EcoLocalizer

(This is another installment in this week’s “Walk This Way” series on walkable neighborhoods in the U.S.)

If you missed the news last week, Google Maps has added a new feature letting users request walking directions rather than car or public transit directions for trips of less than 10 kilometers (a little over six miles).

The appeal of the new feature is that it gives you directions that don’t make you go out of your way because of one-way streets or paths that aren’t drivable. While a set of car directions might have to follow a circuitous path to get you from Point A to Point B, a set of walking directions lets you take advantage of routes that cars can’t travel but people can.

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At this point, would-be walkers should still be careful to double-check their routes before heading out on foot. Google acknowledges the walking feature is in beta phase, with plenty of tweaks and fine-tuning to come.

“Walking directions work well for short trips in urban areas, but we don’t always know if a street has a sidewalk, or if there’s actually a special pedestrian bridge for crossing a busy street,” says Google software engineer Andy Schwerin. “There are still a lot of pedestrian pathways we don’t know about, and they might save you some time if you find them.”

Schwerin says Google plans to keep collecting new data on pedestrian paths that might not currently be mapped, as well as solicit input from users with suggestions for the best walkable routes. Still, even in beta, the walking feature marks a notable sea change in the way we approach getting from here to there, making foot power an option that we’ve ignored for too long. Good going, Google Maps!

Related Posts:

Walkable Neighborhoods Mean Fitter Residents
‘Walk This Way’ Week: How Pedestrian-Friendly is Your Town?

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