The Simplest Way to Get People Biking

Because humans are weird and complicated and not always rational, it's not enough to scatter bikes around town if you want people to use them. Changing behavior – especially behavior as deeply embedded as our commuting patterns, or our preference for cars above all – may also require a little nudge.

There's a ridiculously simple way to do this with bikes: Show people how long the exact same trip would take in a car, or on foot, or even by transit. One of Google Maps's smartest innovations has been to make these side-by-side comparisons possible in its trip planner, with alternate routes laid out on the same screen: