Objective: To produce comprehensive bikeway maps of the national capital area (D.C., Md., Va.) that reflect and draw from the collective wisdom of the cycling community.
Using this wiki as a home base, we're collaborating on Google Maps (user-created My Maps, mapplets, etc). Please help us out by contributing data, advising or drawing routes, and making suggestions.
This open project is under heavy development. Feel free to drop by the forums here and leave comments or help out if you can! Anyone can contribute.
And check out the
full-sized version of the bikeway map to see how this project comes all together.
How to Help
The easiest way to help is to simply contribute to the info layer maps linked below. Pass on tips or advisories in the form of geographic placemarks on the maps. If you don't know how to use Google Maps at all, feel free to post your tip or advisory in the forum (with details of exactly where and what) and someone will probably ferry it to the appropriate map for you.
You can also help with quality control -- by checking the map for inaccuracies and reporting any issues here on the forums.
If you can draw on Google Maps, help out by drawing routes, especially in areas we haven't covered yet such as the City of Alexandria and Fairfax and Montgomery counties. Each user-created map on Google can only hold a limited amount of data. So, we're segregating data into useful categories and divisions, such as geographic advisories or routes in specific neighborhoods.
The various maps are coordinated and layered back together for the greater Capital Bikeways map, so please check the final map before contributing a new route. The number and complexity of interlocking maps we have can get confusing.
Maps and Data We Have So Far
- Regional Maps (with outline of constituent maps)
- D.C. (view the experimental mapplet inside Google Maps)
- Arlington (view the mapplet inside Google Maps)
- Alexandria
- Falls Church and Fairfax County
- Montgomery County
- Trail Maps
- Really Long Trails (detailed)
- Other Trails by Region
- Info-Layer Maps (put placemark info in these maps so they can be layered on other maps)
- Difficult Crossings (inconvenient, difficult, and dangerous crossing info, including bike bridges) [kml]
- Police incidents, tickets and warnings, and bike collisions (these should have a direct connection to bikes - crime in general is out of the scope) [kml]
- Trail Access Points [kml]
- Bike Shops (bike shop locations for sales, repair, and rentals) [kml]
- Bike Share
- Comments (miscellaneous placemarks with info, advisories, comments, or questions can be placed here. Later, they can be sorted into more useful/cateogorized/specific info-layers.) [kml]
Related Map
Proposed Map Key
| type of route | color | example |
| shared-use trails (paved) | RED | Mount Vernon Trail |
| shared-use paths (unpaved) | BROWN | C&O Canal Towpath |
| bike lanes | lime GREEN |
|
| official bike routes (usually signed) | TEAL |
|
| unofficial/suggested routes | CYAN |
|
| cautionary routes | YELLOW |
|
| special or mixed-surface routes | Fuchsia |
|
Increase line width for significant routes, decrease for minor routes.
4 pixel - Minor trail or route - narrow, in poor condition and rarely use: example - Fort Circle Trail
5 pixel - Common route - Only one or two of the criteria above: example - Anacostia Riverwalk
6 pixel - Major Route - Highly used trails or route: example - Mt. Vernon Trail
Police = Police / Crime Event
Wrench = Bicycle Shop for repairs, sales, or rentals
Red Pushpin = trail access point
Blue P = trail access with car parking
Yellow Placemark = Warning / Pay Attention, crossing
Pink Placemark = Difficult crossing
Warning Triangle = Danger or dangerous crossing
Purple Placemark = Points of Interest