Last Thursday I had a doctors appointment and afterwards an hour Time off until the restaurant opened I had forgotten my design mask some days before. And as it was early in the day and one kf the last real summerdays, I walked through the City of Zurich and realised for the first time since the lock down - how sadly empty my hometown became and Ghat probably many cities experience the same covid-19 trauma.
So I wanted to suggest that Google Maps could also integrate routes, trails or other locally mostly very popular but unfortunately mostly very underestimated special ways of travelling. Or taking a journey.
What do I think, here two examples, always keeping in
mind that we will not get rid of covid19 before next spring and we should find and promote as many opportunities for people to enjoy their life in such extend not to harm others but by not risking to loose their life either. So in Skandinavia (North of Europe including Norway, Sweden and Finland) they use to cross-country-ski In winter. At least on the countryside. But isn’t there a way to bring this into town at least for one winter?
Zurich has something very special and what was a common secret three years ago has now become THE trend in Times of corona: you take a rubber boat, a ring or even a complete party island and drift from Zurich to another town just down
the river Limmat. Just in
front of my house where I live there is a little dam-wall and it is the only point you have to get your ass out of your Rubber-boat or -ring you were shifting already away. But it is extremely dangerous and you have for Gods sake to carry your swimming flamingo/unicorn/party-island some meters until you can safely continue your journey some meters after the dam with its dangerous water curves.
I am convinced, when some locals could find a simple way to integrate these special ways to travel or this extravagant paths to walk, we could implement also the danger we know and safe maybe one life a year per ‘special route’.
Nevertheless: how could that look like? I would implement a very special icon under ‘route’: A wizzard on a flying broom or so… The special route should give a duration based on an average. And last but not least: There have to be huge yellow exclamation marks blinking wherever special actions are requested whenever one is considering taking the ‘special route’.