Google accused of threatening cyclists with crack or death
Google’s new cycling directions tool has earned a poor reception from some users who found the suggested routes highly inappropriate. But the firm is already taking corrections on board and adjusting its offerings.
As we noted earlier this week, the firm added bike directions after sustained pressure from cyclists. The route information is partially based on extensive data from a group lobbying for former railroads to be converted to hiking and cycling trails, but also includes info on bike lanes in cities. And that’s where the problems start.
The New York Post reports a host of errors in the maps for the city, including one supposed bike lane which was closed last year after protests by local residents, pedestrian only paths in Central Park being marked as OK for cycling, and one suggested route sending cyclists down a notoriously dangerous road used by cars to cross the park. (Indeed, a cyclist was killed on the road in 2006.)
One commenter on the InformationWeek site noted a problem which perhaps required local knowledge beyond road layouts: “I ran a route from Cordova, TN to Memphis, TN and it wanted to route me through the worst crack ridden streets in all of Memphis.”
However, another commenter on the same article notes that they discovered a suggested route through a tunnel with no bike lane, which in their view would entail “instant death”. They reported the mistake and it has already been corrected with an alternative route in its place.
Google has noted users who find an error can correct it through the Google Maps “Report a Problem” link. It also says that once the Google MapMaker tool becomes available in the U.S., users will be able to add suggested cycle routes directly.
It also says the bikes feature will eventually be added to the mobile edition of the Maps service for BlackBerrys and Android handsets, but isn’t guaranteeing to get it past the Apple vetting process.
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March 12th, 2010
Come on, biking ANY route without checking it out in advance is just plain stupid. People should stop blaming Google (or other such free online services) for their own short sightedness.
March 12th, 2010
Excuse me, but my bicycle is my sole means of transportation other than my feet or local bus lines. When I leave my local area I have to use either paper maps or Google Maps (usually a mix of both) to get there, and the first chance I get to “check out” the route is when I actually get on the bike and ride out there. I have ridden all over the eastern part of TX that way, but we generally don’t get much in the way of crack dens in rural TX ;)
January 17th, 2011
Definitely agree with what you stated. Your rationalization was certainly the easiest to understand. I tell you, I usually get irked when people discuss issues that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail proper on the top and defined out every thing without complication. Maybe, folks can take a signal. Will seemingly be again to get more. Thanks