Off-track betting

Internet mapping will get you where you want to go . . . eventually

by Lorraine Sanders

In early February, my friend J.D. and I were heading to New York City to catch a George Carlin show at the Beacon Theater. Gotham is not really a difficult place to find (you head down Interstate 95 and basically run right into it). But just for grins, J.D. went online to find directions from Providence to our Midtown hotel by using MapQuest.com, one of the slew of Internet mapping services that have been popping up like mad in the late-'90s Web-mania. When MapQuest laid out a meandering route involving a side-trip to the Tappan Zee Bridge and New Jersey, we decided to skip this cyber-advice and keep our course on 95.

Indeed, though Internet mapping sites can give out-of-the-way and sometimes absurd directions, they are becoming a popular resource for travelers. They dangle the possibility of eliminating the need to wrestle with a pesky fold-out map or to peer at a street atlas. But MapQuest aspires to be much more than a personalized source for wayward motorists. MapQuest spokeswoman Lisa Dawson says the company's vision is to be no less than the destination of all directions.

Internet mapping services are both popular and replicating. Three million people visit MapQuest's site each month, and the site boasts a membership of 1.5 million. So it's no surprise to see so many other sites jumping on the Internet-map bandwagon. Excite, Yahoo!, Travelocity, Biztravel, Lycos, Blockbuster, and Kinko's are just a few of the companies that have set up sites in the last few years. Interestingly, each of these sites receives its information from MapQuest.com. In turn, MapQuest.com is managed by GeoSystems Corp., a leading source for printed maps that services companies like AAA, National Geographic, and Hertz. So no matter which venue many mapping customers use for help -- print or Internet -- the information could well becoming from the same source.

Not so long ago, AAA was the place to get personalized directions for a road trip. Now, a few clicks on MapQuest.com's Web site and users have a map within seconds. But Internet directions can be less than perfect. Last year, National Public Radio reported that a European driver drove his car waist-deep into a canal after faithfully following the directions provided by his car's electronic map (many of which also receive their information from MapQuest.com and its affiliates).

Unlike a helpful stranger in unfamiliar terrain, computer-generated travel maps lack knowledge of construction sites, traffic patterns and shortcuts. And given that MapQuest.com is updated three times a year with current info on road changes -- say, for example, a big chunk of Fall River's Government Center falls onto 195 -- recent alterations could come as a surprise to unwitting motorists. Most mapping sites seem to recognize such potential pratfalls; disclaimers and warnings are common features. Yahoo!'s site even advises drivers "do a reality check and make sure the desired road still exists." Gee, thanks.

Despite the possible pratfalls mapping services do offer something old-school maps never did: helpful hints and information on finding local businesses. Members of MapQuest.com's site can create personalized maps with their favorite places, and provide e-mail-ready maps marked with specific destinations. You can bookmark maps on the site and return to view them as needed. Businesses also advertise on the site. Look at a MapQuest.com map and any Kinko's or Blockbuster location will automatically flash -- handy for those consumers who want to know where to rent movies or make copies when they're on the road. One can imagine what Kerouac would think.

Although each site serviced by MapQuest.com provides similar directions, different sites perform certain tasks better than others. For example, Yahoo!'s maps seem less visually appealing than MapQuest.com's, but the site is a good one for finding local businesses. As with the Internet at large, good searching skills are required. Looking for a specific Waterplace Park eatery? Type in "the Boathouse," and the computer spits out 10 locations with that name, including one 74 miles away in Newburyport, Mass.

So, in order to measure the effectiveness of Internet maps, the Phoenix dispatched my trusty roommate Caitilin on a road test. We chose her, well, since she was willing, but also because the New Mexico native has never had a car in her four years in La Prov. On test-day, we handed Caitilin the keys to our mint '86 K-car and a computer-generated map with step-by-step directions from our East Side apartment to 520 Main St., in Pawtucket. The fact that this destination does not actually exist didn't preclude MapQuest from telling Caitilin how to get there. The directions consisted of 20 steps that took Caitilin from our apartment to where 520 Main St. would be -- if it existed:

1. Go south on Ives Street towards Preston Street.
2. Turn right onto Preston Street.
3. Turn right onto Governor Street.
4. Turn left onto Young Orchard Avenue.
5. Turn right onto Hope Street.
6. Turn left onto Angel Street.
7. Angel Street becomes Thomas Street.
8. Turn right onto North Main Street.
9. North Main Street (U.S. 44) becomes North Main Street (U.S. 1).
10. Turn slight left onto Charles Street.
11. Charles Street (U.S.1) becomes Charles Street (U.S.1)/ Randall Sq.
12. Stay straight to go onto Charles Street.
13. Take the Interstate 95 North ramp.
14. Merge onto I-95 North
15. Take the exit, exit number 26, towards RI-122/Lonsdale Avenue/Main Street.
16. Merge onto Thurston Avenue.
17. Thurston Avenue becomes Main Street.
18. Turn slight right onto Church Street.
19. Turn left onto Pine Street.
20. Turn left onto Main Street.

The approximately five-mile trip is supposed to take 11 minutes. When she returned, Caitilin was in a decent mood, largely because she enjoyed the rare chance to cruise around in a car (she gets around on a bike most of the time), but also because she had not gotten lost. She found the directions accurate, but realized there was a much easier way to reach the faux-destination. Caitilin also took a different route home, one that involved following Main Street in Pawtucket to North Main in Providence, left onto Doyle, and right onto Hope, which basically landed her a few blocks from our house.

Caitlin's ramble to Pawtucket took 20 minutes, nine longer than the tip sheet said would be necessary. Granted, she was traveling during the afternoon, but it was between 2:30 and 3:30 -- not exactly rush hour. Also, some of the directions were difficult to interpret. In step 15, for example, she was supposed to head for three different roads when getting off the exit. And step 17 put her on Main Street, then yanked her off before putting her back on again by step 20. After benefiting from her own smarts on the return trip, Caitilin said she would use computer mapping again, but only if she had no idea how to get around a particular city.

After batting 0-for-2 with MapQuest, I went on the Yahoo! site and asked the computer to offer directions from my apartment to the Phoenix. While the directions did send me over the Point Street bridge -- my usual route -- the recommendation was for a slight left onto the bridge and a slight right to stay on Point Street. However, there was no definition for what constituted a slight left or right on this seemingly straight road. Were I a stranger to the area, I might have ended up on Interstate 195 East and been in Seekonk before I knew it. And the directions also called for going from Wickenden Street to Bridge Street -- ever hear of Bridge Street? No, unless maybe you work for the Department of Public Works. Without any trace of a sign, one could only assume the actual bridge was Bridge Street, but anyone from Providence would simply tell you to take Wickenden straight to Point Street.

As a growing number of Internet mapping services join an expanding panoply of travel guides, travelers have reams of information at their fingertips. Our little tests proved some of this advice to be useful, but relying on a computer printout is not always the best idea when hitting the road. Perhaps it would be better if the sites offered a guide to help men get over their instinctual fear of actually asking for directions, since it's clear that a street sign and a little common sense go a long way when you're looking for a destination.