OP
OP
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Online route planner for Plymouth to Cambridge
- Thread starter Dave 123
- Start date
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mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
As someone that has previously ended up IN a canal due to poor route planning on RWGPS - I know only too well...
steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
The trouble with RWGPS is that they don't actually plan routes for you themselves - they rely on Google Maps' interpretation of what roads/paths are suitable for bikes and then just follow the shortest route available that Google's algorithm gives them from there. That's not a dig at them - I can name a whole bunch of other cycling websites that do exactly the same thing, including MapMyRide - and you can't blame them for essentially outsourcing what is otherwise quite a tricky thing to program for.
You can test out my theory for yourself by just sticking down a start and an end point with no intermediates on RWGPS (or your favourite site) with the "Optimise for Cycling" button selected, then try plotting the same points on Google Maps and select to travel by bike and I think you'll find the results to be virtually identical. Then do the same but select "Optimize for Driving" (to avoid cycle paths) and once again it should be the same as Google's directions for cars.
While routing via Strava may have it's own quirks, the fact that they are using crowdsourced data, even if there is an element of segment hunting in there, means it will at the very least give a "different" option to everyone else who is using Google's data and that is to be welcomed.
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jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
Let's count our blessings. We have superb 100% free sites generally.
mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
We're not talking about the map, we're talking about the route plotting. Which is crap - and seemingly based on google's plotting mechanism (I believe, I haven't verified)
steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
Actually having just had a bit of a play, if you choose a non-Google map, it looks like RWGPS uses the OSM route plotter instead of the Google one, which I believe is also what Strava uses if you turn off the "Popularity" option on their route builder.
As I said, I'm not having a dig at RWGPS - in fact I use them from time to time to map my routes, as I find their ride elevation estimate to be more accurate than Strava or Garmin Connect (my other two usual choices) - I was just making the point that no matter what site you use, 99% of them are falling back on the same data and mapping engines as each other at the end of the day (as it's too much hassle to write your own), so you'll end up getting very similar results regardless of website.
As I said, I'm not having a dig at RWGPS - in fact I use them from time to time to map my routes, as I find their ride elevation estimate to be more accurate than Strava or Garmin Connect (my other two usual choices) - I was just making the point that no matter what site you use, 99% of them are falling back on the same data and mapping engines as each other at the end of the day (as it's too much hassle to write your own), so you'll end up getting very similar results regardless of website.
mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
So - if you're telling me that the other maps use different plotting algorithms (I have no reason to believe otherwise!) do they fair any better at not forcing the route onto unsuitable "cycle paths" than the google one?
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Much easier to say someone's wrong and imply one is making claims about routing software without actually doing so by listing irrelevant facts like the list of possible maps, isn't it?
mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
mythste
Veteran
- Location
- Manchester
My issue is that if I'm planning a route, it's usually somewhere I havent been before (that's the point of GPS, right?
) and as such, it can be difficult to work out whats a busy A road, whats a free flowing A road, whats a usable canal path, and whats not!I like strava because crowd sourced information gives me a bit of a better idea. I'm a big believer in having as much information as possible!
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Not ever so difficult these days. Click a section of route on cycle.travel's map and you can choose between streetviews and geograph photos.My issue is that if I'm planning a route, it's usually somewhere I havent been before (that's the point of GPS, right?
Trouble is that Strava users tend to eschew even fairly good wide tarmac cycle tracks in favour of unfriendly busy A-roads where they can hit higher top speeds, at least in areas I know best and have checked the heatmaps for.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
That would be a big mistake. As you know Auto routing and GPS devices have a mind of their own and if you don't check the route, you could meet yourself coming back.
Having said that, My Garmin Touring is pretty good at getting me to where I want to be. But not always on the route I would choose.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
Do you have a Garmin bike GPS_
