Not to discount the power of technology... but commuting by bicycle often offers routes not known to any computing device, because the information isn`t official.
Take cul-de-sac`s for instance... obviously a dead end for any 4 wheel monstrosity - but neighborhood kids have a way of paving trails between those normally sequestered stretches of quite pavement.

I can actually move from one end of town to the other (about 7 miles) without ever touching a main surface street, using this method (and only be about 10 mins slower than a stressful, albeit more direct, route).