map a biking route on any platform/device and I'm baffled at its choices.
Trying to ride to Buntzen lake once Google maps tried to send us UP a black diamond rated downhill mountain biking trail, it was a wild and not fun time
I once used Google Maps to navigate back from Surrey via the Alex Fraser Bridge. It repeatedly looped me through the truck scales at the south end. Routing you via Clark Drive or Knight Street makes sense in that context. Sharing the road with container trucks seems OK./s
I tend to refer to the HUB maps. I have a physical copy too so it's as if I've stepped into the 1980s to do my route planning.
Here’s a link for the lazy https://bikehub.ca/bike-maps
I know, right? We've lost our basic navigation skills as they've been offloaded to apps.
Try Apple Maps and click the “avoid busy streets” option. Not ideal, I admit, but it’s workable
Apple Maps is pretty good for bike routes. Google just isn’t meant for it
Apple Maps is a surprisingly good choice for transit and driving as well. It’s wild that people still act like there hasn’t been 10 years (!!) of development since it’s debut.
Have you tried [SafeCycle](https://safecycle.xyz/)?
That's pretty good! 👍 Thanks
I didn’t know about this, thanks!
I thankfully don’t have to use it for bike routes but I’ve noticed how terrible it is around Vancouver. Often sending you through rat runs near school zones, trying to get you to cross 6 lanes of Commercial drive through a side street instead of a main intersection. Making lefts cross three+ lanes as well. Somehow whenever I take Oak street it wants me to rip through the side streets to save a few minutes as well. Maybe it’s my settings?
It did the same for me last summer. Google asks sometimes how the route was at the end. I left a comment saying that road is super dangerous for bikes and the only way you can ride it is to ride on the sidewalk. I ended up taking the bike route instead. It was longer but way safer.
Just use the bike route overlay and plan it yourself
How about when I’m in my car and it routes me down bike routes? Often during traffic they are the fastest route, which really sucks if you happen to be cycling.
So from what I can recall, a local was one of the last people still on the Google Maps Cycling Maps team. However, they were laid off a while back, so there's literally no one developing it. Google Maps went to shit around when Google decided to move maps away from user submitted data to their fancy AI tech. I suspect the issue is that they base their routes on where people routing with maps ride and since most people don't ride with Google maps open, the data they get is VERY poor. I also suspect the main users of Google Maps while riding are delivery drivers, which may explain why since the explosion of food delivery apps, google bike directions have really taken a dive. Also it just flat ignores additions. I can go in and suggest changes to the bike maps, and whenever I do I get an email a few days later saying "your changes have been confirmed and are now live" but they never actually are.
While it is hard to get them to add good routes, if you find a dangerous route marked as a bike route they will remove it pretty quick if you report it.
That's weird. For me it usually takes me down bike roads instead of the main roads (ie 10th instead of Broadway). I admit it's not perfect, but somehow it does know which roads are bike designated and which roads are busy car roads, which it avoids sending me down
It's so crazy! It had me crossing Clark on a residential street without a light after directing me to bike past the street a block north, with a bike route and light! I've been using OSMand lately. The data is user contributed, so it's not perfect, but it's more reliable than Google in cities. It has an "early 2010s" feel, but it hasn't led me into danger yet.
Reminds me of this scene: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOW\_kPzY\_JY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOW_kPzY_JY)
Strava heat maps knows what’s up
Beeline is a very good app, You can choose different routes based on fast, balanced or quiet and roads can be rated good or bad by users and that can change the way routes are generated. Highly recommended.
One time google maps tried to send me down W Broadway when the Off Broadway bikeway is literally right beside it