Youtube user JHGRedekop has posted videos of their GPS tracings from 2004 to 2009, covering a large part of the city.
A time-lapse animation of my recumbent cycling in Toronto, spanning 2004 to 2009. In all, about 650 hours of cycling totalling almost 8100km.
This is the total record of all my recumbent riding. Individual years are also available as separate videos, and there are more details in the comments on those.
The red path represents five minutes of cycling. Rides outside the borders of the map are represented by a red arrow; the longer the arrow, the further the bike is from the border.
The routes are similar to my own: I am a heavy downtown cyclist. I sometimes venture further afield, taking the Don, Humber, Waterfront or the major arterial roads.
Comments
chephy (not verified)
Cool!
Sun, 08/23/2009 - 01:31Cool!
anthony
Unique. But is it worth a GPS?
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 17:18The way that you see the city taking shape as this cyclist follows the city's streets and trails is so unique. The shore line paths and River Valley paths really gave away that this was Toronto I was looking at; the Islands and Leslie Spit merely confirmed it.
Powerful stuff. But is it worth investing in a GPS to be able to do these tracings? I can read a map, and I always carry (at least) one with me. What are the other benefits of carrying a GPS?
8sml (not verified)
GPS benefits
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 12:24I can think of a few benefits:
1. With a handlebar mount, you can navigate on the go without having to unfold a map.
2. On trips outside your usual riding area, long tours for example, it may be difficult to find maps (although I admit I try to always bring paper maps as a backup to the GPS).
3. If you don't use a bike computer, you can see statistics like your average and maximum speed, elevation, and distance travelled.
4. Can see information that is not on most maps (for example, "This hotel is full. Where is the next closest one?")
1 is the big one for me. It makes a real difference when riding somewhere new.