Avoid Single Trackroads
Quote from AlexC on 10.07.2023, 10:02Hi,
In UK we have a lot of single-track roads which are awful. In the past I've used things like Calimoto for round trip generator and they would always include those roads, I don't know why. maybe there weren't enough curvy roads around.
Anyway. in Scenic, sorry, new user here, I saw there is an option Avoid Narrow Roads. Is it correct to assume that it would do exactly what it says on the tin, and basically avoid narrow roads, in other words, it would avoid single track roads?
Hi,
In UK we have a lot of single-track roads which are awful. In the past I've used things like Calimoto for round trip generator and they would always include those roads, I don't know why. maybe there weren't enough curvy roads around.
Anyway. in Scenic, sorry, new user here, I saw there is an option Avoid Narrow Roads. Is it correct to assume that it would do exactly what it says on the tin, and basically avoid narrow roads, in other words, it would avoid single track roads?
Quote from Guido on 10.07.2023, 10:51Scenic uses Kurviger.de for its curvy routing. They indeed have the 'avoid narrow roads' option. Here's an quote for their support documents:
"Finding if a road is narrow or not is very difficult and mostly based on guessing. We try to guess if a road s narrow or not by using different sets of attributes, however it is difficult to exactly determine if a road is narrowor not."
Roughly translated this means that (1) if a road is narrow is highly subjective. One person might find a small street through a city center narrow, while another person might find a very narrow single track dirt trail through the woods as a narrow road. (2). The 'guessing' is as good as the map data is. Road width is not known for all roads. I'd say in the more developed countries / regions the road width should be known, but the further you get away from those areas road width might not be know.
So, basically, the only real way to know if it works well in your area, is to try it out.
Sorry I can't be more conclusive about this.
Scenic uses Kurviger.de for its curvy routing. They indeed have the 'avoid narrow roads' option. Here's an quote for their support documents:
"Finding if a road is narrow or not is very difficult and mostly based on guessing. We try to guess if a road s narrow or not by using different sets of attributes, however it is difficult to exactly determine if a road is narrowor not."
Roughly translated this means that (1) if a road is narrow is highly subjective. One person might find a small street through a city center narrow, while another person might find a very narrow single track dirt trail through the woods as a narrow road. (2). The 'guessing' is as good as the map data is. Road width is not known for all roads. I'd say in the more developed countries / regions the road width should be known, but the further you get away from those areas road width might not be know.
So, basically, the only real way to know if it works well in your area, is to try it out.
Sorry I can't be more conclusive about this.
Quote from PeteRT on 10.07.2023, 13:36Here in Norfolk I like to ride the narrow backroads. No traffic and sometimes you can find a great road. However some I agree can be a real PITA. So I use Google Maps and Street View to checkout the roads. That little yellow man is darn useful. Must admit I did not realise that there was an avoid narrow roads option! I see it is available when selecting curvy etc. Never use curvy, I prefer just to plan a route myself and if needed check the road with 'Street View' (Google). Anyway it's good to know it's there.
Here in Norfolk I like to ride the narrow backroads. No traffic and sometimes you can find a great road. However some I agree can be a real PITA. So I use Google Maps and Street View to checkout the roads. That little yellow man is darn useful. Must admit I did not realise that there was an avoid narrow roads option! I see it is available when selecting curvy etc. Never use curvy, I prefer just to plan a route myself and if needed check the road with 'Street View' (Google). Anyway it's good to know it's there.
Quote from PatB on 23.07.2023, 10:33I'm in Suffolk, UK, so I feel your pain. While single-track roads can be great many are terrible with debris, potholes and blind bends etc.
Thankfully, it's possible to avoid unpaved roads reliably - sorry I'm not an Adventure bike rider 🙂
If you avoid "balanced" routing and opt for "fast curvy", you should mostly get more minor A & B roads, with a few unclassified roads, but there could still be the odd single-track road. "Balanced" routing produces routes with an even about of each road type, which makes sense but is frustrating when routes seem to be dominated by single-track roads.
Single-track roads can be great in some areas. I've ridden some nice ones around Nottingham with smooth clean road surfaces and great visibility ahead. Norfolk's roads on average seem to be better in that respect than Suffolk's, whilst roads in Essex are terrible with potholes after last winter.
I'm in Suffolk, UK, so I feel your pain. While single-track roads can be great many are terrible with debris, potholes and blind bends etc.
Thankfully, it's possible to avoid unpaved roads reliably - sorry I'm not an Adventure bike rider 🙂
If you avoid "balanced" routing and opt for "fast curvy", you should mostly get more minor A & B roads, with a few unclassified roads, but there could still be the odd single-track road. "Balanced" routing produces routes with an even about of each road type, which makes sense but is frustrating when routes seem to be dominated by single-track roads.
Single-track roads can be great in some areas. I've ridden some nice ones around Nottingham with smooth clean road surfaces and great visibility ahead. Norfolk's roads on average seem to be better in that respect than Suffolk's, whilst roads in Essex are terrible with potholes after last winter.
