Googles new lite navigation mode takes care of those needs.
Satellite navigation is a fantastic tool for city cyclists.
“Dedicated navigation is important for cyclists because we often use different routes and directions than a motorized vehicle.
Flo Karr / Unsplash
)Chaz Wylandtold Lifewire via email.
Dangers
Turn-by-turn navigation for cyclists has its place.
But you dont always want the full turn-by-turn experience.
Say youre out on a long ride, and you have a general idea of the route.
In these cases, Googles new lite mode has options.
For example, turn-by turn is decoupled from the map.
If you want it, its there.
Another advantage to bike-first navigation is it can route you differently.
Google Maps already offers bike routes, and the lite navigation mode does too.
This is safer and more pleasant than choking down car fumes on major roads.
It may even be faster, too, because bikes can take shortcuts not open to cars.
Many of these car-focused apps limit the possible routing by not considering other established routes,” says Wyland.
Comforts
Its not just about the directions you take, either.
It zig-zags from Market Street to Golden Gate Park, and avoids San Franciscos hills.
This is the kind of thing a good bike-nav app should know about.
This is also good for remote locations without cell phone coverage, or for travelers to foreign countries.
We might have to share the roads with cars, but we dont have to share our apps.
