Agreed. And not just that, but also the fact that people use Google Maps for car navigation means Google can derive the location of traffic jams by comparing current speed with the speed limit.
This is hugely useful for navigation since it means these bottlenecks can be avoided, some thing which is not possible unless this data is available.
If I present you the other side of the coin - we are a small country, where we cant keep up with number of cars of tourists traveling to the next country over summer.
Since the Google Maps is here, not only we have a completely congested highways but also all other roads that were free of tourists before are now blocked. Tourists that are traveling to the next country while their number has doubled as they dont stand in line from border to border but rather destroy any viable traffic for locals.
In some locations it has gone to the point where small villages with historically very narrow roads are literally blocked by **** (pardon my french), using google maps and see that there is a pass (while every road is the same, right) so the police needs to deter tourists to even head there. Wont even go into suffering of locals there.
This is a real issue, but it has nothing to do with Google specifically. You’re basically saying that information on road networks should be obscured or restricted so governments can indirectly control the flow of traffic.
Japan actually has some soft regulations in this space about routing and road visibility (e.g. residential roads are hidden when you’re on thoroughfares). But they’re just suggestions so only domestic companies follow them and Google, Apple, etc still provide their usual global algorithms.
Maybe there’s a good solution to this, but I don’t think it’s getting rid of mapping services and going back to security through obscurity.
No, I am saying that by diverting drivers to regional roads without taking into account local population, this is directly Google fault. Why? Before Google started messing with information about congestion, there was no issue. Regional roads swallowed without any problem those few adventurous tourists that decided to use them. Now you find an average Joe everywhere.
Wanna se another interesting example (use google translate), here are statistics of our volunteer based and taxes paid (for everyone in need, even tourists, including helicopter transport) mountain rescue service: https://www.grzs.si/resevanje/statistika-nesrec/
Check number of accidents since 2006 (google maps came out 2005) and constant rise to 2023 (more than twice the number of interventions). Freaking maps are showing the steepest mountain roads (Alps are not a joke), to parts without phone signal. Google gets you just far enough to get you into troubles, potentially fatal troubles.
> this is directly Google fault.
> Check number of accidents since 2006
I believe it is a funnel of things: Slovenia became part of EU. GPS navigation in cars and smartphones became a thing. Google isn't even the only traffic data provider. Slovenia has RDS-TMC since 2009. So even a boring TomTom will show some form of congestion info.
But I agree with you, that navigation tools should not direct traffic away from the main roads (especial transit roads). Traffic planners should somehow be able to weight streets or routes.
The solution sounds simple. Force non-locals to buy a Swiss-like vignette to drive on those roads. And, make it damn expensive, like 1000 Euros. You can probably put a police checkpoint around a corner about 500 meters after the sign and fine people who are missing the vignette something like 2000 Euros. Finally, use social media and obnoxious free media (City AM and friends) to tell everyone about it. It should take care of itself in about 3 months.
I wonder if it would be possible to get a bunch of old phones and put them by the side of the road with Google maps on, simulating a traffic jam. Or something like that.
Google maps doesn't do this, it's done by lower levels of software, specifically Google Location Service which is built into Google Play Services. You can tinker with maps settings all you want, but the data is coming from the rootkit they bundle on nearly all devices. Many android apps use GLS APIs and won't work without it.
I've been saved from tickets by Google maps several times now, mostly because when it warns of a speed trap it reminds me to look at the speedometer and realize the prevailing traffic speed had been more than 10 km over the limit.
This is hugely useful for navigation since it means these bottlenecks can be avoided, some thing which is not possible unless this data is available.