It’s long been one of Google Map’s most requested features, and now it’s here. Recreational cyclists and bike commuters alike can plot cycle-friendly routes, find trails, and avoid snarling traffic with Google Maps’ Bicycle layer.

Maps’ bike-friendly, green-toned map can be accessed in a few ways: by choosing “Bicycle” from the drop-down box below your destination when you’re looking for directions; by hitting the “More” button along the upper-right buttons, or heading directly to Google Maps for bikes

The bike directions take a lot of factors into consideration when sending you around on your two wheels. Google looks for roads with designated bike lanes, tries to avoid areas with lots of hill climbs and drops, and, when possible, whenever a road has been designated by a city or cycle group as bike-friendly. In giving estimates on trip times, Google uses an average person at an average Body Mass Index level, peddling up and down the terrain.

More than 150 cities have bicycle-related information that Google has tapped into, and more are on the way. If you’re digging Maps’ new cycle features, or wish it had more, tell us either way in the comments.

Visit http://maps.google.com/biking to try out this new feature.