When you use Google maps you’re probably used to landing in the middle of the road you’ve typed into the search bar and strolling up and down right in the path of the frozen traffic.

But now, Google are adding a new service to their Street View map.

Users will now be able to have a look inside selected shops and restaurants instead of squinting at the building from half-way across the road.

Google explains to companies who elect to have their premises viewable, “We ask that you notify customers and employees of the photo shoot by putting up signs and making announcements about the scheduled photo shoot.

“We ask also that during the photo shoot you inform all persons in the area that a photo shoot is in progress and request that they move out of view.

“We’ll either run the 360-degree imagery through our state-of-the-art blurring technology to blur out faces of any employees and customers who appear in the imagery, or we won’t publish the still photos if people are in view.”

It will be interesting to see how many businesses open their doors to Google and it will be nice to have the ability to finally get off the Google map road.

Now we’d quite like Google to let us walk down some of the enticing little side-streets, alleyways and country-side paths which are still currently out of bounds.

Labels: alleyway, businesses, Google map, path, restaurants, road, shops, side-street, Street View, traffic