Why Google Maps Doesn't Show Bicycle Routes in Some Areas
If you’ve ever tried to plan a bike ride using Google Maps and got nothing but car roads and pedestrian paths, you’re not alone. Thousands of cyclists in cities like Dublin, Berlin, and Portland hit the same wall: no bicycle option. It’s frustrating. You’ve got a route in mind, you’ve checked the map, and yet-nothing. No green bike lanes, no quiet side streets, no elevation hints. Just a car route that feels unsafe and inefficient. So why does this happen?
Google Maps doesn’t ignore bikes-it just doesn’t always know where they can go
Google Maps doesn’t deliberately leave out cycling. It’s not a conspiracy. The issue is data. For Google to show you a bike route, it needs to know exactly where bike lanes, shared paths, and low-traffic streets exist. And in many places, that data simply isn’t there-or it’s outdated.
In cities like Amsterdam or Copenhagen, Google Maps shows detailed bike routes because local governments have shared high-quality, open data on bike infrastructure. These cities map every protected lane, every bike signal, every ferry that accepts bicycles. Google pulls that in and builds routes around it.
But in places like rural Ireland, parts of the U.S. Midwest, or even some neighborhoods in London, that data doesn’t exist. Streets might have bike lanes painted on them, but if those lanes aren’t recorded in official public datasets, Google can’t show them. It’s not that Google doesn’t care-it’s that it can’t see what isn’t documented.
Why some countries have great bike routes and others don’t
The difference between cities that work well for cyclists and those that don’t comes down to investment and policy. Countries with strong cycling cultures don’t just paint lines on the road-they build networks. They label paths, maintain signage, and feed that data into public systems.
For example, the Netherlands has a national bike path registry maintained by the government. Every kilometer of bike infrastructure is tagged with attributes: width, surface type, lighting, slope, and whether it’s shared with pedestrians. Google Maps uses this data to calculate safe, efficient routes.
In contrast, many U.S. and Irish towns have bike lanes that were added as afterthoughts. A few painted lines on a busy street, no official mapping, no maintenance logs. Google’s algorithms treat those as regular roads because they can’t tell the difference.
Even in cities that claim to be bike-friendly, the data might be incomplete. A bike path might exist on one side of the river, but if the bridge doesn’t have a dedicated bike ramp, Google won’t route you there. It doesn’t guess. It relies on verified inputs.
How Google Maps decides what routes to show
Google Maps doesn’t just pick the shortest path for cyclists. It tries to pick the safest and most practical one. But safety is defined by data, not intuition. It looks for:
- Official bike lanes (with confirmed geometry and type)
- Low-traffic residential streets marked as bike-friendly
- Shared-use paths with legal access for bicycles
- Bike-friendly bridges and tunnels
- Public bike ferry connections
If even one of these elements is missing from the dataset, Google will reroute you onto a main road-even if it’s faster. Why? Because it’s the only option it’s certain is legal and passable.
For example, in Dublin, there’s a well-known bike route along the Grand Canal. But if the canal towpath isn’t officially registered as a public bike path in the city’s open data portal, Google won’t show it. Even if hundreds of cyclists use it daily. Even if it’s safer than the nearby main road.
What you can do when Google Maps fails you
Don’t give up. There are better tools out there-ones built by cyclists, for cyclists.
Komoot is one of the most reliable alternatives. It uses crowd-sourced data from real riders. If a trail is popular, it shows up-even if the city hasn’t officially mapped it. Komoot also shows surface conditions, steepness, and even whether you’ll need to carry your bike up stairs.
OpenStreetMap is the open-source backbone behind many cycling apps. Volunteers worldwide add bike lanes, paths, and restrictions. Apps like CycleStreets (UK) and Bikemap pull from this. In Ireland, OpenStreetMap has surprisingly good coverage thanks to local cycling groups who’ve spent years mapping every quiet lane and off-road trail.
Here’s a simple trick: open Google Maps, type in your destination, then switch to walking mode. Sometimes, the walking route follows a bike-friendly path. If it does, trace that route manually. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than a car route.
How to help fix the problem
The biggest reason Google Maps lacks bike routes isn’t technical-it’s social. If no one reports missing paths, Google won’t know they exist.
