Last week, Google rolled out its new Google bike maps feature that does for bicyclists what it already does for motorists. The feature provides bicyclists quick and safe routes to get to their destination.
Bikers have been calling for adding biking directions to Google Maps for a while now. A petition containing more than 50,000 signatures from bicyclists was sent to Google, asking the search engine giant to develop a map feature exclusively for bicyclists. That moment is here, and bicyclists couldn’t be happier about it. As bicycle accident lawyers in Atlanta, we couldn’t be more pleased at the way Google has stepped in to make biking not just quicker and more convenient for bicyclists, but also safer.
According to Google, the bike routes have been developed taking into consideration the safest way for a biker to get to his destination. The routes avoid crowded and congested streets, streets with no bike lanes, streets with a high volume of traffic, busy intersections, narrow streets and hills.
Not everything about the new feature is peachy-perfect. Some experienced bikers have complained that some of the routes that the feature offers, take them through streets clogged with traffic. However, these creases are likely to be ironed out with time. Considering the large numbers of people who are taking to bicycling in Georgia and around the country, we expect the bike maps feature to make bicycling a much safer commuting option than it is now.
For experienced bikers who already know their way about town, the feature may not offer anything much or new. However, for those who want to bike to work to save on gas in a bad economy, Google bike maps could help make that shift to bicycling much safer than it is now.