Computerized Navigation Systems to the Rescue

Rhys_Lewis writes "There is an article in Newsweek discussing the advantages of traffic avoidance systems in big cities around the world. I can't help thinking that it would be cheaper to subsidise in-car satnav units with traffic avoidance than building new freeways. Surely it makes sense to interactively route traffic than to keep building passive roads?"

Comments

Computerized Nav Systems

[DrFlex]

What's gonna happen when advertising hits these things?

Your car drives you directly to the nearest McDonalds!

Just get out of your car!

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want to avoid traffic, spending your money on silly "Traffic avoidance" boxes is a waste. There is a much easier way to avoid traffic; don't use your car!

For a nation that claims to be the world leader, public transport is possibly the worst in any civalised country. Buses are few and far between, train systems are unused for shorter journeys and everyone, everyone commutes into work by car. What a waste!

What is needed is more investment in public transport infastructure. That'll avoid more traffic than a little black box ever could.

And they assume, of course...

[Incoherent07]

that people won't get fed up with the stupid things and turn them off. From the article, about 10% of drivers in Japan use the navigation systems. The other 90% are still clogging up the freeways, even if Americans turn out to be as gadget-happy as the Japanese (which wouldn't surprise me).

So, to answer the question in the article, not unless you can force people to USE the satnav units. I for one have used one a few times (in rental cars mostly) and found it incredibly annoying.