I recently came across a blog article that intrigued me, "Interstitials and informal bike routes". Who wouldn't be intrigued by the topic? After perusing the story and verifying that I knew what interstitial meant (which lead me to interstice - adjective vs noun - ack, it's easy to get sidetracked in a quest for knowledge!), I surfed over to a second blog article on the same theme, "Bicycle Wayfinding in the Early 21st Century".
The premise in both of these articles is that from a non-motorized point of view, an interstitial space is any space that transitions one to or from a roadway using overlooked options such as alleys, parking lots, or other public right-of-ways to create practical and often more interesting options for getting from place to place.
I love the idea of all those unmapped yet very useful spaces creating a network of secret passageways. However, as a cartographer, I find myself in a difficult position. If I discover one of these passages and put it on a map, how will the resulting increase in usage be interpreted? Will someone notice and make it formal? Good news. Or will it be decided the space is a hazard and further access denied? Bad news. Both outcomes are possible.
On Adventure Cycling Route Network maps, examples of informal routing are few and far between. They often occur at the end and/or beginning of a paved path and are typically troublesome to explain and even more challenging to represent on a map. I know from using trail systems such as the Burke-Gilman in King County, Washington, these little connections can spare a cyclist miles of riding in traffic. The difficulty is how to show a parking lot or alley or short side path between two buildings in a way that is helpful rather than confusing.
What you think about interstitial spaces, wayfinding, and informal bike routes?
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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.
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How about a generic 'short cut' type of markup for routes which are useful for cyclists but which have no sort of 'official' status.
ReplyDeleteSuch routes could be used at the riders' risk, in the full knowledge of the status of the route.
Meta-data attached to the route information could provide a description of the route and surface, and any access issues. Users of these routes should be encouraged to submit comments if possible.
In an online or otherwise interactive mapping space, I think your idea has merit. My challenge is how to do that in a small space on paper with a minimum of confusion.
ReplyDelete