Road Cycling - Bike Map Database

Ok, here's the deal: I don't know about anyone else, but I know the good bike routes around my hometown pretty well by now. The problem comes when I travel anywhere else. I have no idea what direction to ride, what road conditions are like, where the heavy traffic is, etc when I'm in any other town. I tried looking around for a site that had some sort of database of bike routes but never found anything satisfactory. Any site I found typically just listed a few route (usually MTB, too, which didn't help me at all) without really telling how to get there, difficulty level, terrain, etc.

Sooo, what I was wondering is if anyone has ever come across some sort of online bike route/map database (for road, of course). If not, how many people would use such a database? I'll be contacting a few mapmaking software companies about pricing and functionality of their software (I'm thinking something along the lines of mapquest for the setup: zoom in and out, move along compass lines, have routes marked out as a heavy colored line, etc). Basically, what I'd need from the biking community is map data. Who would actually use something like this? Would you take the time to send in your own routes for other people to see? Would you be willing to make a donation to support such a site? What I don't want to do is make it a pay site; I'd rather make a good product that people like enough to help support without being forced into it.

Also, any input on site structure would be nice. What I was thinking of was being able to input a desired length and difficulty and the site returning all possibilities that fit or are close to fitting that description. For example, I say I want a 30 mile ride with rolling hills, and it'll return any ride 25-35 miles long with slight to moderate hills in list format. Selecting a ride will display the map along with written directions and any notes about the ride (dangerous intersections, locations of dogs, gravel portions, etc)

Let me know what you think.

DOnt know where walla walla is ;) , but for NJ, here's (http://www.njbikemap.com/) a good site with a great map which covers all the NJ counties. I haven't used this much, but have some of my neighboring areas printed out.

You know... I use GIS a ton where I work (as a planner) and I'm dedicated to producing an online map just like you're describing for Indianapolis. The problem is that I don't work in Indy, so the GIS files I need are not in my office. If they'd just hire me there, this sort of thing would be so easy to do. It could be interactive, and it could even be linked with a traffic camera system so that you could actually see some of the route you'd be taking. It would be tough to keep it current, however, since our office only updates the GIS traffic count files every few years. However, we (I say "we" because I used to work there as an intern) already have info like speed limit, width of shoulder, cars per day (delineated between peak and non-peak hours), and other thinsg that would help in developing a comprehensive cycling map. We'll see if it ever happens.

this is a really good idea, I know I've had the same problem finding good low traffic routes. One idea for covering the cost would be to talk to a few different online bike retailers (pricepoint, JensonUSA, Cambria...) and see about putting their ads on your site. I know this is how mapquest covers their costs. I hope you can get some of the cycling community to support it with routes or donations and such.

Good luck..

powerjb

Something like this, but nationwide?

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/bike-foot/countymaps.htm

-murray

p.s. With state DOT support like this, it's hard to imagine why Wisconsin is great for cycling, isn't it?

Sounds great! And, a lot of work :D

You could allow submissions of new routes through the web site. It would have to be "filtered". Maybe if there were LBSs or Clubs that cooperated, the new submissions could be sent to the nearest one for "approval" before being added to the site database.

Something like this, but nationwide?

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/bike-foot/countymaps.htm

-murray

p.s. With state DOT support like this, it's hard to imagine why Wisconsin is great for cycling, isn't it?

Wow, thats fantastic. I guess WI being Trek Country helps too!

Murrays and VeeDubOne: Both of those seem to be good resources, but yeah, I was envisioning something nationwide. Also, both of those just seem to show roads that are good to bike on. According to the Wisconsin map, there are tons of good biking roads, but it doesn't tell what the terrain is like, whether those are city streets where you'd have to stop every block, etc. I like the idea of someone saying "Here's a 30 mile route that I do regularly that's great for a cyclist" so that people who come to the site know an actual cyclist has been on it, rather than a DOT official who may not know whether anyone would actually want to ride on a particular road for whatever reason. If that makes sense.

I like the idea of someone saying "Here's a 30 mile route that I do regularly that's great for a cyclist" so that people who come to the site know an actual cyclist has been on it, rather than a DOT official who may not know whether anyone would actually want to ride on a particular road for whatever reason. If that makes sense.

