Bike Lane Mapping
The cyclists I interviewed were in the dark as to how bike lanes are factored in to Google Maps’ route suggestions. But the extent to which a route utilizes bike lanes was of highest concern to them. They wanted to be able to see where the bike lanes were on the route map before starting a bike ride.
Furthermore, urban cyclists know all bike paths are not created equal. A bike path separated from vehicle traffic is categorically different than a traffic lane that has a bike painted on it, merely indicating drivers should somehow "share" the road. Cyclists wished they could also know what types of bike paths lay ahead of them on their route.
But how to succinctly categorize the different types of bike "lanes" both in terminology and visually on the map?
For terminology, I used pairs of descriptive terms starting with "bike path (separated)" to indicate the best scenario–a path exclusive to bikes separated by barrier or some distance from vehicle lanes. Secondly, a "bike lane (adjacent)" indication would mean a lane exclusive to bikes, but directly adjacent to a vehicle traffic lane. And finally, the category "street (shared)" would indicate a vehicle traffic lane that is shared with cars.
Visually, I decided that a solid line would convey the ideal, the "bike path." A dashed line would be the less ideal "bike lane." And lastly, the dotted line would mean the least desirable "street."
A solid line indicates uninterrupted "smooth sailing" with presumably only other cyclists to navigate around, a dashed line indicating more potential for obstacles like parked delivery vans impeding the cyclist's way through, and a dotted line being the most chaotic route line where potential obstacles in the way of cyclists abound (namely, vehicle traffic).
New York City cyclists over and over again wanted as much relevant information as possible before hitting the road and committing themselves to whatever obstacles lay ahead on their chosen route. It often wasn't just about convenience for them, but their own safety.
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Full case study is here.