PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- With the old gas-guzzler in the garage, you've got your bicycle ready and your sneakers laced up. Now all you need is a map of the quickest, safest routes for riding around town. Well, not so fast.
Cyclists, such as this rider in Philadelphia, are finding more Internet maps showing bike and walking routes.
As more commuters consider ditching their cars to save money on gas, Internet mapping services, cities and community groups are being pushed to lay out the best routes for biking and walking -- just like drivers have found online for years.
Technical and practical roadblocks stand between such a network becoming ubiquitous, but there are signs of progress in this world of $4-a-gallon gas.
Google Inc. just launched a walking-directions service. MapQuest is reporting more use of its "avoid highways" function and offering a walking directions service on cell phones. And some cities have developed detailed online maps to help walkers, bikers and transit-riders find the fastest routes.
"They haven't yet reached the Holy Grail of `I want to go from here to there, show me my options,"' said Bryce Nesbitt, a walking and biking advocate in the San Francisco area.
The first challenge: how to account for factors that make bicycle and walking routes different from driving paths.
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