Forum: travel.stackexchange.com
Tags: <uk><online-resources><routes><bicycles><travel-tools>
Title: Is there an app that will calculate a route off main roads for cycling?
Question: I want to go for a short cycle tour but I want to avoid main roads. Is there an app for that?

Answers:
sents: text: For UK based routes (this is where I think you are, judging by your profile)
text: you can use CycleStreets .
text: It’s also available as an app on most phone platforms (Apple, Android, Windows Phone).
text: Input your start and end points then when you get a route select the "Quietest Route" tab.
text: That should give you either cycle paths or quieter roads.
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/40959/JenniP
score: 20
sents: text: I've always quite liked http://cycle.travel - UK oriented but the map interface is OpenStreetMap based so can handle overseas as well.
text: Website not an app, but may still be useful.
text: It defaults to low-traffic-roads (calculated from known traffic data, not simply road classification) and includes a very useful height mapper display, so you can tweak a proposed route to avoid steep hills.
text: It also offers randomly generated "short tours" - given a defined start point and distance, it will try to come up with possible cycle routes in the local area.
text: For example, " twenty miles round trip to something near Cambridge ", or " a hotel fifty miles from Leeds with a route there and back ".
text: Quite a clever idea, IMO, though I've not tested any of them out...
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/29889/Andrew
score: 8
sents: text: I use Strava for ride route mapping, and it works okay.
text: Some local knowledge helps avoid possible pitfalls.
text: It doesn't specifically avoid main roads, but the "use popularity" switch will favour roads where cyclists go.
text: You can also "minimise elevation"
text: if you would rather go around than over something.
text: Example - here's our planned lunchtime route at work tomorrow.
text: https://www.strava.com/routes/4970649 Note: This question would be better asked on https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/ where it would be on topic.
text: Software is deemed off-topic for https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/43619/Criggie
score: 3
sents: text: Take a look at GPSies , people share routes there and you can find one fitting your criteria.
text: You may also like to combine it with OpenStreetMap.org and Wikimapia.org to select the most appropriate route.
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/43638/Theodore Kornale
score: 3
sents: text: Google Maps has that capability.
text: It is probably not the greatest in the world, but free, and many people have it anyway.
text: After you have chosen you target and directions as usual, you can switch to different locomotion modes; car is on the very left (and the default), but there is also public transportation, pedestrian, bicycle, and plane.
text: in addition you should probably choose the option 'avoid
text: main roads' My experience is that it is pretty good (good enough for me, I use it)
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/37993/Aganju
score: 1
sents: text: I've used Google Maps for cycling in the US.
text: So far it's been great
text: - it gives you cycling roads and avoids the more "dangerous" roads, gives you a small graph of the hills you need to go through, works on the phone/watch etc.
text: Hope that helps!
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/43680/user6344199
score: 1
sents: text: TomTom (App, Hardware Devices) have the capability to choose "winding road".
text: This is mostly aimed ad motorcyclists, avoids busy roads and tries to choose "interesting" roads instead.
text: I would assume that these routes are also better suited than normal car navigation.
text: Also choosing "shortest route" on navigation systems gets one usually away from big roads.
text: It also seems to be a pretty reliable way to meet mapping errors ... which shouldn't be a problem on a bike most of the time.
text: Specific "cycling modes" so far semm only work in well mapped urban areas of the western world.
answer_details: author: travel.stackexchange.com/users/53904/max
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Google Maps has that capability, but you can also use http://cycle.travel, which is based on OpenStreetMap, Strava or TomTom. GPSies has routes shared by other users that you can try.
Google Maps can be used for mapping a cycle route. However, there are so more specialised apps for this purpose, such as cycle.travel and Strava.