I think that's a pretty monumental task. Just finding a good map that has ALL the roads shown is difficult in a lot of areas.

FWIW, it's very easy to use the Wisconsin maps without getting stuck on high traffic roads. I would aim for that type of database first and let people submit their favorite routes for their given areas.

Personally, it doesn't have much value for me. The Wisconsin site has maps for 99% of the riding I do. If I'm traveling with my bike, a local Gazetteer or visit to a bike shop usually serves my needs.

-murray

I think it would also help newbies who are just starting to figure out where to ride, and also folks who are relocating. It's a great idea. Sell ads to LBS that would pop on a local map, and maybe even include convenience stores for refueling. Selling ads that are specific to the area that is being researched. Go for it!

When in SFO/SJC/OAK metro area, see http://bicycling.511.org/routes.htm

When in SFO/SJC/OAK metro area, see http://bicycling.511.org/routes.htm

this is a great idea, I'm sure there are lots of sites online and I'm willing to bet that there many of us know the urls of these site of our areas...can we have a database of these sites on this forum? I'll be willing to add my 2 cents about the san francisco area. :)

Unfortunately, this will not help the OP (original poster), but http://www.bikemetro.com may help those in need of places to ride in Southern California.

Qroo

Ok, here's the deal: I don't know about anyone else, but I know the good bike routes around my hometown pretty well by now. The problem comes when I travel anywhere else. I have no idea what direction to ride, what road conditions are like, where the heavy traffic is, etc when I'm in any other town. I tried looking around for a site that had some sort of database of bike routes but never found anything satisfactory. Any site I found typically just listed a few route (usually MTB, too, which didn't help me at all) without really telling how to get there, difficulty level, terrain, etc.
.

There is no such product out there and traffic will vary depending on the time of the day or season. There is no way to predict which road will have light traffic or no dogs. I also found out that many so called bike maps have you riding right on the highway with cars going 55 mph!! I use a combination of MS Streets and Trips with my GPS.

1. MS Streets & Trips - I set the program to give me routes where I can only travel 10 mph. The program then avoids main highways and the interstate. It works well but not perfect. During an outing, I may decide to change the route and then I'm stuck with an inflexable map.

2. Gamin GPS - The beauty of the GPS is that you are NOT dependant on a map for routes but more focused on destination points. This is an important difference because when you're dependant on a map, the road selected may consist of high flying cars and trucks! With the GPS, I select the destination and choose the roads I feel are comfortable to cycle. I'm not limited to riding on the side of the freeway unless that's the only way out of town. I'll use this Garmin in combination with Streets and Trips to plot "way points" along routes that have slow moving traffic.

3. MAPTOOLS.COM - I just found this site where I can make "way points" on a regular map using their rulers! I never knew you could calculate longititude and latitude points with a regular road map. In other words, I don't need to carry a Notebook or buy an expensive Palm computer to make "way points" on the fly for my Garmine GPS when I'm on the road. This is a great discovery!

One of the problems with the Garmin GPS is that many of the inexpensive models do not have detailed maps (or no maps!) built into the unit. Before the start of the ride, I found myself dependant on my computer to find "way points" to plug into the unit. On the road, I wasn't able to develope these "way points" because I needed to carry an expensive Palm computer or Note Book which is impractical.

Hopefully, with these rulers, I'll be able to plot "way points" using inexpensive road maps directly into my GPS and be totally free of software.

I usually just ask around at a LBS. Unfortunately, only some LBS are 'in the know' about these things. Trick is knowing which LBS to ask.

Try http://www.pedaling.com .

Like others, I think it's a great idea, but it will take money. Selling advertizing or getting funding from state DOT's might work.

Another option is a user subscription fee. How many here would pay CASH to use such a service (let's say $25 per year)? I already have all the map resources I need so my answer would be no.

-murray

Here in Sarasota, and Manatee counties Fl. our bicycle club has a good map section on line. When you travel you should check local club web sites, for maps. If all bike clubs could post their favorite rides, with info. on each. this would be a great start for bikers and or mapping co.