Great news for the French: Google Streetview is spreading out to more French cities! RenaLID had pre-announced it earlier today, and it is now official. The new areas encompassed by Streetview include Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Lille et Nice.

As soon as I saw the news, I typed the address of the place I was living in as a student in Toulouse. Well guess what: the Goocar is Google Streetview’s ultimate limit. Here is the street of my old apartment:


View Larger Map

Yep, that’s the dark street facing us (Rue du May). I’ve seen trucks pulling in and out of this small driveway, but I guess the GooCar didn’t feel like it. This is Google’s ultimate limit to recreate the earth in photo: Some places are just not accessible!

The same phenomenon happens for the Vieux Nice district: No Streetview coverage.

That’s too bad because the Vieux Nice really is the only cosy neighborhood of Nice. But the streets certainly are way too tiny. And even if the GooCar could access it, the pictures would be pretty dark, unless it flashes a spotlight on the walls that are being photographed (that would turn the Goocar into a disco-mobile!).

Google Streetview in France is great news, but as usual, the French show off their natural way for blocking the intrusion of US corporations. That’s the spirit!

The Google Street View Cars (GooCars) have become an entertainment topic in the mapping space. Since those little cars are driving around the world taking snapshots of every block corners on the globe, sometimes, things don’t roll the way they are supposed to. Here is a compilation of icky Google Street View Cars situations:

1. Google Attempts Vehicular Assassination: As seen on GoogleSightseeing Blog, this GooCar almost ran over a rollerblading passer-by.

2. The United States Park Police vs. the Google Maps Car San Francisco’s Presidio: SF Citizen published the picture of a GooCar getting pulled over by a Park Rangers in San Francisco, CA.

3. Google Street View Car Drives Into Microsoft Campus, Gets Laughed At By Windows Live Maps: Gizmodo reports this funny anecdote of the GooCar driving around the Microsoft headquarters and taking snapshots of the LiveMaps building.

4. Google Street View Captures Car Accident: Obviously, by traveling so much, GooCars capture even the least expected pictures. Here’s a wrecked car abandoned on the sidewalk. If anybody knows the owner…

5. Multi-Vehicle Car Accident Captured on Google Street View: Yet another accident.

6. Google’s Street View captures the moment a drunken Aussie keeled over outside his home: If you’re a drunk, beware of the GooCar. You wouldn’t want your difficult mornings to appear on Google Street View forever, now would you?

7. Girl Flashes Chest at Street View Car: Ferrari better be watching out. Nowadays, if you want to pick up hot girls with a car, you’re better off with a GooCar. Apparently, it makes the ladies horny.

8. Italians mistake Google Street View car for prowling Gestapo: Valleywag reports this funny story of a GooCar that made all passers-by run away as they thought the car was a Gestapo-type of engine from their newly-elected mayor.

9. Google Street View: Private moments captured: This article collects a few pics already mentioned above, but the first pic is a kid falling down his bike. Poor kiddo!

10. Mariage proposal 2.0: I’ve saved the most creative use of the GooCar for the end. I don’t know if this marriage will last, but the proposition is here to stay!

11. Video extra - the independent online video creation community put together a funny video clip about Street View:

If you like those kinds of GooCar unusual stories, make sure to check out the Google Street View Gallery, a Digg-like site for GooCars.

xavierv