It's not the first when Google Maps has strange directions. This time, if you want to go from Stanford to Stockholm, Google recommends to "swim across the Atlantic Ocean" (only 3,462 miles).
Last month, Google Maps transformed a short walk into a journey of 18 minutes. "For most people, the journey from the Shelbourne Hotel at 200 Sussex Street to Google's Sydney headquarters across the road at 201 Sussex Street would be a 30-step, 30-second trip. But according to Google's new mapping service, the recommended route would see you take a 10.4-kilometre scenic detour that involves crossing the Harbour Bridge twice," reported Sydney Morning Herald in February.
In January, Digg uncovered that you had to make a lot of U-turns to get from Bensalem to North Brunswick. It turned out that Google's driving direction engine had a bug that created an infinite loop.
So next time take Google Maps' drive directions with a grain of salt.
According to gMaps, it takes 29 days to swim the 3,463 miles of the Atlantic ocean. Thats a rate of 5 mi/hr, traffic permitting (hehe). In contrast the world record for Mens 1500 meter freestyle is 15min and 15 sec held by Thomas Lurz of Germany. That is a rate of about 3.7 mi/hr. Anyone up for a swim? =P
Note: 29 day estimate is from gMap's driving directions starting at "Long Wharf, Boston, MA" and ending at "Pont Vauban, Seine-Maritime, Upper-Normandy, France"
1) These are DRIVING directions, not WALKING directions. So Google Mapes take into account one-way roads. 2) U-turns appear where it thinks the road is a divided highway, so you cannot simply turn left, you need to go to the place where the divider ends, do a U-turn, and go back to destination.
Sorry, WeshaTheLeopard, but you're wrong. The infinite U-Turns* was a bug. I didn't include the full screenshot, but there were 70 or more consecutive U-Turns. The directions have been fixed and look much better.
*U-turn = performing a 180 degree rotation in order to reverse direction of travel.
WeshaTheLeopard said on March 30, 2007 4:03 PM PDT:
OK, 70 U-turns is a little too much, true. But sometimes U-turns are justified. Let me show you. I choose the route that I can recall for sure, and though it's slightly off, it still illustrate the idea.
The question is: why taking Diehl-Park-Shuman route when you could have taken Diehl-Washington-Shuman route which is 50% shorter?
The answer is: Shuman is a divided street. You can turn left from Washington onto Shuman, but you can't turn left off Shuman into the parking lot. Google suggests one way of overcoming this. Another would be: turn right onto Washington; turn left onto Shuman; go to the intersection with Park; do a U-turn; drive on Shuman in the opposite direction till you hit the destination.
The funniest part however: Shuman is NOT divided between Washington and destination (zoom in on sat picture); the divider starts a little further down the road. :)
The first picture looks like an April Fools prank (We are close to April 1st), while the others look like bugs or necesary upgrades (choose between driving or walking directions).
Last week I had my run-in with one of these "glitches": I asked Maps to get me the driving directions from home to ah Hotel on the other side of the island (I live in Puerto Rico). I'm sure it generated a map with the shortest distance, but it took me through a panoramic road with a lot of hills and curves, instead of taking me through the express way. It took me an additional hour or more to get to my destination. Also, being this road part of a tourist atraction with a lot of shops on the way, traffic was heavy.
The first one was a glitch Danielle not an april fools joke :-). Try getting directions from New York, New York to Paris, France. Instruction 23 tell's you to swim nearly 2,500 miles across the ocaean LOL.
don't be so daft. of course it is a joke. it cannot possibly be a glitch! did you not bother to read the word SWIM right there??? how did that word pop up in a DRIVING instruction? loool@the guy trying to be smart by saying it's a glitch! hahahahaha!!!
I found some funny directions when I was searching for an indian restaurant near some place in washington,DC. 34th direction was 34. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean Entering United States (Massachusetts) - 3,462 mi
Even I found one funny direction when I was searching for an indian restaurant in DC. 34th direction was .. 34. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean Entering United States (Massachusetts) 3,462 mi 29 days 0 hours
Why does Google assume everyone drives. In a place like inner London, more people are on foot - few drive. Yet there doesn't seem to be an ability to get 'foot' directions... And, because, there are many one-way streets, the driving directions are likely to be very different (that's why people walk, rather than drive)....
I think most of you are missing the point. Sometimes an automated mapping system makes mistakes that are funny to a rational human mind - appreciate the humor and move on.
Why complain about google maps not offering driving directions / not avoiding tourist filled roads / etc.? If you don't like it, don't use it! From my perspective it's an amazing FREE tool that is incredibly helpful most of the time.
I think this is great... helps fight obesity with infinite walking loops (or an opportunity to burn some calories swimming at 5mph). Way to go, Google.
it says kayak when you are in drive mode and it says swim when you are in walk mode. type into directions, new lambton,australia to new york. it will tell you to drive the tip of australia then kayak to japan,drive around japan the kayak to america and drive to new york.
I like how it assumes you'll have a Kayak and also assumes you're capable of Kayaking 2,756 miles on a trip from the mainland to Hawaii. I wonder what Google has against a row boat or sailboat anyway?
