Google Maps is working closely with cities to make cycling easier and more attractive. Ajay Arora, who works on Global Product Partnerships for Google Maps shared that, “You can now find granular lane breakdown information for cycling routes in London, Berlin and Amsterdam.” whilst also thanking, “the passionate teams at the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and City of Amsterdam for all their insights and support.”

As the search global technology giant has previously highlighted, “high gas prices have people opting for more sustainable transportation choices. Google Maps has provided cycling directions for over 12 years thanks to AI paired with data from cities, trusted cartographic partners and feedback from the Google Maps community. With our new cycling route information, you will soon be able to easily compare bike routes and see even more granular details (when this data is available) to prepare for the ride ahead.”

The platform shows cycle trails with a specific legend:

• Dark green: Trails that don’t have auto traffic.
• Green: Dedicated lanes are roads that are shared with cars and have a separate bike lane.
• Dotted green line: Bicycle-friendly roads are roads that don’t have a bike lane but are recommended for cyclists.
• Brown: Unpaved trails are off-road dirt paths.

The announcement notes, “In addition to seeing the elevation along your route, you’ll also know if you’ll encounter heavy car traffic, stairs or steep hills. You’ll also be able to get a highly detailed breakdown of the route itself so you can know at a glance what type of road you’ll be biking on – like a major road vs. a local street. Gone are the days of unknowingly pedalling up a strenuous hill or on a route with more car traffic than you’re comfortable with.

The Google Maps service has seen a steady and continuous increase in active travel capability, promoting multi modal transport hubs, as a means to make complete journeys, using a variety of different transport means. In 2019 the provider added, “biking and ridesharing options to transit directions for multi-mode commutes.”. Techcrunch featured the below demo of this integration, showing services like Lyft and Uber. Today, in London, that feature also includes Lime, Dott and Santander bikes when choosing navigation by bicycle.

Image credits: Ajay Arora / Google / Techcrunch