Sustrans on line mapping

www.sustrans.org.uk/map

Sustrans have their own mapping utility. You can draw a route on as with bikely - I found that quite easy to use.

Bikely uses the same base maps as Google maps, which seem to have been getting a lot more accurate lately. Paradoxically Sustrans worked with Google to produce the new facility on Google maps to calculate cycling routes, but the base maps used on their site are OS ones and one of the first things I noticed was that the footbridges over the railway lines near me aren't shown.

The Sustrans maps do show National Cycle Network routes which is useful. Sustrans tell me that they are crowd sourcing info for the maps (not just user added routes). Thus we have yet another apping utility seeking out inormation and competing with all the others.

They also use the term "train station" instead of the usual British English "railway station".

Veloroutes

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=38512

This digital mapping site was tipped in August/September 2009's 'Cycle', CTC's magazine. It's built on the ubiquitous Google maps and looks not unlike bikely, that I think I've mentioned here before. The writer of the letter says it's "American based but covers the UK too". There are too many of these route recording sites, but that doesn't mean this one isn't good.

The specific route I've linked to starts in Creekmouth, Barking, but appears to cross the river there - where there is no means to do so. It then zig zags all over the shop.

Bikely

www.bikely.com

This is a system for sharing bike routes with others. You can record your routes by mousing points onto an on line map, or you can upload data from a GPS unit (.gpx format).

I tried out the mouse-map combination and found it pretty easy to use.

Posted by