We’ve seen Te Ara I Whiti – Lightpath from the ground, we’ve seen it from the air and now we can see it from space. The desktop version of Google Earth gets updated fairly regularly with new satellite images – this one taken by one of the Digital Globe satellites (if you have the desktop version click  the “show historical imagery” button and slide the date to the right).

Lightpath - Google Earth Dec-15

What’s also interesting from this more zoomed out version the Grafton Gully cycleway is also very clearly visible

Lightpath - Google Earth Dec-15 2

As a bright pink ribbon, is this the most visible cycleway from space?

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13 comments

  1. Bus Lanes = Green
    Pedestrian Crossing = Red
    Cycle Lanes = Pink

    Also known as NO PARKING… Can this be done all across Auckland. How much does it cost to put down those pink colouring compared to the green?

  2. Can we have a colour code for the exits and their signs too. Red for Waitakere, blue for the city etc. Just to make it look interesting from space. 😉

  3. ahhh …didn’t realise they still had a desktop app version, just been using the browser plug-in. I note with the plug-in, anyway, the pink path (and other cycle tracks probably) still not showing as a cycle route.

      1. An editor tried, had it all added before the path even opened, the edit got 20 approvals but it was ignored by Google and just sat there, and then the edit just disappeared. Now another editor is having a go, but he’s only done a small part of it so far.

        Many map maker edits in the last 6 months are sitting in review, or have had sufficient approvals and are sitting in pending. I’ve been trying to get the mass of cycle infrastructure that doesn’t exist removed and get the new infrastructure that does exist added but I’ve only managed to get a couple of edits to go live in last 6 months.

        Turn on the pending roads label and it lights up in blue showing all the stuck edits.

        Any attempts to report problems through the official forum get ignored.

        1. Must be so many edits pending etc and few senior enough approval people? Also maybe because it’s on what looks like a motorway…then again it’s pink so it doesn’t any more!

        2. Well well well, would you look at that. Suddenly it is there. Woohoo. “Your edit has been approved based on our internal moderation guidelines [http://goo.gl/9pwq4R] and terms of service [http://goo.gl/79Fdo]. If you have any questions, select “Rate this edit” to add a comment.” Finally Google have had a human sort it out. I wonder if this thread and string of tweets prior helped bring it to Google’s attention.

    1. I guess that is relatively new concrete there.

      The thing standing out in a funny way used to be new subdivisions. New footpaths are similarly bright, and combined with a loops & lollipops street grid, you get an unmistakable pattern.

      Unfortunately, rather than aliens, it attracted cars.

      1. Also in part because in new subdivisions, the trees are tiny things, therefore the grid of everything is still much more visible…

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