[pimlottc]

It would be fantastic if Google Maps and the like could take this into account when searching instead of just naively relying on distance. 2 miles away along a well-developed transit corridor is much "closer" to me than 2 miles away in a direction with no bus or rail options.

Sometimes I'd be happy to go halfway across town if I can just take a single train there and it's close by the station. Especially if it involves picking up packages or heavily items.

[asdff]

Google maps is pretty basic for its routing. For example, I use a skateboard to commute to transit stops. It effectively cuts walk times in half or more and is easy to carry on a crowded train. There is no way to set this average walking/skating speed, however, so the routes they choose are not optimal and require my own localized knowledge of the transit network and schedule, and knowing the best routes for skating fast. This doesn't just affect skaters, but people who might have a bike or scooter they can use between transit trips. You can imagine all the much more optimal routings that become possible when you can suddenly move 10-15mph on a whim between point A and B.

[NoToP]

Google maps seems to have evolved into something by and for car-centric user base.

[pimlottc]

Definitely. Offline maps are great but the only offline routing option is by car. If you want to walk, you have to figure it out yourself based on the driving directions.

I can see from a business point of view that it might make sense to optimize for drivers, but it's irresponsible of them to ignore the impact they have on users. They're creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

[asdff]

Google only draws on the offline maps for me when I shut off my data. If I have a spotty connection, google maps will try and pull fresh data including the road mapping. Shut off LTE and suddenly the app works instantly.

[atyppo]

Apple didn’t exactly do a speedy rollout of bike directions in their Maps app. I find it hard to blame Google here. Seems more like a symptom of our society to me.

[asdff]

The best transit app I use is this ancient mobile website from my local transit agency. It just has a live map of a chose route and shows where the busses are, and it looks like its some original mobile web app type of stuff like from 15 years ago. What makes it great is how lightweight it is. If I have a spotty data connection or I want to preserve battery, I know I can rely on it a lot more than google maps or other bloated transit apps.