You can help:
- Open Google Maps on your phone
- Search for your usual bike route
- Tap the “Send feedback” button at the bottom right
- Select “Missing road or path”
- Draw the exact path you ride, even if it’s just a dirt trail
- Tag it as “Bicycle” and add a note: “This is a safe, popular bike route used daily”
Google receives millions of feedback submissions. Most get ignored. But if enough people report the same route-especially with photos or local knowledge-it gets reviewed. In 2023, over 12,000 new bike paths were added to Google Maps worldwide thanks to user reports. Dublin’s Grand Canal towpath was one of them.
Why other apps work better for cyclists
Apps like Komoot, Ride with GPS, and Cyclopath don’t wait for governments to update their data. They rely on community input. A cyclist in Galway uploads a photo of a new off-road trail. Another cyclist confirms it’s rideable. Within days, it shows up in the app.
These apps also let you customize routes: avoid steep hills, prefer gravel, prioritize quiet streets. Google Maps doesn’t let you do that. It assumes everyone wants the fastest route, regardless of safety or comfort.
And here’s something most people don’t realize: Google Maps doesn’t even show elevation for bike routes in many areas. That’s a huge problem for cyclists. A 5% climb on a quiet road is fine. A 5% climb on a busy highway? Not so much. Apps built for cyclists show you the climb, the surface, and the traffic level-so you can choose wisely.
It’s not about Google being lazy-it’s about who controls the data
The real issue isn’t Google. It’s who owns the data. If your city doesn’t publish bike infrastructure as open data, no app can show it accurately. That’s why cities with good cycling maps also have open data portals.
Look at Portland, Oregon. The city publishes every bike lane, every shared path, every bike signal in a public GeoJSON file. Google, Apple, Komoot-all of them use it. That’s why Portland’s bike routing is among the best in the world.
In Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and local councils are slowly starting to open their data. But it’s patchy. Some counties have full coverage. Others have nothing. That’s why you might get perfect bike routes in Cork but nothing in County Clare.
What’s changing-and what you can expect
Things are improving. In 2024, the EU mandated that all member states publish bike infrastructure data by 2026. Ireland is part of that. That means in the next two years, you should see a big jump in bike route accuracy on Google Maps.
Google is also testing new AI tools that can detect bike lanes from satellite imagery. It’s not perfect yet, but in pilot areas, it’s identified over 800 km of previously unmarked paths. That tech is rolling out slowly, but it’s coming.
For now, though, the best tool you have is you. Report missing paths. Use apps built for cyclists. Talk to your local council. Demand open data. The more people push, the faster Google-and your city-will catch up.
Why doesn’t Google Maps show bike lanes on my street even though they’re painted?
Painted lines alone aren’t enough. Google Maps needs official data confirming the lane is designated for bicycles, maintained, and legally accessible. Many painted lanes are just advisory or poorly enforced, so Google ignores them to avoid misleading users. If you want it included, report the lane through Google Maps feedback with a note that it’s a safe, regularly used bike route.
Can I use Google Maps for cycling at all?
Yes-but only in areas with good data. In cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or parts of Dublin and Galway, Google Maps works well for cycling. In rural areas or places without mapped infrastructure, it often defaults to car routes. Always double-check the route before heading out. Use it as a starting point, not a final guide.
Which app is best for cycling routes in Ireland?
Komoot and OpenStreetMap-based apps like CycleStreets or Bikemap are the most reliable in Ireland. They include user-reported trails, quiet lanes, and off-road paths that Google Maps misses. Many Irish cycling clubs actively update OpenStreetMap, so coverage is surprisingly good in urban and semi-rural areas.
Do bike routes on Google Maps include elevation data?
Sometimes-but only where the underlying data supports it. In many regions, Google Maps doesn’t show hill profiles for bike routes. Apps like Komoot and Ride with GPS always do. If you ride hilly terrain, don’t rely on Google Maps for climbing info. It could lead you onto a steep, unsafe road.
Why does Google Maps sometimes suggest a longer route than the direct road?
Because it’s trying to avoid high-traffic roads, even if it means adding distance. Google Maps prioritizes safety over speed for cycling. A 3-kilometer detour on a quiet lane might be preferred over a 1-kilometer ride on a busy highway. It’s not wrong-it’s just using different criteria than you might expect.
