I like the Google Maps direction tools – in fact I find them about a million times more useful than the official MAXX website when it comes to public transport (not like that’s hard though!) So I was pretty excited to hear that a cycling option has been added for Auckland. Here’s the media release:
Auckland Transport is delighted to have partnered with Google as the global giant unveils its new cycle route journey planner throughout Australasia today.
Auckland Transport has provided the cycle route maps and infrastructure for the Auckland area which will allow users to view and plan cycle journeys using the Google Maps website and the mobile application. Wellington is the only other city in New Zealand to be included in the new planner.
The option to plan a cycle journey will sit alongside the existing walk, drive and public transport travel options on Google maps.
Auckland Transport already produces cycle maps area-based cycle maps which are being utilised by Google to get the ‘biking directions’ up and running.
“We are extremely proud to be part of this Google initiative”, says Auckland Transport’s Community Transport Manager, Mr Mathew Rednall. “This is a fantastic boost for cycling in Auckland, one which will literally revolutionise the way that cyclists use facilities and infrastructure across the city.
Maps Product Manager for Google Australia, Nabil Naghdy says the biking directions will help users plan point to point routes on cycle paths and roads preferred for cycling.” It also keeps cycling top of mind because it appears right next to driving directions within Google Maps. We really hope it will encourage more people to start using cycling for their commute and recreation.”
The new cycling feature includes step-by-step cycling directions, cycle trails outlined directly on the map and a new ‘cycling’ layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes and bike-friendly roads. The biking directions will include information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads. This will help users get a better sense of their route and find trails nearby for a recreational ride.
Mayor Len Brown has welcomed the route planner. “The promotion of cycling is an important part of the push to get Auckland moving, cutting congestion and keeping Aucklanders fit. The initiative is a great way to support that.”
With these journey planner tools, their usefulness comes down to a lot of devil in the detail. For public transport that relates to things like the extent to which people want to avoid transfering, the extent to which long walks should be avoided, the extent to which long waits should be avoided and so forth.
With cycling there are similarly a multitude of ways in which various the tool probably needs to be calibrated. To what extent are people likely to go out of their way to enjoy a higher quality piece of infrastructure, or avoid a dangerous road, or avoid a big hill? Testing the tool on my daily commute suggests that a bit of fine-tuning probably remains to be done over time:
I don’t cycle but I’m pretty sure if I did I’d rather take the relatively flat, high-quality northwest cycleway rather than the very hilly and rather dangerous Great North Road. I guess the tweaks will be applied over time to make the tool even more useful.
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Out of interest I had a play with it this afternoon. A trip from my house to town was relatively what I expected and timed at 1 hour 11 minutes. Looking at the PT options It suggested that I take the bus for which it gave a travel time of 1 hour 10 minutes or a train with a travel time of 1 hour 16 minutes (although this isn’t helped by it not knowing that a walkway that makes it much faster to get to the station exists). To me that just goes to show how bad our PT is right now.
I do like that the different quality of paths are shown though (drop down the little box on the top right hand side, dark green is off road cycle paths, light green on road cycle lanes and dotted lines shared footpaths)
I think for most people their regular bike commute is pretty well established. When venturing to a new destination this would be worth a look (I guess that’s the same for any map really)
I think a more useful tool would be a crowd-sourced map that depicts the volume of use over particular segments. That might help people to string together new routes. But after seeing some of the cyclists on the road, I’m not sure the “wisdom of crowds” necessarily applies here 😉
Like this?
http://thisbigcity.net/unlocking-future-bicycle-networks-with-the-worlds-first-crowdsourced-bicycle-map/
I use http://ridewithgps.com (my phone app velodroid (android only) posts to it ), it shows you bike paths.
the google maps option pretty much gave me the same route that I take most days.. but suggested a little zigzag that I might take anyway, because it will keep me off some main roads.
It also suggested a alternative route through mangere, otahuhu, manukau rd (change that to one tree domain) which looks good too..
The times are way out though..1 hour 44 mins? what? takes me 50..
The route it shows above is crazy!!!!
