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Google Maps has launched a new "Motorcycle Mode" for its Android users in India, estimating travel times for two-wheelers.
Motorbikes and mopeds can reach their destinations considerably faster than cars thanks to their ability to pass through smaller spaces.
India has an estimated 37 million motorcycle and moped users, so it’s little wonder Google has chosen to roll out the new feature there first.
With around 32 million motorcycles in use, China would be another obvious place to offer the new Google Maps feature. Two-wheelers are also extremely common in Indonesia and Vietnam, thanks to their fuel economy – and their ability to pass through alleys and spaces that cars find more challenging.
In the United Kingdom, motorcycles are primarily used for leisure and number about 1.3m. That's a rather small figure by the standards of South East and East Asian nations, so it's unlikely that "Motorcycle Mode" will appear on the UK's Google Maps anytime soon.
However, such a feature would be of great use to the nation's motorcyclists, since two-wheelers can often make better time than four-wheelers, especially in congested traffic.
After all, lane splitting - the process of bypassing queuing traffic - in most circumstances is not illegal in the UK. However, it is not always advisable for safety reasons.
One of the situations where lane splitting is illegal is on a road where overtaking is prohibited. It is also not permitted on the approach to a crossing marked with zigzag lines.
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