The Silicon Review ^Asia

As Google Maps celebrates its fifteenth birthday this week since its inception in 2005, several new updates have been implemented in order to better the services being rendered. Taiwan is the first country in Asia to receive the changes with a brand-new feature in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation which shows bicycle friendly routes to commuters. Taiwan is a country that believes in sustainable living with many avid cyclists who try to reduce their carbon foot print.

“Bicyclists in Taiwan used to refer to Google Maps for vehicles or pedestrians when traveling around Taiwan, but this did not take into account hill climbs or roads not suited to bicycling. The new service is likely to encourage the use of cycles for commuting or recreational purposes. It offers cycling paths and recommended routes among other useful information to bicycle enthusiasts,” said Cynthia Wei (魏薌君), program manager of Google Asia-Pacific Street View.

Previously while cyclists used Google Maps for navigation, the experience was hindered due to the fact that the app did not factor in obstacles like hills and non-bicycle friendly roads. Therefore this new feature has been rolled out and is currently available in twenty seven countries so far.