Equivalent of Google StreetView for bicycle paths?

[Shut Up Legs]

I was wondering if any of you knew about any equivalent of Google StreetView for bicycle (or shared) paths? Sometimes, I want to explore off-road routes, but get frustrated by the lack of StreetView coverage of these, especially for bicycle/shared paths.

Given the prevalence of bicycle (and cyclist) mounted video cameras these days, I can imagine a website like a cross between Google StreetView and OpenStreetMaps, i.e. where the image coverage of routes not covered by Google StreetView is compiled from user-provided videos.

I guess is someone had the time and inclination, such a website would be popular, although compiling the "street" view from the videos would be tricky I imagine.

Comments, anyone?

 

[classic33]

Google had/have the StreetView trikes for just such a purpose.

 

[Keith Oates]

The idea is good but it would be a huge undertaking to compile extensive coverage !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

same for canals, railways etc... best option currently seem to be the satellite images option zooming right the way in, but that assumes that you are in an area that has been redone at a decent level of detail quite recently...

 

[Ganymede]

I find some cycle paths show up on Google maps when you "Get Directions" and click the bike logo. However not everything shows up - particularly shared paths that are actually just pavements with a blue sign, and on satellite they are indistinguishable anyway. They also show National Cycle Routes as a green dotted line.

This is not StreetView of course.

 

[Tim Hall]

But surely if you're "exploring" you won't want/need to see what the paths are like. Go boldly (or boldy go) and find out.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

But surely if you're "exploring" you won't want/need to see what the paths are like. Go boldly (or boldy go) and find out.

I am usually trying to work out which bike I should be using on them to 'boldly go' when I need to know!

 

[I like Skol]

But surely if you're "exploring" you won't want/need to see what the paths are like. Go boldly (or boldy go) and find out.

THIS^^^^
Where the hell has the sense of adventure gone in todays risk averse society? Part of the fun and freedom of having a cycle as I grew up was the exploring and finding out which roads linked up which towns and which paths linked up which roads. Sometimes it was great, sometimes I would end up carrying my bike across a rutted field and sometimes have to turn back due to private properties, locked gates or dead ends. What's the worst that can happen? You might have to turn back and try the next turn.....
Life doesn't have to be prepared in advance, sometimes the surprises that turn up along the way are even better than anything you could have planned.

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

There is such a site and it's called Geograph... and it's wonderful. Crowd-sourced photos rather than 360° panoramas, but that's all you need. (It's UK and Ireland only, sadly.)

I worked with the lovely Geograph people to integrate it into my routeplanner at cycle.travel. It works like this:

1. Go to cycle.travel/map
2. Plan route (by typing places or clicking on map)
3. Drag route if it doesn't go the way you want
4. Click on section of route to see pictures

Example (picture tells a thousand words, and all that):

 

[steveindenmark]

THIS^^^^
Where the hell has the sense of adventure gone in todays risk averse society? Part of the fun and freedom of having a cycle as I grew up was the exploring and finding out which roads linked up which towns and which paths linked up which roads. Sometimes it was great, sometimes I would end up carrying my bike across a rutted field and sometimes have to turn back due to private properties, locked gates or dead ends. What's the worst that can happen? You might have to turn back and try the next turn.....
Life doesn't have to be prepared in advance, sometimes the surprises that turn up along the way are even better than anything you could have planned.

You are entitled to your opinion but other people like to plan ahead.

 

[I like Skol]

You are entitled to your opinion but other people like to plan ahead.

I'm not saying set off on a 50 mile trip without looking at a map but do we really need to send someone ahead to take yard by yard footage of the route so we don't step in a dog turd?

 

[steveindenmark]

I'm not saying set off on a 50 mile trip without looking at a map but do we really need to send someone ahead to take yard by yard footage of the route so we don't step in a dog turd?

No of course you dont and it does not happen that way. It is hard to be objective if you have never used these devices. I think if you tried one for a summer you would come back and say it had some merits. You may not buy one but you would see its advantages.

When you drove trucks did you have a huge box of A to Z maps for all over the UK? I know I did. You can now buy aTom Tom programme for trucks that does it all for you. Bridge heights, road widths, the lot. I would go for the Tom Tom. But if you prefer the maps, thats fine as well.

 

[I like Skol]

When you drove trucks did you have a huge box of A to Z maps for all over the UK? I know I did. You can now buy aTom Tom programme for trucks that does it all for you. Bridge heights, road widths, the lot. I would go for the Tom Tom. But if you prefer the maps, thats fine as well.

I did have a library of AtoZ maps and binned them all when I went tomtom (I am not going to pretend to be a real driver by the way, only vans for me). When driving for a living you don't want to p1ss about wasting 30-60 minutes trying to find your drop when you need to drive 200 miles back to base to load up for the next day. TomTom was great for this, not needed for 98% of the drive as you know the way to most towns already, but great for the last two miles finding the way to that specific office block, warehouse, retail park etc.

I have not said satnav for bikes shouldn't be used or that I disapprove of it, it just isn't the way I do my cycling. My comments are in response to the OP who claimed the desire to explore, providing someone else has been there before and taken pictures so he knows what he is going to find. Not how I would define exploring. It just seems that some people are afraid to step beyond the end of their street if they can't look at it on the internet first....

 

[steveindenmark]

I missed that bit. I like to go where people have not been but prefer not getting lost on the way to it.

 

[Arjimlad]

Take Raffia the camel on some nice trail rides !

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/09/travel/google-street-view-camel/index.html