Business by Bike

Every ride day Katie and I get up early in the morning to route our trip. And every time we struggle with the same dilemma: how do we get there most efficiently while utilizing the safest biking ways? Most often we use Google map’s biking directions which are ever improving. Google has done an incredible job of documenting all the dedicated trails, paths, and lanes but the bikeways themselves tend to be the issue.

Dedicated bikeways are most often created with recreation in mind. They mingle through parks, snake along creeks, or borrow the footprint of abandoned railway lines. Rarely do they go directly from town to town.  They’re almost never direct.As a business, especially one on bikes hauling our gear, we have to keep our eye on the schedule. For example, here’s the biking direction to our next stop, Bethleham, PA.

Obviously, we need to choose the most direct route we can find without taking unreasonable risks. It’s heartbreaking sometimes to pass up all the lauded rails-to-trail ways out here in the Northeast, but we got to get there. So tomorrow, we’ll ride something like this:

That’s almost 20 miles less riding! I propose that Google Maps offer a “recreational route” and a “business route” for their bicycle directions. This ability would make it easy for the Sunday morning rider to map his pleasure ride as well as the enterprising bicycle delivery boy to be a little more earth friendly.