California AAA Folding Its Map-Making Operation

Road maps produced by the California State Automobile Association, long appreciated by travelers and cartographers for their utility and beauty, are going the way of car-hops, drive-ins and high-test gas.

The auto club has been producing maps since 1909 and has what many cartographers consider one of the best operations in the business. But fewer people are pulling dog-eared maps from the glove compartment these days - demand for the club's paper maps fell 13 percent last year - so the California AAA will close its cartography unit by year's end.

Auto club spokesman Jenny Mack says members will still get free maps - one of the club's most popular benefits - but they'll be produced by AAA national headquarters in Florida. The club, which serves Northern California, Nevada and Utah, also offers the popular online TripTick Travel Planner, which has experienced double-digit growth since its introduction eight years ago.

As the San Francisco Chronicle notes, the auto club's decision was perhaps inevitable in an era when driving directions are a mouse click away and GPS systems are ubiquitous.

Photo by Flickr user gwen.