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@Velocio
Pragmatist.
How would Google do this, with low overhead. Bear in mind that the number of people who work on Google Maps is something like 8. That's right, 8 people. That's all there is doing the deals to get imaging data, vector data, plotting, writing the JavaScript and so forth.
So how, for a very low overhead would they add a feature to a global product so that bike safe routes globally (or at least in the US and Europe) are available?
If you're talking about ratings, and user generated content, and local cycle data... then isn't this best served by implementing an application on Google Maps? You know, when you click My Maps and can add data from other sites. Wouldn't Bikely be the best place to do this?
On one hand you're saying "Add BIKES, get the word up there", but you are not recognising that road data has been available for decades. Unless you have a source for bike-safe roads and all local laws (are bikes allowed on that flyover?) how would you be able to route a bicycle? Would you just say "anything that isn't an motorway"? What about the Hammersmith flyover? OK, Bikes not allowed over that one, but bikes are allowed over the Hayes by-pass and flyover... how would they know this?
If Google can't know how to do this using data, and if the data has to be user-generated and is 'local', then it is best that a third party generate that data so that Google can license it. Which means... petition Bikely to log that data and then license it to Google.