I’m working on mapping the Pacific Coast Bicycle path that follows the Pacific coast in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan; specifically the 静岡御前崎自転車線 section. It’s difficult (especially as a newbie) because is is not really contiguous. The road roughly follows the old railroad that ran through the area until 1968. It was then paved and given the designation of a prefectural highway (375). Later, most of it was designated as a combined bicycle and foot path and bicycle barriers were put in place.

One of the difficulties is that even the bicycle sections allow local traffic. I’ve nearly been killed a couple of times by inattentive farmers driving along the bike path. Another problem is that over the years sections of the path has been replaced by residential roads and highways. The bike path stops without any indication and there is a residential road in its place. Also, some sections no longer exist at all (for example, through downtown Sagara). Finally, some sections have signs and maps indicating where the bike path should be, but the maps are very confusing.

I would like to map this route in such a way that it makes it obvious how each section is used, but it’s difficult to understand the guidelines. Prefectural highways should be secondary highways, but if you can’t drive a car on it, it should be another designation. I don’t want to set it as a path because it’s a real road and it is open to local traffic. I’m also not sure what to do when the road changes to a residential road (such roads aren’t named in Japan). Should the residential road be given the designation of the bicycle path? I don’t think so, but it makes for some strange discontinuous sections of the bicycle path. On the other hand, that’s what it’s like in real life; you are always wondering if you are still on the path. Maybe that’s OK.

Oh well, I’ll do my best. Having something there is better than having nothing.