Issue 7: Gaps in bike lanes should be displayed not concealed on Google Maps
Summary: While it aids the coherence of cycling routes and Google's Cycling Directions for bike lanes to be drawn continuously on Google Maps, in cities like Melbourne, gaps are very common. It is excuseable if some very short sections are not precise, and gaps at intersections are often to be expected. But, currently, there are many substantial gaps in bike lanes that have been incorrectly presented as complete on Google Maps, and which have a considerable impact on cyclist safety and comfort.Accurately representing these substantive gaps would assist cyclists to make more optimal decisions when using Google Maps to choose a cycling route. Also, concealing the gaps helps the responsible government agency (in Victoria: VicRoads or the relevant local government) to get away with not remediating them. Indeed, it seems the responsible government agency is often the supplier of the incorrect data.
Details:
1. The usefulness of cycling routes to the broadest range of cyclists depends principally on the quality of their weakest sections. Thus, gaps matter a lot
Just like chains and weak links, the value of cycling routes comes down to their weakest sections. To some extent, almost all cyclists are put off by a lack of separated or safe-enough cycling space. Consequently, gaps in bike lanes that have any significant safety or comfort impact are something virtually all cyclists want to know.
So it isn't a minor wrinkle that bike lane gaps aren't correctly displayed in Google Maps. It is actually a fundamental issue. It is too easy to add bike lane sections that don't exist on Google Maps and presently very difficult to have these non-existent bike lanes removed.
2. A typical example of how a cycling route can go from safe-enough to unsafe due to bike lane gaps and how Google Maps currently resists correctly representing these gaps
The catalyst for this entire blog and project was actually my disenchanting prior experience trying to use Google Map Maker to make corrections and updates to Google's Cycling layer in Melbourne. I wrote about my initial attempts here: Improving Google Maps bicycling layer data for Melbourne
One of my first attempted corrections were some substanial sections of Gaffney St which Google Maps Cycling layer showed as having Dedicated lanes but for which there were no bike lanes or any on-road cycling infrastructure.
I submitted this correction on 3rd September 2014 and it was rejected without explanation. Presumably the authorising Map Maker editor either thought they knew better despite clearly not being familiar with that road or there was an intentional policy not to correct flawed data provided by government agencies. 18 months later none of the corrections to the bike lanes on Gaffney St and Murray Rd have been made.
So below is my video + GPS proof that there are no bike lanes in this section of Gaffney St. I will be resubmitting these errors with links to blog posts for each one that contain the video and GPS evidence. The blog posts will also track publicly the status of these reported errors (e.g. "Still not fixed").
The safety and usefulness of the bike lanes on Murray Rd and Gaffney St does vary as some sections have no useable space outside the door zone and have plenty of parked cars while other sections have sufficient safe cycling space or do not have parked cars adjacent. However, no bike lane whatsoever on a 60km/hr road when the kerbside lane isn't very wide, is objectively less safe, certainly feels much less safe and will be off-putting to most cyclists. These gaps need to be reflected accurately on Google Maps to properly inform cyclists, as well as provide a transparent reference point regarding further cycling route improvements needed.
Below you can see a safe-enough section of Gaffney St where there are real bike lanes and, in this area, very few parked cars alongside. In contrast to the sections missing bike lanes, most cyclists would find these sections to be very useful bike routes. This is why it's critical that significant bike lane gaps be accurately displayed on Google Maps.
3. The more useful or necessary the route the more important it is to highlight and fix the gaps
There are literally hundreds of bike lane gap errors in Google Maps Cycling layer for Melbourne. Some are short, some are lengthy. Some are on popular routes, others on roads rarely used by cyclists. But to those who lack local knowledge and an understanding of the differing significance to local cyclists, it is difficult to appreciate the problem or prioritise corrections.
However, even if there are thousands of such errors, each has a priority from 1 to 10 for local cyclists based on objective criteria such as how useful or necessary the route is, the other route options nearby, and the sections role in the grid of recommended bike routes.
As you can see below, Murray Rd and Gaffney St are a key potential east-west cycling arterial in this area with few lengthy, connected alternatives nearby. Consequently, the obvious next steps are to highlight the unresolved bike lane gaps and put pressure on government agencies to fix them. And, until then, to work around the bike lane gaps by switching to the next best route. This is feasible when Google Maps Cycling layer reflects bike lane gaps accurately. It is made much harder when it conceals the gaps.
Planning safe-enough routes in advance using Google Maps Cycling layer is only possible when the unsafe sections - such as missing bike lanes on a 60km/hr road - are revealed.
4. Local transport cyclists who ride daily are the best guide to current and desired routes, not local government
It's possible that Google currently relies too much on government agencies in gathering, validating and prioritizing cycling route data and changes. Unfortunately, these agencies are often not the best source of information on practical cycling routes.
This is evident from cycling route maps like that provided by the City of Moreland below. The deficiencies include:
- While motorists can travel on hundreds of roads in a very fine grid, cyclists are given just 13 routes with gaps of kilometres between some adjacent links.
- In the vicinity of Gaffney St, there is only one short east-west route (O'Hea St) covering just 3km. Gaffney St and Murray Rd are not highlighted at all.
- The east-west routes, in particular, presume that cyclists only need to travel a few kilometres within the narrow confines of this sole local government area and ignore adjacent areas and the need to cross the bordering creeks.
A cyclist unfamiliar with this area using the above City of Moreland map could conclude that Gaffney St and Bell St are equivalent route choices (neither being a recommended route) when, in fact, Bell St is an extremely bike-unfriendly road that all cyclists avoid, while Gaffney St's bike lanes are safe and convenient and simply need to be extended or gaps filled with off-road shared paths.
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