Google Maps learns how to walk

The Google Maps blog notes that they now have walking directions. It's beta, like almost everything Google does these days, but still looks like a good start.

Collecting good data for this is going to be the big challenge.

(In other news, Readercon was great. I took a fair amount of panel notes, and plan to distill them into one or more posts.)

ETA: if you're walking in an area covered by Street View, it puts little camera icons next to the steps, so you can see what the cross street will look like. Wow.

More on the Google Maps walking support

I guess the folks in the Google offices in London haven't worked on this too much yet.

The Greenwich foot tunnel is completely unknown to it; the Google Maps directions send you for a 2.5 hour, 7.2 mile walk that goes through the Rotherhithe Tunnel, instead.

Crossing farther downstream, one would probably use the Woolwich Ferry when operating, or the Woolwich Foot Tunnel just to its east. Naturally, Google Maps sends you back to our old pal the Rotherhithe tunnel...12 miles, for a 4 hour walk!

Further upstream, it does know about the Millennium Bridge (as well as the pedestrian walkway down Peter's Hill), but doesn't use the Golden Jubilee Bridges (aka the New Hungerford Footbridges).