CycleStreets route planning

[HJ]

Just found this new site which is intended to be a UK-wide cycle journey planner system, which lets you plan routes from A to B by bike. It is designed by cyclists, for cyclists, and caters for the needs of less both confident and less confident cyclists. Currently it is still in beta and is a wee bit hit and miss, but is worth a look. Give it a go at http://www.cyclestreets.net/...

 

[HJ]

Anyone tried it?

 

[Davywalnuts]

I gave up, was a bit slow for me...

 

[summerdays]

Well I just tried it on the route I took this morning (to a new location that I hadn't been to before). And its got some weird diversions... zig zaging through (and up and down) back streets and avoiding a wide bit of ok busy road (Cheltenham Road - A38) but it has a bus lane running down it making it easy to use.
It did join part of the route I took - up a very steep hill.

The alternative "quiet route" ends up joining a fairly major road (Muller Road) by turning right onto it and almost immediately turning right off it again (the two junctions are about 20m apart). Later in the journey it suggests going up a 25% hill!!! - just described as a quiet street.

It think it may be good to suggest possible alternatives but if you didn't know the area you may be in for a surprise.

 

[mr_cellophane]

Been using it for 4 months or so. It suggested a route which is quieter, smoother and took 10 minutes off my commute even though it was the same length.
Only problem with it I have found is the it has a limit of 25 Km and my old commute was 26

 

[rusky]

tried it with my commute, took a rather odd route, not as direct as my normal commute & more hills one at a 20% gradient!

 

[magnatom]

Complete fail unfortunately. For the fast route it tells me to cycle through the Clyde Tunnel (Road, not path) and this is not allowed and most definitely not to be advised.

The quiet route is a possible alternative for me.

 

[marooncat]

Not impressed I have to say, just used it to see what it said for my route to work. The fastest route was the direct one and I can not argue with that (apart from I never go that way cause it is to short) but it said it could not find a quieter route when I live about 500m from one of the NCR's (which is shown on the map) and this NCR takes you to within 500m of my office so I would have expected that to have been put as the quieter route.

 

[BentMikey]

Haven't tried it. Google maps, GPS, or an A-Z seems to work more than well enough for me.

 

[orienteer]

Tried it once. My trail route went off a local cycle route to make a detour onto a dual carriageway main road!

 

[thomas]

Hmmm. It didn't do too badly.

The fast route isn't the way I take, but I have taken a variation of it once. I found it a little boring so haven't done it again (other than being able to do 40mph at the end of the route which was nice).

the slow route involved going miles and miles extra to avoid certain roads...not really that good a route...however, there aren't really any better choices .

My suggestion would be just to grow some balls and do the same route as me

I think the site could be good for shorter journys...I'm quite happy with the google maps route for most things tbh.