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And the same for separating A roads (currently Orange) and B roads (currently Yellow) as both of these are grouped into roads.arterial, so again you can't style them separately. See screenshot where you can see the styling applied to roads labelled in yellow and roads labelled in orange.

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	AandBRoads.png 164 KB   View   Download

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Hi, does that mean the fix will be in the next experimental release?

Hi, you've marked this as fixed, but not explained what the fix was, or when the fix will be in production. My test page for this issue is using the experimental code branch, and that still exhibits this exact issue. Please comment,

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This was marked as fixed accidentally.  I am re-opening this issue, and apologize for the confusion.

Google, you cannot lump everything into "Highway", "Arterial" and "Local", whatever those words are meant to mean. Might work in the USA, it won't work here.

We have motorways (blue), primary A roads (green), non-primary A roads (red), B roads (yellow) and unclassified roads (grey/white) and you had the colouring almost correct before.

Fix this disgrace ASAP or get out. For that matter do you not have a rollback button you could press?

This has made Google maps utterly unusable. The whole basis of mapping in the UK is controlled and different classes of road have defined meanings. I disagree with the basic tenant of this request. It should not be upto us to fix what you have broken. You should put back the roads the way they where. Do what you want with other counties but the UK maps totally unusable to any British person.

I don't think Google understand quite how ingrained into British culture the traditional map road colours are. To a Brit it almost looks like another country when you look at a map with orange motorways and it's actually quite disorientating. 

Needs to be fixed on the .co.uk version at least...

This colour change has annoyed me so much I a) feel the need to search Google for somewhere to complain about it, and b) will be switching to Bing Maps until Google switch back to the proper colours. The new colour scheme makes no sense at all for UK roads.

I completely agree, I am utterly disgusted at this change. I would request that this is fixed, at the very least with a lab that can be applied to return to the normal British colour scheme. This is enough for me to also change my provider for internet maps.

The previous road colours made navigating and route planning very easy, because a range of road colours describes a range of road characteristics: speed limits, likely traffic, suitability for driving/cycling/walking etc.  
The new 'simplified' orange and white provides very little information about and resemblance to the real world - which after all is what a map is supposed to do! 

Please fix this back Google - it's simple. 

I know this isn't the proper place to be discussing this, but I echo the previous comments on the colouring. Why did Google treat us differently in the first place and give us customised colours if they were just going to revoke them when they updated their mapping?

All the other big players do it right, and I can't see the benefit of unifying the colours, it just makes things more confusing!

We now have semi-major non-trunk A-roads lumped in with B-roads and unclassified roads, it's completely wrong!

Please make sure if you comment on this, you 'star' it also. That way it's more likely to get noticed. Viva la revolution, or something.

The orange and white colours are simply WRONG.

It's not a matter of styling, for decades nearly all UK maps have had the standard Blue for motorways, Green for A-roads etc, and drivers recognise this as motorways have blue signs and A-roads have green signs.

So it MUST be translated into the mappping for it to be of any use to the UK public. It's not a matter of style is a matter of necessity!

I remember when Google Maps first launched and I was delighted that they chose to use standard UK colours instead of American colours you found on internet maps at the time, but they've gone back on this now.

Google, FIX THIS PLEASE!

Look at this http://imgur.com/midqa03 (badly formatted sorry)

The top Ordnance Survey (government owned mapping company) map, using standard UK colours.
Then below the google map of a similar area.

You can see at a glance just how much more information about the status of each road is conveyed just with the colour scheme, maps are all about emparting information and the google map now looks like a desert in comparison.

I have to agree - motorways have to be blue.  They can't be the same colour as A roads, and its very wrong that none-primary A roads and B roads have just blended into "backstreet" status.

Ok, this is not the place for personal attacks thank you.

Another vote here for "bring back the UK colours as standard".

