COVID-19 Cycling has grown to such an extent, with a 69% increase in cycle lane searches since February 2020. Realizing that the trend continues, Google is now able to provide impressive information on what is happening in the world of cycling. This capability mainly comes from data from Google Search, Google Chrome and Google Maps.
The Mountain View firm’s mapping app records the habits of cyclists around the world. Currently, specific itineraries are available on Google Maps in about thirty countries. The selection of these tours is based on the billions of routes that have been downloaded multiple times.
Google Maps was first introduced in 2005, but bike-specific features have been added since 2010. The aim was to make the app more attractive to all cyclists.
Google collaborated with local authorities to enrich its data
Now that’s what it’s called “A Glimpse of the Year of Cycling” Thanks to a combination of data obtained over the course of an entire year on Google Maps. The company worked with local authorities to integrate the all-new cycling infrastructure into its map. Last year, about 150,000 km of new cycle routes were added to it.
According to Google, Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, Japan and France are the countries where cycling is most popular. In addition, the most favorable cities for this hobby are Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Munich.
The United States is not on this list, but there are several US cycling cities that are some of the best. These are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC.
more varied and longer routes
Since 2021, the number of bicycle routes recommended by Google Maps has increased by 10%. In San Francisco, they are 15% longer, and in Ireland 50%.
Google data also shows that more and more athletes are cycling longer routes, which are sometimes beyond imagination.
These figures are based on data set for people in more than 30 countries that exclusively use Google Maps. Yet they should be taken with a grain of salt, as these are the only cyclists with smartphones and developing countries do not make the list.