I finally decided to add support for creating maps outside of the US. I heard feedback from a couple of users who wanted to use the program for routes outside of the US but were unable to. Today I found time to tackle the problem. The problem arose when I moved to the latest and greatest version of Google’s Maps API. I wrote the program so that it defaulted to using bicycling directions. Unfortunately this is only works for routes in the US, bicycling directions are not available internationally.
In effect this rolls back the directions to how the site used to function. The app asks Google for driving directions which avoid highways. The change in directions only occurs when the app asks for directions. If a route is already plotted you will need to change it slightly to get the new directions. This produces routes that are optimized for time and distance. The distance optimization is fine for cyclists but the time is not. The time is calculated using the assumption that one is driving a car so high speed roads are favored. This will create routes on roads that are undesirable for cycling. On the other hand, if you are a hardcore road rider this may work better for your routes. It will avoid all trails and put you on roads with the least amount of stops. I personally favor roads over trails but I have a good set of mental blinders for heavy traffic.
Lastly I’d like to thank April and Condor for the heads up about the problem. So go try out the new option and let me know what you think!