Plenty people agree: https://www.facebook.com/googlemapsukcolours
(102 likes in a week, and counting)

The new colour scheme greatly affects the usability of the maps - you just cannot tell 'at-a-glance' any more how roads are classified.

Major single-carriageways are lost in the 'noise' as they are all white like normal streets now. Large chunks of the Scottish Highlands are a complete pain to look at now. 

Motorways should be blue to highlight the special status/restrictions they have by definition. 

I also have concerns about the new colour scheme. You simply cannot apply a 'one size fits all' approach and expect it to work when different countries have such varying colour schemes for roads. If anyone at Google is reading this, I would urge you to reinstate the correct colour scheme for British roads, to avoid a large exodus of users to other providers.

I totally agree with other comments regarding the new colours. In the UK we are so used to the "correct" colours for differentiating road types, this change to "orange" motorways could, potentially, be dangerous.

Just to echo the comments made by others, really. Cartography isn't art, it's about functionality. When it comes to things like roads, it's important that maps reflect real-life classifications and usage rather than trying to impose arbitrary groupings based purely on visuals.

There are two separate issues with the new colours on Google maps. The first is that the visual classification into "important roads" (orange), "less important roads" (yellow) and "everything else" (white/grey) doesn't reflect either the way roads are formally classified in the UK (and, for that matter, Ireland) or their actual construction and use. To be useful in a UK context, you need at least five key classifications (motorways, trunk routes, primary routes, secondary roads and other) which need clear visual differentiation. I wouldn't object too much to a global colour scheme which differs from UK norms, provided that it does actually do an effective job of making those distinctions. But different shades of yellow/orange/grey isn't going to do it! And, if you're going use the appropriate classifications, then it makes sense to use the standard colours for them as well.

It's also worth noting that the new colour scheme doesn't work for most of Europe, either. Google appears to be trying to impose a US-based road classification (highway, arterial, local) on the rest of the world, even where it's clearly inappropriate. Aiming for visual consistency isn't going to work, because the underlying reality which you are trying to map isn't consistent either.

Some very well made points here by a lot of people. However looking around online I can't find a great deal of arguments/discussion about it. People will too easily be complacent with the new style. Ideally this argument needs to be spread further and talked about in more places otherwise I fear Google won't take it seriously. 

There's the facebook group, and the 'report a problem' on google maps itself where you can give feedback, and a few other discussion threads and blog posts etc. Recommend we all push this amongst our 'circles' and try to get some more chatter about it. 

Here's a blog post that you can point people to if you want:

http://mark.goodge.co.uk/2013/07/google-maps-where-orange-is-the-new-blue-and-also-the-new-green-and-red/

Totally agree with the comments int his thread, the colour scheme on the new maps is terrible. In the UK we have along running standard colour scheme for our roads which has been outlined above. Please revert to it.

Google maps are now no better than Apple Maps - so I might as well upgrade the iOS on my phone, get apple maps and then use OpenMaps as a means of getting decent, navigable maps.  

We, in the UK anyway, use maps to visually and mentally plan a route from A to B.  These maps can also be used by GPS systems - but that is not the maps primary purpose.  A map is intended to convey a sense of geography and assist in navigation.  Google Maps no longer does this.   

Just wanted to add i agree with pretty much all of the above. Finding it really difficult to get a "sense" of a journey using this new colour scheme. It's like someone changing the colours of the lines on the tube map... Some things are just ingrained.

I've reported a problem on Google maps, I really hope enough people make a fuss over this. Until then I'm weighing up my online mapping options. It's not a case of snubbing Google Maps until they don't change back, it's a case of un-usability!

Please revert to the previous colours, navigating using Google maps in their new colour format is much more difficult and frustrating.

This is a big deal for people in the UK.

When the road colours changed I found myself wondering whether the map was broken. It actually makes navigation considerably more difficult, since pretty much everyone in the UK has grown up with the blue, green, red, yellow colour scheme.

