Comments on: Commuting 101: How to find the perfect route using Google Maps

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:27:28 +0000

Google Maps does have an option “by bike” and even “by foot.” It needs a lot of work still, especially if you’re not in a metropolitan area.

It doesn’t care about one-way streets, and avoids highways unsafe for bikes.

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:52:19 +0000

This isn’t entirely up to date now. Google Maps now has bicyling in beta as an option for choosing routes that are best for bikes. Has a long way to go but promising that they are looking out for us.

By: Allie

Allie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:44:02 +0000

Interesting!! A good resource

By: Shari

Shari — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:47:20 +0000

Mapmyride.com is good also.

By: Dave O

Dave O — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:00:54 +0000

I personally would use MapQuest for the route finding. They have more options regarding routing, including shortest distance route (useful for biking).

RunningMap.com is also a really useful website for mapping routes. It’s on par with Bikely.

By: bergerandfries

bergerandfries — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Use the Satellite view to find bike paths, concrete infrastructure, creek beds, etc that are not traditional commuting routes. I personally go under a major highway on a creek bed and shave 2 miles off my ride!

By: Garrett

Garrett — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:08:48 +0000

I second the http://www.mapmyride.com suggestion. It uses Google Maps as its engine, has a checkbox to follow roads and allows you to create paths in off-road areas. It’ll tell you how long your route is and what the elevation gain/loss is (although this is a bit wonky as the two numbers don’t always match up on a there-and-back route). You can also export your route to KML (for Google Earth) or I think some form of GPS receiver. It has a feature to automatically retrace your route but my only complaint is the loop completion feature doesn’t follow the roads. Oh yeah, you can also enter your age/weight/time for some calorie burning estimates. Pretty good site overall, although some times it gets a bit sluggish.

By: mtbman1

mtbman1 — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:46:37 +0000

Google Maps, that’s a good idea. I have that on my BlackBerry. I have a good use for that this sunday as I’m going back to a bike trail that I lost in the city and am trying to figure out the route.

By: BeeLady

BeeLady — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:42:16 +0000

I use my Google Maps on my iPhone while I’m out and about. Can always see the back streets to get where I need to go. And I can tell the distance if I use the “Drop Pin” function to go from intersection to intersection on the map.

By: AC

AC — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:47:45 +0000

I’m new to commuting ( well I actually haven’t started yet ) and used maps.google to plot my route. Thanks! This worked great.

I actually drove my route today to see what it’s like before I attempt the ride and it seems like a nice easy route. I was able to shorten the route by 1 mile compared to my drive route. Now if I can stay motivated to make the 12 mile ride to be at work by 6:00am and dodge the comatose AM drivers.