- A guide to DIY bike route maps: Introduction
- Form a Bikes-as-Transportation Organization
- Draft the initial bike route network
- Present the Bike Routes Concept to the City
- Research Great Bike Maps
- Refine the Bike Routes
- Present the Final Bike Route Network to the City
- Design the Bike Route Map
- Produce the Bike Route Map (with 100% free software)
- Present the Bike Map Design to the City
- Getting Quotes for Printing the Map
- Fundraising for a bike map
- Financial Logistics of being a Lightweight Bike Organization
- Thank Yous
- Distribution and Beyond
Google’s My Maps feature came out just about the time the project started, and I used a similar tool to prepare the first draft of recommend bike routes. At the time, there wasn’t the feature for multiple people to edit the same map, but they’ve since added that feature to Google MyMaps. I recommend Google’s My Maps for collaboratively creating and sharing drafts of bike routes.
“My Maps” also offers the feature to add photos to the map. So, if someone has a question about a particular stretch of road, they can click on the photo and see an example of it, assuming I had taken a photo there and uploaded it. The need for using that feature has somewhat been eclipsed by Google StreetView where it is available.
After getting some feedback from other riders, I was prepared to initially present the idea to the City to get the city’s initial response to the concept. At this point, my question for the city would be: “If I worked with experienced cyclists to develop a final draft of recommended bike routes, would the City consider approving the network as an official network of recommended bike routes?”. I was clear that the simply approving the network could be the first phase of the project. Working out funding for maps and signs could come later. By separating out the funding issues, our cash-strapped city would have an easier time approving the project.
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