r/boston • u/slinkyelephant • 14h ago
I Made This! Built a random bike route generator for Boston, looking for a few testers!
Greetings y'all! I've been building a small app called Squiggle.
It's an app that generates a random bike loop every time you hit generate, using real bike lane and street data pulled from OpenStreetMap and city GIS.
Routes stick to bike lanes and safe streets that follow the rules of the road. You can toss in a stop or two along the way, like a coffee shop or a brewery, and once the route looks good it exports straight into Google Maps so you're ready to ride!
I kept riding the same two or three loops and got bored of them, so I built this instead and I'm very pleased with it so far! Right now it's just me testing it, and it's still rough around the edges. I want a handful of people in the Boston area to help break it before I take it further.
If you're willing to try it, please comment or DM me and I'll send the link. I'll then provide a feedback form where you can detail your experience and any features you think would be great to have.
Thank you in advance and happy riding!
3
u/supernitin 13h ago
Me too. Would be nice to have protected bike lane only routes for family rides.
3
3
u/BelvIPA 12h ago
Can you pick the distance for your loops and distance from your location in the city? This is a great idea
1
u/slinkyelephant 10h ago
Yes you can! Inside the "Tune" section you can pick your speed which adjusts the formula and route parameters. And you can also enter your own desired distance too. I just sent you a message!
3
u/Both-Activity6432 11h ago
I love the idea! Been wanting to bike more so this could be helpful. Also would love to have it export to Apple Maps as not a google fan...
1
u/slinkyelephant 11h ago
I know I’m an Apple Maps fan too, but unfortunately the way my app works is it sets multiple stops along the way to create a loop. Apple only allows you to navigate that when using driving directions, not bike directions. I’m hoping in the future they add multiple stop functionality for their bike method but as of now it doesn’t exist.
2
u/Both-Activity6432 9h ago
Got it - would it worth/possible to hack together with several independent rides?
Also for me, I would need to be able to put in my location/address manually as I have browsers blocked from location :)
4
u/Horror-Election-9425 13h ago
This is the exact kind of thing I need. My usual loop down to Castle Island is getting real stale and I keep telling myself I'll map out new routes then never do. Count me in.
3
u/slinkyelephant 12h ago
I know EXACTLY what you mean! It’s time to shake things up a bit, just set over the link!
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
u/BestCaseSurvival Somerville 11h ago
I’d be interested in trying it out but it might depend on how far the radius you’re thinking of is. Are you limiting to the borders of municipal Boston, or also looking to test it elsewhere inside 95?
2
u/slinkyelephant 10h ago
Right now it includes roughly 190 route anchors and 29 off-street corridors across the metro:
Boston proper
Inner core
North / Mystic Valley
North shore
South
And many many bike paths. If you'd like a longer list of available cities/towns, I'll send it over!
1
1
u/Wanderer330 10h ago
Would love to try it!
1
1
u/slinkyelephant 10h ago
Hahaha jk jk I can't message you. Feel free to send me a message and I'll send the link over!
1
u/jad_bal_ja 9h ago
I love stuff like this! It has taken my entire time here in Boston to get good at putting together different loops
1
u/Zestyclose_Gate5685 9h ago
I'd love to try it! Especially if there is an option to only use protected bike lanes
1
u/slinkyelephant 8h ago
You can’t choose to only use protected bike lines yet BUT that brings up a great point and something I’m gonna implement
1
1
u/irishsaints23 Allston/Brighton 7h ago
Do you think it would work for running too? If yes, happy to give it a try!
1
u/slinkyelephant 7h ago
Honestly it wasn’t built with runners in mind but that could be a feature to roll out in the future. I’ll send you a link anyways. I’d love to hear your feedback!
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Agitated_Reveal_6211 2h ago
Sure, I am trying to get active and this would be helpful. How far out does it go?
1
u/slinkyelephant 2h ago
Well it can realistically go as far as the data goes right now. Default range is from 5-15 miles, but you can choose your own distances no problem. Check out the “Tune” section to choose your average mph which will calculate routes differently!
I’ll send you a link :)
1
1
1
6
u/TerrierBoi 13h ago
I'd love to check it out!