Starting this month (just in time for Spring), Google has started providing bicycle directions as part of its Google Maps service. The new feature comes with directions for cyclists in 150 cities in the United States. Google already incorporates public-transit and walking directions in addition to automobile driving directions, and the cycling community has been asking the wizards at Google to add bike routes for a while now.

The routing suggested for cyclists is designed to avoid freeways and high-traffic areas, and to select easier routes and terrain by avoiding hills. To make it even more useful for the cycling community, Google expects to have a mobile version available in the near future.