Why shouldn't Google do it? We should want as many people as possible to cycle. It's healthier, reduces traffic, no pollution.

Google maps is the default option for most people. Why would we want to make it harder for people to start cycling by forcing them to hunt down some specialist app that they don't even know exists? Why not just have the information in the app they're already using?

Because as “technology”* becomes infrastructure it’s better off that it transition (via growth) into public hands. And OSM (and Wikipedia and..) demonstrate that “public hands” doesn’t automatically mean “government ownership” especially with transnational resources.

* in the general sense, not just today’s sense, like roads, bridges, power, water etc.

Google can do whatever they want. The point is that there's a great resource already there.

I have no reference to hand agreeing with me, but somehow I suspect that Google Maps is not the biggest barrier between Joe Commuter and the bicycle.