Google mapped my bicycle route
Would you rather bike than drive? Google maps now can help you with that, too.
The Mountain View, Calif. firm announced plans to offer the feature last year, and launched it recently.
A test drive in Walworth County resulted in inconsistent results, however improvements will be ongoing I suspect.
To use the feature, select "Bicycling" from the pull-down menu for "Directions on the left side of the page.
Enter a location from where you're starting and a final destination.
The site prioritizes off-street trails (designated with thick, dark-green lines) over separate bike lanes (thinner, light-green lines) over designated bike routes (dashed, light-green lines) and also tries to avoid hills, busier streets and crowded intersections.
My first query was a Delavan to Elkhorn route, which simply mapped out a route along U.S. Highway 11.
My preference would be to go out Mound Road, swing north on Highway 67, then turn right on Marsh Road and take it all the way to Elkhorn.
Google also provided no particular biking options through the Kettle Moraine along an Elkhorn to Whitewater route.
I don't know if Google will eventually include such scenic routes, but it does a pretty good job already of finding marked bike routes.
By entering a route from Elkhorn to Burlington, Google maps out the White River Bike trail, and includes more options farther to the east.
It also includes the marked trail from Allens Grove to Clinton.
Despite being a helpful tool, keep in mind that Google archives vast amounts of data. So along with knowing what we search for, we won't be able to escape from Google, even our a bicycle.
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