First I must say that this map is a great start with wonderful potential. It would be great to have maps such as these for every county in New Jersey.
However, the new Mercer County Bikeability Map, while an "OK" start leaves much to be desired. Too many (but no where near a majority) roadways that are relatively safe to ride on are considered "Unfavorable" while others that I would never ride on (and I'm a very bold and experienced rider) are given "Excellent" ratings. Unfortunately I have personally found this to be an all too common problem with many bicycle suitability maps pubilished for New Jersey counties.
Now admittedly, this is a work in progress with the DVRPC, who put this map together, looking for comments to improve the map. I hope New Jersey cyclists that are familiar with Mercer County's roadways go to town on this map and plaster it full of comments to improve it. It is definately a product that has potential and I support the DVRPC for putting it together.
Andy - thanks for posting the link. We're hoping that the "wiki" aspect of the site will help us improve our dataset and address just those sorts of criticisms; we'd appreciate *your* comments where you think our scores are off!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Greg, DVRPC