3 ms·

For someone who has done his faire share of bicycle touring using Google Maps, I can't count the number of times it has taken me to barren fields in the country

For someone who has done his faire share of bicycle touring using Google Maps, I can't count the number of times it has taken me to barren fields in the countryside pushing my bike through mud. It even got me almost arrested once in France, taking me riding on the shoulder of a 110km/h highway with no exit in sight. For anyone getting into touring, Komoot is much better for cyclists.

wott 6y ago
> It even got me almost arrested once in France, taking me riding on the shoulder of a 110km/h highway with no exit in sight. It is very possible it was legal, so you wouldn't have been arrested. For example, I ended up on that road: https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.8894892,-0.9627792,3a,75y,325.31h,90.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAwsGvZzoN2Kmed4_qF-8xw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=fr https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.8894892,-0.9627792,3a,75y,325... 110 km/h speed limit, and yet not a single "motor vehicles only" sign (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'indication_d'une_route_%C3%A0_acc%C3%A8s_r%C3%A9glement%C3%A9_en_France https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'indication_d'une_rou...) on any of the entrances. Not even a "forbidden to cyclists" sign (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'interdiction_d'acc%C3%A8s_aux_cycles_en_France https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'interdiction_d'acc%C...). Yep, that's crazy. I actually didn't get "on" the road, I stopped before the insertion lane was over, and cautiously walked back 200 or 300 m to the entry point (because of course this part was one-way, and the last thing drivers expect is meeting a cyclist there, in a forbidden direction, especially right when they prepare to speed up to insert into highway traffic). I looked for the warning/interdiction sign I had probably missed: there was no sign. And you check any entrance on Streetview if you have time to lose, you won't find any. Worst thing? I had to take that road anyway a bit later (farther), because it is the only bridge around, and I was late. I had already taken that horrendous bridge in the morning and I had sworn I would never take it again, but I had no choice. https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.9202881,-0.9689672,3a,75y,140.98h,93.98t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfDSbJtRka-imbKTRwHDS2g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=fr https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.9202881,-0.9689672,3a,75y,140... See how narrow both the bike lane and the car lane are? And when I was there it wasn't practically a car lane but a lorry lane. Speed limit is 70 km/h but all of them overspeed. And anyway, the bridge is damn high, so you are (well, I was) stuck at 15 km/h in your little painted lane with a wall lorries passing 50 cm away 50 or 60 km/h faster. Of course, over this kind of bridge, you may add some wind, possibly sideways, to fully enjoy your cohabitation. And then you go down, still in your 70 cm wide lane, as it is as steep as when you climbed, you reach 50 km/h, perhaps 60 km/h, and all of sudden, first you meet a large hole in the road where the bridge deck articulates with the ground part, and right after you jump over the hole, the bike lane turns right and the only possible way to turn is to come to basically a full stop. Then you stop for a while to calm down. I think that's my worse cycling memory.

wott 6y ago

> It even got me almost arrested once in France, taking me riding on the shoulder of a 110km/h highway with no exit in sight. It is very possible it was legal, so you wouldn't have been arrested. For example, I ended up on that road: https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.8894892,-0.9627792,3a,75y,325.31h,90.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAwsGvZzoN2Kmed4_qF-8xw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=fr https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.8894892,-0.9627792,3a,75y,325... 110 km/h speed limit, and yet not a single "motor vehicles only" sign (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'indication_d'une_route_%C3%A0_acc%C3%A8s_r%C3%A9glement%C3%A9_en_France https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'indication_d'une_rou...) on any of the entrances. Not even a "forbidden to cyclists" sign (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'interdiction_d'acc%C3%A8s_aux_cycles_en_France https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_d'interdiction_d'acc%C...). Yep, that's crazy. I actually didn't get "on" the road, I stopped before the insertion lane was over, and cautiously walked back 200 or 300 m to the entry point (because of course this part was one-way, and the last thing drivers expect is meeting a cyclist there, in a forbidden direction, especially right when they prepare to speed up to insert into highway traffic). I looked for the warning/interdiction sign I had probably missed: there was no sign. And you check any entrance on Streetview if you have time to lose, you won't find any. Worst thing? I had to take that road anyway a bit later (farther), because it is the only bridge around, and I was late. I had already taken that horrendous bridge in the morning and I had sworn I would never take it again, but I had no choice. https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.9202881,-0.9689672,3a,75y,140.98h,93.98t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfDSbJtRka-imbKTRwHDS2g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=fr https://www.google.fr/maps/@45.9202881,-0.9689672,3a,75y,140... See how narrow both the bike lane and the car lane are? And when I was there it wasn't practically a car lane but a lorry lane. Speed limit is 70 km/h but all of them overspeed. And anyway, the bridge is damn high, so you are (well, I was) stuck at 15 km/h in your little painted lane with a wall lorries passing 50 cm away 50 or 60 km/h faster. Of course, over this kind of bridge, you may add some wind, possibly sideways, to fully enjoy your cohabitation. And then you go down, still in your 70 cm wide lane, as it is as steep as when you climbed, you reach 50 km/h, perhaps 60 km/h, and all of sudden, first you meet a large hole in the road where the bridge deck articulates with the ground part, and right after you jump over the hole, the bike lane turns right and the only possible way to turn is to come to basically a full stop. Then you stop for a while to calm down. I think that's my worse cycling memory.