Invert route (via the RoutePage)
Table of contents
- Why invert a route
- How to invert a route
- FAQs
- What happens to the original route and how can I find it?
- My inverted route has a longer/shorter distance then the original. Why is that?
- Can you do this with somebody else’s route?
- I don't want others to use my route to make a derived route. How can I do this?
- Why does the derived route get a lower score?
Why invert a route
The routes on RouteYou always have a direction. That's obvious on the RouteViewer and in many other situations where you will use the routes:
- The direction will be indicated on the printout with the instructions and distances from the start, and the POIs along the route, also including the distances from the start.
- The RouteYou app shows you the distance travelled along the route and the distance still to travel to reach the end of the route and thus also considers the direction of the route
- Many GPS systems will take the direction into account when providing you with instructions.
- Etcetera
However, sometimes you might like to change the direction of the route.
How to invert a route
Using the edit button (the "pencil") at the top right of the route information, you can select the "Invert the route" function. You need a RouteYou Plus or higher to use this function.
- RouteYou inverts the route for you: it flips the sequence of the POIs you see along the route. This might take 1/2 minute or less (depending on how busy it is on the platform).
- The end result is a NEW route (the old one still exists, and you have the link to the original route available in the description). Your inverted route is now ready to use for printing out, downloading, sending to your friends, editing, etc.
FAQs
What happens to the original route and how can I find it?
We leave the original route intact. This does not currently take into account one-way traffic. The inverted route is a NEW routeof which you are then the author. You can then edit it completely: give it a new title and description, edit it in the RoutePlanner, ... .
The RouteYou platform will make a clear reference to the original route. The description of the derived route starts with a link to the original route. That has a very positive effect on the original route, as it allows it to be found by the users as easily as by bots. Also, it gets a better score SEO-wise, so it comes higher up in the rankings on search engines. So, it is always a good thing if you or somebody else uses your route to create a derived route. If you don't want this, you can make your route private (see below).
My inverted route has a longer/shorter distance then the original. Why is that?
The original route may go along paths or roads that only allow one-way traffic. When you invert the route, RouteYou gives you a detour or alternative road or path avoiding the one-way traffic system. That's why the inverted route might be shorter or longer than the original route.
Remark: The enforcement of a one-way traffic system often depends on the method of transport used to travel along it: walking, cycling, motorised, on a horse, etc. When inverting a route, RouteYou looks at the routing type that was used to make that route. For example, when inverting part of a route that was planned using ‘Cycling nicest’, RouteYou takes care of all one-way traffic roads for cyclists.
Can you do this with somebody else’s route?
Yes. But we enforce a clear reference to the original route in the description, so that we respect the work of the original author/organisation. On top of that, we enforce a low quality score on the derived route, so the original route pops up first in searches and lists. If you want your derived route to get a higher score, you can request this by using the procedure explained here.
I don't want others to use my route to make a derived route. How can I do this?
You can keep your route private. Read how to do this here.
Why does the derived route get a lower score?
There are two main reasons:
The algorithm to come to a derived route considers the content of the routable maps we use (including info about traffic flow, blocked passages, etc.). But there might be errors in that map and, as a result, this would provide you with a route that might possibly be incorrect. Therefore, we don't want to give it a high score, which we associate with a verified route (read more about the quality of a route here). We want to promote the original route ahead of the derived route.