The new colour scheme is very disorienting and is completely at odds with every printed road atlas and road sign in this country. I find myself having to read the road numbers on the map, since I can no longer tell from its colour what sort of road it is.

I've actually ended up on major dual carriageways on my bike because of this, which is not fun!

I recently used http://map.project-osrm.org with the MapQuest view to plot a cycle route and a driving route successfully. It doesn't have the 'smoothness' of Google maps, nor the street view option which is useful to check junctions etc., but at least you know where to go to avoid getting hit by a lorry. 

Such a shame really, if Google could just concede on this one issue of road colours (all the other new features are fine) then combined with the other good functionality, it could be a really great online map tool. 

Come on Google we want to use your maps - make them good again.

I've always used Google Maps as my first port of call on the internet when looking for somewhere.  Sadly this will no longer be the case.  Why use a map where most of the major roads become practically invisible at medium resolution?

More importantly, the new colours no longer match the colours used on roadsigns.
All motorway roadsigns are coloured blue, major a-road signs are green, therefore it's confusing not only for British people, but also those visiting from other countries for google to have it's own "special" colour scheme.

As per nearly all the comments above, can you please change the colours back to regular UK colours. I understand re-designs to the browser based maps and apps, but why change the colours from what is right in the UK to what is now not correct and INREDIBLY confusing.

Absolutely.  This is a hugely confusing change.  Maps should clearly in the local colours - France has exactly the same problem.

Very much agree with the above comments. The new colour scheme means important routes are now relegated to the same minor road category as residential streets, and this is very confusing for the purposes of route planning. 

Please please change the colours back, it's confusing! I can't say it any better than those above. I'm commenting register my annoyance at the local ignorance of this decision.

+1 for correct styling. I use googlemaps in the car with my phone and I'm really struggling to understand the roads at a glance the way I used to.

As it was previously correct, I consider this a regression. Please fix.

Seriously, why would you do this? If the UK is fixed I'm assuming Ireland will be fixed too. Make it happen!

This change makes Wales look very very empty. The primary route labels come in a zoom level before the roads themselves appear (oops!), then each category of roads — primary routes, A roads, and B roads — appears about two steps of zoom too far in for them to be useful. Whoever decided A roads and B roads were "local" has made a major mistake: these are the only arterial routes that we have. I was trying to show someone a journey we made the other day, and eventually I gave up and used another site, as this refresh makes it impossible to visualize a long journey along rural roads.

Couldn't agree more with the above comments, this seems like a huge step backwards and will force yet more users to Bing.

I agree with the above comments. UK map colouring should be re-enabled.

Again, as other people have said further above, this just does not work for the UK. I understand that this isn't necessarily the correct place to voice this, but in the absence of any public response from Google, it will have to do. 

I've attached two screenshots from the old and the new versions of Maps on Android, both for the same approximate area. I was trying to figure out where to find a quiet patch for the Perseids - the old Maps shows me where heavily used roads are at a glance, while the new Maps doesn't. This really does need to be fixed. 

	Screenshot_2013-08-20-15-42-04.png 891 KB   View   Download

	Screenshot_2013-08-20-15-43-06.png 1.1 MB   View   Download

I have moved away from Google maps because of the loss of information previously conveyed by the conventional UK style colours.  Google, please fix. 

Google please change this back. Google maps has been one of the most useful things on the internet, and now its just terrible. I often use the maps to plan cycle routes, but now i end up on main roads, which are not actually highlighted as main road on the map. It used to be simple 'stay on the white and you'll be alright' not any more :-(

We should bring this back to the point about the StyledMaps functionality. If Google want to change their mapping styles that is up to them. The main problem is that controls are not sufficient to create a style that works for national mapping styles. This isn't just a UK issue. As pointed out in the start of this issue log only having 3 classes (highway, arterial and local) is not sufficient (controlled access also only partially solves the problem).
For the AA, maintaining a national style specification is very important. The new styles  are not yet enforced in the API so the specification in the AA Route Planner currently reflects a closer representation that users prefer.
So while Google can maintain a different specification there should be sufficient controls to create the style we currently have and would like to maintain.

