4 ms·

I remember Google maps working well for walking around in Europe. Ever since I've moved to America, not so much. Go figure...

by juujian 2mo ago

rsynnott 2mo ago
This is in Ireland. I’ve also noticed it doing very silly things in Germany and the UK. It’s fine for pure walking directions, but it gets unhappy about the idea of someone using public transport walking.
- scarby2 2mo ago
  there really needs to be a configurable rules/decisions engine. I.e. i would prefer to walk everywhere, i will take public transit if it saves me more than 15 minutes total or 5 minutes per leg, evaluate this at every interchange node. There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station.
  - rsynnott 2mo ago
    I'd also be able to tell it "never suggest that I get bus routes A, B or C; they do not in practice turn up on time". > There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station. Had a good one in Amsterdam recently; rather than walk 9 minutes to the nearby central station and get a train there, it wanted me to walk 6 minutes to the central station's metro station entrance (which was a bit closer), get a metro, then join the train at another station entirely. Would have taken about twice as long.
sam_lowry_ 2mo ago
I remember the time when roundabouts were round in Google Maps.
cineticdaffodil 2mo ago
[dead]
WheatMillington 2mo ago
Google isn't making arbitrary decisions here - it's reflecting social norms. Americans aren't big on walking. I've seen pictures of beautiful leafy suburbs that don't even have sidewalks.
- rafram 2mo ago
  This is overstated. At least as of 2017, Americans walked about 93% as much as people in France, for example, and a little more than people in Portugal or Greece. https://www.statista.com/statistics/747380/daily-step-averages-select-countries-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/747380/daily-step-averag...
  - TitaRusell 2mo ago
    Jogging was invented in the US. I think it is more of a class problem than a nationality problem.
  - Krasnol 2mo ago
    I guess it says more about people in France, Portugal and Greece. The difference is: they COULD walk if they wanted. You can't if there is no walkway.
- rsynnott 2mo ago
  Google has giant offices in NYC. Like, you'd think this would have come up.
- xyzelement 2mo ago
  I don't have sidewalks in front of my house but our neighbors all take walks - and walk to main street. A quiet street that sees a few cars an hour doesn't need a sidewalk to be walkable. The other scenario of no sidewalk are like rural roads that are very long with nothing in between. So there sorta "no place to walk to".
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]

I remember Google maps working well for walking around in Europe. Ever since I've moved to America, not so much. Go figure...

by juujian 2mo ago

I remember Google maps working well for walking around in Europe. Ever since I've moved to America, not so much. Go figure...

rsynnott 2mo ago

This is in Ireland. I’ve also noticed it doing very silly things in Germany and the UK. It’s fine for pure walking directions, but it gets unhappy about the idea of someone using public transport walking.

scarby2 2mo ago
there really needs to be a configurable rules/decisions engine. I.e. i would prefer to walk everywhere, i will take public transit if it saves me more than 15 minutes total or 5 minutes per leg, evaluate this at every interchange node. There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station.
- rsynnott 2mo ago
  I'd also be able to tell it "never suggest that I get bus routes A, B or C; they do not in practice turn up on time". > There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station. Had a good one in Amsterdam recently; rather than walk 9 minutes to the nearby central station and get a train there, it wanted me to walk 6 minutes to the central station's metro station entrance (which was a bit closer), get a metro, then join the train at another station entirely. Would have taken about twice as long.

sam_lowry_ 2mo ago

I remember the time when roundabouts were round in Google Maps.

cineticdaffodil 2mo ago

[dead]

WheatMillington 2mo ago

Google isn't making arbitrary decisions here - it's reflecting social norms. Americans aren't big on walking. I've seen pictures of beautiful leafy suburbs that don't even have sidewalks.

rafram 2mo ago
This is overstated. At least as of 2017, Americans walked about 93% as much as people in France, for example, and a little more than people in Portugal or Greece. https://www.statista.com/statistics/747380/daily-step-averages-select-countries-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/747380/daily-step-averag...
- TitaRusell 2mo ago
  Jogging was invented in the US. I think it is more of a class problem than a nationality problem.
- Krasnol 2mo ago
  I guess it says more about people in France, Portugal and Greece. The difference is: they COULD walk if they wanted. You can't if there is no walkway.
rsynnott 2mo ago
Google has giant offices in NYC. Like, you'd think this would have come up.
xyzelement 2mo ago
I don't have sidewalks in front of my house but our neighbors all take walks - and walk to main street. A quiet street that sees a few cars an hour doesn't need a sidewalk to be walkable. The other scenario of no sidewalk are like rural roads that are very long with nothing in between. So there sorta "no place to walk to".

deleted 2mo ago

[deleted]