Thread

1. rsynnott · 1786042389 · focus · HN ↗

   Adding “running” to the list of things that Google engineers apparently don’t do.

   Where it joins “walking”. Google Maps will suggest almost arbitrarily bonkers public transport directions to avoid walking. Personal favourite: the sensible way to get from my house to work, unless the weather is terrible, is six minutes on a train and a 15 min walk. Google Maps would, generally, prefer that I spend 15 mins on the train going mostly the wrong direction and 15 minutes on a tram, then a five minute walk. It will also contemplate a ten minute walk, ten minutes walking being within the threshold Google deems physically possible, plus an arbitrary amount of time on a rather slow bus. Apple Maps and Transit are better at this.

   1. juujian · 1786042562 · focus · HN ↗

      I remember Google maps working well for walking around in Europe. Ever since I've moved to America, not so much. Go figure...

      1. rsynnott · 1786042796 · focus · HN ↗

         This is in Ireland. I’ve also noticed it doing very silly things in Germany and the UK.

         It’s fine for pure walking directions, but it gets unhappy about the idea of someone using public transport walking.

         1. scarby2 · 1786043931 · focus · HN ↗

            there really needs to be a configurable rules/decisions engine. I.e. i would prefer to walk everywhere, i will take public transit if it saves me more than 15 minutes total or 5 minutes per leg, evaluate this at every interchange node.

            There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station.

            1. rsynnott · 1786048962 · focus · HN ↗

               I'd also be able to tell it "never suggest that I get bus routes A, B or C; they do not in practice turn up on time".

               > There are some routings in london for example where the best course of action is actually to take a train, get off walk 5 minutes then take a different train, google will always tell you to stay on the train to a point where you can change trains in the same station.

               Had a good one in Amsterdam recently; rather than walk 9 minutes to the nearby central station and get a train there, it wanted me to walk 6 minutes to the central station's metro station entrance (which was a bit closer), get a metro, then join the train at another station entirely. Would have taken about twice as long.

      2. sam_lowry_ · 1786042865 · focus · HN ↗

         I remember the time when roundabouts were round in Google Maps.
      3. cineticdaffodil · 1786043382 · focus · HN ↗

         [dead]

      4. WheatMillington · 1786045006 · focus · HN ↗

         Google isn't making arbitrary decisions here - it's reflecting social norms. Americans aren't big on walking. I've seen pictures of beautiful leafy suburbs that don't even have sidewalks.

         1. rafram · 1786045620 · focus · HN ↗

            This is overstated. At least as of 2017, Americans walked about 93% as much as people in France, for example, and a little more than people in Portugal or Greece.

            <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statista.com&#x2F;statistics&#x2F;747380&#x2F;daily-step-averages-select-countries-worldwide&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statista.com&#x2F;statistics&#x2F;747380&#x2F;daily-step-averag...

            1. TitaRusell · 1786048139 · focus · HN ↗

               Jogging was invented in the US. I think it is more of a class problem than a nationality problem.
            2. Krasnol · 1786048160 · focus · HN ↗

               I guess it says more about people in France, Portugal and Greece.

               The difference is: they COULD walk if they wanted.

               You can&#x27;t if there is no walkway.

         2. rsynnott · 1786049000 · focus · HN ↗

            Google has giant offices in NYC. Like, you&#x27;d think this would have come up.
      5. JohnFen · 1786053839 · focus · HN ↗

         The quality of Google&#x27;s directions is, in my experience, wildly inconsistent in the US. In some areas, it works extremely well. In others, it&#x27;s worse than useless. Most of the time, it&#x27;s on poor side of the middle of those extremes.

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