Inside the Little Plastic Castle

I got a kick when I saw this "maintain 6 feet social distance" sign -- a wheelchair user is among the six folks sharing the path. Thank you to Public Health Madison & Dane County (Wisconsin) for inclusive design. It was a lovely trip on the Lower Yahara River trail, a ten-foot wide asphalt and boardwalk path that wanders through a marsh (remediated landfill) and then parallels a railroad line between two of our lakes.

( sign photo )

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( full description in the cut )

I’m going on a trip soon. Last month I proved myself capable of getting completely lost between 22 Monroe and Union Station in Chicago – even while using Google Maps. I learned that GMaps doesn’t complain until I’ve gone several blocks out of the way.

I’m seeking a pedestrian-oriented navigation application for my iPhone. Ideally, it would:

1. Let me plan a trip in advance. (Accepts my input for both start and end destination, instead of planning from “here.”)
2. Provide audible as well as visual prompts
3. Plan travel outside the road network (such as bike paths and mid-block sidewalks)
4. Alert me when I’m headed in the wrong direction.
5. Provide bus-stop locations and schedules

The last one is lagniappe: I can get that info from the excellent Transit.