5 ms·

If use_roads is set to zero, will this optimize for roads that include sidewalks?

by novia 9y ago

maxerickson 9y ago
Likely not as many (most?) sidewalks aren't officially open to bikes (Regardless of enforcement on the one hand and regardless of some people preferring to use them on the other).
- baldfat 9y ago
  I remember as a 12 year old a cop swore at me and told me he was going to take my bike if he saw me ride on the sidewalk again. So then 2 blocks later ANOTHER cop is swearing at me calling me crazy and going to drive me home for riding on the road when there was a sidewalk to ride on. I laughed and said the other one told me to get off the sidewalk. He called him and they got in an argument and hung up on him. I just rode my bike on the sidewalk.
  - cjf101 9y ago
    Heh, that's awesome. I think it illustrates how confused people are in general about where bikes are supposed to be, which I think is a complicated cross of law, culture, cycling ability, and infrastructure. The police have never hassled me for being on any road on a bike. But man, do the dudes in pickup trucks with truck nuts love to tell me to get off the road.
    - blt 9y ago
      Yeah, it even happened to me in progressive utopia Olympia, WA.
- cafard 9y ago
  Within the downtown area of Washington, DC, bikes are not allowed on the sidewalk. (This is roughly the area bounded by Massachusetts or Florida Ave. on the north, Georgetown on the west and the Capitol on the east.) Couriers, tourists, and a lot of others disregard the regulation.
- nradov 9y ago
  It really varies by the city. Some prohibit bikes on sidewalks, others allow them at least in some areas, and some only allow children under a certain age. There's no consistency.
Facemelters 9y ago
I'm guessing it will optimize for dedicated bike paths since you shouldn't be riding your bike on the sidewalk.
- Spivak 9y ago
  If we added bike lanes to sidewalks rather than roads I think it would solve a lot of the complaints motorists have.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    But it wouldn't solve many of the complaints that bicyclists and pedestrians have.
  - futurix 9y ago
    And raise an even larger amount of complaints from pedestrians.
  - ucaetano 9y ago
    That's done in Europe, where sidewalks are wide enough. Most sidewalks in the US aren't wide enough to include a bike lane.
  - rhinoceraptor 9y ago
    Riding a bike on the sidewalk (or a divided bike path) is actually pretty dangerous. Cars aren't expecting there to be 15-25 mph traffic when they pull in to driveways or make turns. The most common type of bike accidents are cars failing to yield when turning or using driveways, and divided bike paths and sidewalks only make it worse. I try to be super vigilant when crossing crosswalks and driveways when using the sidewalk, but pretty much all of the close calls I've had have been because I was riding moderately fast on the sidewalk.
  - MBlume 9y ago
    We should take land away from motorists, not from pedestrians.
burritojustice 9y ago
Hi! I'm with Mapzen. Setting `use_roads` to zero means a preference for using roads tagged in OpenStreetMap that have bike infrastructure, as opposed to roads without bike lanes. We don't route on sidewalks, and will avoid paths that are tagged `bicycle=no`. You can get a sense of these on our bike map. https://mapzen.com/bikes/ https://mapzen.com/bikes/
- bbarn 9y ago
  Where is your bike lane data from? For example, the chicago loop detail on the linked page is incredibly (years now) out of date, and would send people down routes that have replaced bike lanes with dedicated high speed bus lanes.
  - burritojustice 9y ago
    We use data from OpenStreetMap, meaning you can edit and update information wherever you are, and changes will appear on the map in a matter of days.
- nradov 9y ago
  Have you considered using data from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) in your routing algorithm? You can filter traffic collisions for those involving bicycles in order to identify roads or intersections particularly dangerous for cyclists. http://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/userLogin.jsp http://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/userLogin.jsp

If use_roads is set to zero, will this optimize for roads that include sidewalks?

by novia 9y ago

If use_roads is set to zero, will this optimize for roads that include sidewalks?

Likely not as many (most?) sidewalks aren't officially open to bikes (Regardless of enforcement on the one hand and regardless of some people preferring to use them on the other).

baldfat 9y ago
I remember as a 12 year old a cop swore at me and told me he was going to take my bike if he saw me ride on the sidewalk again. So then 2 blocks later ANOTHER cop is swearing at me calling me crazy and going to drive me home for riding on the road when there was a sidewalk to ride on. I laughed and said the other one told me to get off the sidewalk. He called him and they got in an argument and hung up on him. I just rode my bike on the sidewalk.
- cjf101 9y ago
  Heh, that's awesome. I think it illustrates how confused people are in general about where bikes are supposed to be, which I think is a complicated cross of law, culture, cycling ability, and infrastructure. The police have never hassled me for being on any road on a bike. But man, do the dudes in pickup trucks with truck nuts love to tell me to get off the road.
  - blt 9y ago
    Yeah, it even happened to me in progressive utopia Olympia, WA.
cafard 9y ago
Within the downtown area of Washington, DC, bikes are not allowed on the sidewalk. (This is roughly the area bounded by Massachusetts or Florida Ave. on the north, Georgetown on the west and the Capitol on the east.) Couriers, tourists, and a lot of others disregard the regulation.
nradov 9y ago
It really varies by the city. Some prohibit bikes on sidewalks, others allow them at least in some areas, and some only allow children under a certain age. There's no consistency.

Facemelters 9y ago

I'm guessing it will optimize for dedicated bike paths since you shouldn't be riding your bike on the sidewalk.

Spivak 9y ago
If we added bike lanes to sidewalks rather than roads I think it would solve a lot of the complaints motorists have.
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  But it wouldn't solve many of the complaints that bicyclists and pedestrians have.
- futurix 9y ago
  And raise an even larger amount of complaints from pedestrians.
- ucaetano 9y ago
  That's done in Europe, where sidewalks are wide enough. Most sidewalks in the US aren't wide enough to include a bike lane.
- rhinoceraptor 9y ago
  Riding a bike on the sidewalk (or a divided bike path) is actually pretty dangerous. Cars aren't expecting there to be 15-25 mph traffic when they pull in to driveways or make turns. The most common type of bike accidents are cars failing to yield when turning or using driveways, and divided bike paths and sidewalks only make it worse. I try to be super vigilant when crossing crosswalks and driveways when using the sidewalk, but pretty much all of the close calls I've had have been because I was riding moderately fast on the sidewalk.
- MBlume 9y ago
  We should take land away from motorists, not from pedestrians.

burritojustice 9y ago

Hi! I'm with Mapzen. Setting `use_roads` to zero means a preference for using roads tagged in OpenStreetMap that have bike infrastructure, as opposed to roads without bike lanes. We don't route on sidewalks, and will avoid paths that are tagged `bicycle=no`. You can get a sense of these on our bike map. https://mapzen.com/bikes/ https://mapzen.com/bikes/

bbarn 9y ago
Where is your bike lane data from? For example, the chicago loop detail on the linked page is incredibly (years now) out of date, and would send people down routes that have replaced bike lanes with dedicated high speed bus lanes.
- burritojustice 9y ago
  We use data from OpenStreetMap, meaning you can edit and update information wherever you are, and changes will appear on the map in a matter of days.
nradov 9y ago
Have you considered using data from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) in your routing algorithm? You can filter traffic collisions for those involving bicycles in order to identify roads or intersections particularly dangerous for cyclists. http://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/userLogin.jsp http://iswitrs.chp.ca.gov/Reports/jsp/userLogin.jsp