Google Maps: Now with Biking Directions

Just in time for spring, Google Maps has rolled out one thing we always wanted: biking directions. The new feature keeps your wheels on bike paths (mapped through a Rails to Trails partnership) and in bike lanes as much as possible, avoids hills, and achieves other goals critical to a pleasant bike ride. The routes aren't necessarily the most efficient: getting from Harvard to the State House sends us down along the Esplanade, when we'd probably just take Broadway for the mileage and time it would save. (If you disagree with a listed bike route, you can report a problem).

Still, it's super helpful to have a coding system on the bike maps (green because biking is environmentally friendly?). The various lines have the following meanings:

• Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
• Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
• Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

Our Boston Bike Map has served us well for years, but we might start using the Goog to roll places: even as far as Annisquam. Problems will only surface if (when) we run out of battery, don't have a signal, or break our mobile device in a crash... gulp.