Cycle Travel Question

[LittleGreyCat]

Thanks Richard.
Any thoughts on a route exported from Komoot which doesn't completely work in CT?
[See above]
It is a long while since I looked at Open Street maps and the underlying data.

Edit: I've looked at the OS map and it shows a stretch of track from Willow Row Bank Farm to Causeway Bridge Farm and a row of green blobs. The Key says that this is "Other routes with public access" so presumably valid. I will next check OSM.
I have a vague memory of being able to force the use of such tracks. Is this straightforward?

[Richard Fairhurst]

That stretch wasn't marked in OSM as publicly accessible so it wouldn't route along it. I've just fixed that so c.t will reflect that on the next update. Until then, you can drag a via point to either end, and then click the first one and choose "Go direct".

c.t is deliberately more conservative than Komoot about what OSM data permits access - because I don't want people to be routed through private farmyards or woodland. The OSM volunteers who deal with data complaints have had to handle quite a few Komoot-inspired issues!

[LittleGreyCat]

That stretch wasn't marked in OSM as publicly accessible so it wouldn't route along it. I've just fixed that so c.t will reflect that on the next update. Until then, you can drag a via point to either end, and then click the first one and choose "Go direct".

c.t is deliberately more conservative than Komoot about what OSM data permits access - because I don't want people to be routed through private farmyards or woodland. The OSM volunteers who deal with data complaints have had to handle quite a few Komoot-inspired issues!

Thanks.
I was going to ask what, if any, qualifications of "Track" that CT would accept as routable.
How did you mark it as "publicly accessible"?
Yet again I feel the need to learn more about editing OSM.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Essentially if something is marked as just a "track" or a "path" then c.t won't route along it. It needs "access for bikes" or "access for everyone" to be added to it.

In OSM terms, if the way is tagged with highway=track or highway=path, then c.t requires bicycle=yes or access=yes as well. Different OSM editing software might present this slightly differently.

(This is in the UK... the rules for Europe and America are a bit different.)

[SA_SA_SA]

The author of another website viewed cycle.travel as becoming semi commercial: would it be the optional patreon link for extra goodies that caused that view?

[Galactic]

The author of another website viewed cycle.travel as becoming semi commercial: would it be the optional patreon link for extra goodies that caused that view?

I suppose they're right. But commercial isn't necessarily a bad thing in lieu of something like a basic income for everyone. What I do find objectionable is when our data is harvested and sold to data brokers, or we're bombarded with adverts etc etc. As far as I'm aware, Richard engages in none of that.

To be clear, I'm a huge fan of the commons and Free Software (eg LibreOffice, Linux, Firefox) and contribute to such efforts where I can. But we all have to compromise our ideals in this society and I think Richard is doing a good job and isn't taking the mick when it comes to providing paid for add-ons.

PS yes I'm aware Free Software licences don't preclude selling software as a service, but they also enable free access to all.

[roubaixtuesday]

The author of another website viewed cycle.travel as becoming semi commercial: would it be the optional patreon link for extra goodies that caused that view?

Can you link to the website you mention?

Any idea why it matters one way or another?

[RickH]

One slight annoyance with the web version is when I'm manually plotting a "circular" route (that finishes back where it started). I plot the route and get back towards the start location. I will try to add a new endpoint between the end & the start. Sometimes, but not always (& I haven't found a consistent reason why it doesn't always do it), instead of adding to the end of the route the start gets moved.

The "Add Return Leg" option if you tap on the end point in the app could be useful here. Or at least leave the start point alone!

[LittleGreyCat]

Quick question on handling GPX files which contain one more route:

https://www.visitlincolnshire.com/thing ... cle-route/
contains some routes to import.
https://www.visitlincolnshire.com/wp-co ... ta.gpx.zip
is the first link on the routes part.

Cycle.Travel doesn't like this.
Komoot (Yeah, I know) correctly identifies this as two GPX files within a ZIP container, then gives further options about which route to import etc.
I have no idea why two routes are included. Memo to self: email the web page maintainer!

Is it practical to handle this kind of setup, or should the web site just get their act together?

[Richard Fairhurst]

It's possible in theory but a bit of a niche case really! There is no good reason for the files to be zipped really - and even if they are then you can always unzip them on your computer (certainly just double-clicking to open will do this on the Mac, and I think on Windows too) and then just work with the resulting GPX files. I'm a bit wary of adding extra complexity to the codebase for something so rare, if you see what I mean.

[LittleGreyCat]

I've had another look at it and am still puzzled about the structure.
It seems that there is a GPX file at the top level of the ZIP file, also a _MACOSX folder/directory at the same level, and another GPX file (I think of the same name) in this folder.
I have no idea why this structure has been used, or if it is some kind of standard.
I will get round to asking the web site owner, honestly!

[Richard Fairhurst]

The _MACOSX thing is just a hidden(-ish) file that a Mac creates sometimes - it doesn't really have any significance.

Looking at the file there is really no need for it to be zipped. I suspect (and this is just a complete finger-in-the-air guess) that the Visit Lincolnshire site might be configured such that a pure GPX file shows in the browser window rather than being delivered as a download, and whoever adds the content has hit upon zipping it to force it to be delivered as a download. But that's just pure supposition.

[Richard Fairhurst]

A fun new thing I've added this week:

You can now track where you've been with hexagons (c.t calls them "Travel Tiles"). Every hexagon you ride through with the app will light up. You can then use this to plan your next ride to take in somewhere different.

It's not a million miles away from what you might have seen with VeloViewer, Ride Every Tile, Squadrats etc. etc. The main difference really is that it's fully integrated into the app, so you don't have to think about it, use a third-party site, upload GPXs or anything like that. Just choose "Show Travel Tiles" from the app's map menu (top right) and they appear. I've enjoyed ticking off a few different roads in recent days while testing the feature!

[simonineaston]

Nice! I do tend to stick to the same old routes these days - perhaps this new feature will prompt me to stray farther afield

[mjr]

The main difference really is that it's fully integrated into the app, so you don't have to think about it, use a third-party site, upload GPXs or anything like that. Just choose "Show Travel Tiles" from the app's map menu (top right) and they appear. I've enjoyed ticking off a few different roads in recent days while testing the feature!

But can people upload GPXs if they use a less battery-hungry tracker when they don't need navigation/routing?