Even if there's no cycling map you your area think side streets, parallel, off roads .... I'd rather ride an extra ___ miles and be safer. It's faster, more scenic even going out of the way.

Try your route on a weekend when there's no deadline, make it fun and just explore "I wonder what would happen if we turn here .... this looks good"

Some of the best commute routes are when you just see out of the corner of your eye "look, another rider. Wonder where that road goes."

It took me almost a year of hit and miss short rides to find a route from my home to BART (our light rail). It's still not signed though I and hopefully others lobby for it. Urban/invisible cyclists, even families with babies in tow continue to walk the freeway overpass crossing 4 (four) freeway entrance/exits because that's the way you drive from point A to B here. They can just look and two blocks north is a bike/ped only overpass but there's no signs of how to get there