I ride along the causeway everyday, and from pt chev go up Gt North, it is pretty good, only patch without bus/cycle lane is between St Lukes Road and Bullock Track, and Grey Lynn Shops
But to go from bottom of Bullock Track, through the ghetto part of western springs, through the park, up the mega steep track to Grey Lynn (including stairs) is ridiculous!
Go though the park, along the cycleway which runs along the north side of the motorway (there is also a MTB track here) to the Bond Street bridge until the cycleway becomes Niger street, turn into Keppel Street, then you have a short sharp shock up Kirk street to reach New North Road.
Crossing the underpass to join the cycleway in Kingsland means you have a number of rolling streets to contend with, and quite a lot of vehicle traffic. You then still have to climb up to the Karangahape Road ridge at Newton Road or Upper Queen Street, dealing with traffic fresh off the Motorway or Ian McKinnon Drive.
Nic, I know the area well, including the mtb tracks 🙂
The route you propose is also not an option, the pathway on northern side of motorway is twisty, with blind corners, definitely cant hold a safe commuting speed through there,
The Kirk as you said is very steep,
Why wouldnt you
1) Go Great north the whole way
2) Go Mountain View under the motorway, left onto levonia, left onto finch (I think it is) and go cycle track from there to newton road, or Waima Street if you are that scared of traffic.
I cycle from west every day, and have explored all routes, the one on the map, and the one you propose would only add time, effort, and not add any safety!
For some people, a twisty bit of nearly deserted path is a bonus, not a feature to be avoided!
And I would rather blast up Kirk St after wending through pleasant Arch Hill than slog up Newton Road. That is an aesthetic, and not necessarily a practical decision. But it does have logic behind it. I am not worried about traffic in the least, I just find the behavior of drivers who have just exited the motorway to be less pleasant than the drivers on K-Road, after they have had a bit of time to readjust.
TimR, have you ever seen WAZE ? Its a community based driving program, maps roads, routes, notifies of hazards, accidents, police, traffic jams etc..
http://www.waze.com
http://www.waze.com/wiki/index.php/New_Zealand
New to me. Does it do cycle specific? Could not spot it at first glance… looks very in-car.
Its car, but something like that for bikes would be awesome.. but then.. how many people actually mount their phones on their bikes? I’ve tried it a few times with different systems and they all suck. I’ve got a setup for my motorbike, but it cost an arm and a leg
They (AT) still have miles (excuse the pun) to go in terms of matching other city public transport websites/route planners, such as tfl.gov.uk. In terms of cycle routes you cannot even customise the main search for cycle options, compared to most other sites which include the ability to search by ability to leave bikes at train stations, take on public transport etc. Good to see the maxx website is finally being rebranded though – maxx as a name did not make much sense!
Works fine for my normal route From Kingsland into Uni and the times are about right as well. For the route from Kingsland to work (Mt Albert) it even picks up the shortcut I normally take through Ferguson reserve, which is pretty cool. Only problem being of course, that these are routes I know and take. I have no idea how it performs on routes I don’t know
Apparently Hobson Street is a ‘bicycle-friendly road’. Who’d have thought?
Not that impressed with the one they give me for getting to work (Remuera – Ponsonby end of K Rd)
Apparently its better to use the Remuera Rd, Broadway, a wiggle around Newmarket, and then Khyber right up to Upper Queen St. I refuse to use Khyber after about 6am as past Park Rd its just horrible!
Also, they’re giving times of about 24mins. The way I go (Remuera, Broadway, Khyber, Park, K Rd) I can do in 12mins on a good day if I’m riding quick, and no longer than 20 even when cruising.
It doesn’t really say much about Auckland PT that cycling is faster — cycling is often the fastest mode even in cities with excellent PT
Mine is bang on actually, gives me exactly the route I take to work, and the time is almost perfect (including the extra four minutes it allows for coming back up the hill instead of down).
The Trickster, I either come along gt sth and up Khyber or along dominion.. I go up Khyber and then along boston, up Mt Eden, and onto upper queen st, where I work.
Maybe they could get it onto Nokia maps as well. Jealous.