Yeah, Is there something other than the "
google.com/maps"? That works great for driving, not so great with the Bicycling routing option.
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Well, google map's bike option had gone from "pitiful" a year or two ago, to "mediocre" recently on some test directions I've tried. I wondered if they had improved it again lately.
So, on google maps, I routed "Cincinnati OH to Bethel OH", a town which is on a lot of local rides. To get there, it's a mix of city streets and country roads.
The Google Maps with the "bicycling" option selected originally routed on US50 to Rt 125, a
terrible route. It's a busy highway most of the way, and there's a lot of better alternatives. Really, almost any side road would be better.
It's
29 miles, probably the most direct route.
I clicked the same starting and ending points in the Strava Route Builder, which uses a year of uploaded GPS ride recordings to route via popular biking roads.
It's
39 miles, and
much better. (But, knowing the area, I'd go to New Richmond along the river, then inland, a small improvement over the Strava directions, in my opinion.)
Note: The Route Builder sometimes does pick unpaved roads, especially if those are about the only available road nearby. And some of the "popular" roads on Strava are steep hill climbs, that are popular for that reason!
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I reviewed the Strava Route Builder in this
post.
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See the attached screen shots below. I clicked the