It’s hard to imagine a modern world without Google Maps (or alternative apps). Wherever and whenever you go, you can get a clear insight into the path you need to take to get yourself from point A to point B. However, due to the massive nature of Google Maps, certain things can be a bit confusing. Especially since Google Maps evolve and change regularly. Some users were wondering what’s the deal with Google Maps’ green lines and especially the difference between dotted and solid green lines. We made sure to explain it as concisely as possible below.
What’s the difference between a solid green line and a dotted green line for a walking path on Google Maps?
The difference between a dotted green line and a solid green line on Google Maps differentiates between paved and unpaved walking paths. By default. However, the same set of lines marks biking paths. An important question is what map editors consider to be a paved path and what’s an unpaved one. In most cases, paved trails are usually those that have any kind of layers. Layers like asphalt, gravel, or even sand. While unpaved paths are usually just dirt.
Now, there are additional nuances you have to consider if the green like signifies a biking lane. The dark bold green line usually means that vehicle traffic is not allowed there. So it’s just a biking road where you might meet only pedestrians.
The regular green line means that there’s vehicle traffic but the road has a shared bike lane you can use. The doted regular green line means that you are in an area without traffic where you can go on foot or a bike but, just like the walking paths, it can mean that the path is unpaved. A bicycle-friendly path that’s not exactly off-road, if you like. Most of these are mapped because they are designated paths and, as such, safe for biking. Brown lines represent off-road paths that might be suitable for biking.
At the end of the day, we suggest using Street View just in case. There are a lot of editors that use Map Creator to edit trails and send them to Google so they can adjust Maps. That should do it. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to tell us if this article answers your questions in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in July 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
