In a recent partnership, Transport for London (TfL) teamed up with Google to imporve the cycling experience by helping riders find safer and less crowded routes by enhancing their visibility on Google Maps. This collaboration involves TfL sharing data with the American multinational, taking into account factors such as traffic conditions and the availability of well-developed cycling infrastructure. The primary objective of this initiative is to encourage cycling in a city where frequent traffic congestion poses a significant obstacle to smooth transportation.
According to data from TfL, this collaboration could set the foundation for Google Maps to continue working with local government to provide cyclist the best possible route, which is expected to improve more than 60 million cycling journeys across London and the rest of the world every month.
The project was initiated in 2022 when TfL organized a summit to gain insights into the primary challenges faced by cyclists and to identify factors that discourage others from choosing cycling as a mode of transportation. Within the cycling community, it was widely recognized that one of the major obstacles to cycling is the requirement for travel planning tools to incorporate current and up-to-date data.
Since then, the London boroughs built more than 340km of cycle routes, however these are generally not accounted for in journey planning apps, thus not proving the best route for cycling. Therefore, in addition to accounting new cycling infrastructure, soon new Google Maps features will also offer allow cyclists to see what type of road they’ll be cycling on. For example, if it is a major road or a segregated cycle lane. Both parties will continue to work together after rollout and continue updating the app with the creation of further infrastructure.
Such cooperation between major journey planning companies like Google and governmental bodies is also vital within the European Member States if the European Union aims to promote cycling, achieve its emissions reduction goals outlined in the Green New Deal, and meet the targets established in the Cycling Declaration for an improved cycling experience for all