As you say, this isn't just a UK issue. The problem with the styled maps "solution" is that no styled map will be able to show all countries' roads in all their correct colours. Google had that advantage before on their own maps site: they ditched it, and they should bring it back.

As you all pointed out, there is not only a UK issue. In Spain, there was a clear criteria to distinguish roads: dark orange for toll highways, bright orange for free highways, yellow for primary roads and white for local roads.

Now there are some primary roads and free highways painted yellow (how can we distinguish them?) and some other free highways painted orange, like toll highways.

I can't understand why Google removed that functionality which is affecting all the countries and really hope some day it will be a solution on this.

I've just switched to using Bing and Open Maps now on my iPhone. Works fine and the roads are the correct colour.  More and more people I know are switching as well

Just keep pestering them with bug reports (click the Help & Feedback tab on the map) and include examples of their useless road colourings where possible. 

I got a response the other day saying that they have "escalated (the) report to the appropriate engineering team. Even though we don't have an immediate fix to (the) problem, please be assured that we're working hard for a resolution. " So it seems that all hope is not lost, good people.

They've been saying that for a while. Since the upgrade to iOS7 I've actually been using Apple maps more now as they've switched their colours to be similar to what google used to have. 

Google still need to look at this - the colours, and their 'new' mapping interface in general is very very poor. Why downgrade?

Quite agree - I've also been finding it very confusing whilst planning routes as well with the roads not being the correct colours. Please change this back!

Hq.

Can we have a comment from the Google development team, please, about what is likely to happen with this issue?

+1 for this change as well.  The new maps in most areas make it much difficult to differentiate the roads and identify the main routes.  In most areas it's just a sea of white and grey.

Agree with all the above comments - the new colours lack all the information previously available in the UK maps. Motorways, major A-roads, minor A roads and B all have traditional colours. Please can the development team comment on this issue?

The problem I find is that it's so counter-intuitive (and the UK standard is reinforced every time you look at a paper map, satnav or another provider) that you have to start looking for road *numbers* to try and figure our where you are in the country. Which defeats the whole point of colouring roads in the first place.
Please can we have some update what's happening with this, 'cos I'm fed up using Bing.

This is an absolutely ridiculous change, the new colours lack the highways information and it renders Google Maps useless / unusable and uninformative for any British person.

Pointless, I cannot understand for the life of me why they've changed something that was fine before.

This thread has been quiet for a while, but the issue is still there.  IMHO some of the responses on here are ineffective rants...

The key issue is that separating the style classes of UK motorways and UK A-roads would allow users to differentiate the two using their preferred style, and approximate the usual default UK representation.

Moaning at Google for the default style chosen in their map presentation is a different issue which affects users that don't realize they can customize the style. But with the *single* style applied to both motorways and A-roads, you can only customize them together, e.g. they both become blue, or whatever.

Just registering that this is still a frustration for me - the styles wizard doesn't allow full control to allow the UK road network to be represented fully. Would be great to get this resolved by May 2015, two years after this thread was started.

MY god will you give us our colours back! I fucking hate these stupid orange motor ways!

Just to reiterate what others have already said: The default colour scheme is, arguably, a design choice and if Google want all roads to be shades of orange that's up to them. 

The real issue here is that Google is trying to impose their own classifications onto the road network which don't match reality. From a mapping perspective that's just a plain fail. 

If you're mapping something artificial, such as roads, then you have to represent them in a way which matches their actual construction and use. The representation used by Google doesn't do that. To be fully functional, the API needs to allow styles to be applied on the basis of real life classifications rather than arbitrary classifications which don't match the way that users experience the roads. 

Hi, once again registering that this is an outstanding issue for us. Google - any chance of an update on this?