New Printable Maps

Last night I released a new version of the site. The major change is new printing features and better printable maps. The minor change was fixing a bug that had come-up for Internet Explorer users.

I've always hated the way printing in the site worked. It was too complicated, offered too many choices, and was confusing for the users (including me). I went back to the drawing board and stripped out all the options that were there, going instead to a simple "print map" command. You get the parking directions (if you've queried for them), short ride instructions, profile, and maps. I may add some simple options back in the future, but for now this is it.

For the profiles, I added labels to them so you can see where the turns are when looking at the profile. I like these, but they're not perfect yet. They have a cluttered look to them still, but I have some ideas for fixing them in the future. Sometimes I take baby steps in the route to perfection.

The printable maps are completely new. I've never liked how Google's maps printed, and there's always the problem of copyright involved with distributing maps printed from the site. I've gotten around that by using OpenStreetMaps and Mapnik to create static printable maps that are completely unencumbered by intellectual property restrictions. Also, I now have complete control over the map data and how it looks.

The new maps still have a ways to go, though. I'm not completely satisfied with how they look, so I'm going to continue working on that. For the time being, though, I think they're a significant step forward.

In addition to the large map it's always had, the print page now has zoomed-in sub-maps showing areas of detail that aren't obvious on the large maps. I hope these help.

After I've lived with the new printable maps for a while, I'll go back and make the changes that become apparent to me. Until then, I hope you enjoy the new features! If you have any comments, suggestions, or gripes, email me (please!!!).

Thanks!
Jay Farrimond