Nice in theory, but what if you don't have a car? I find myself needing to go places all the time that I've never been before on my bike. I use Google maps "by bike" function which is sort of useful, look at the route and the options and then I hop on the bike and go. On occasion I find myself in not super bike friendly places, so I improvise, get lost a bit and find my destination anyway. It's all part of the adventure and allure of cycling. I've discovered some great places and routes this way.

Granted, I'm an experienced urban rider, I don't have access to a car by design on most days and I have been living in this metropolis for a majority of my life. So test runs even if they were an option wouldn't be a very good use of my time. I just get on the bike and figure it out.