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Google Maps Deterring Outback Tourists, Say Small Firms (bbc.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the bu-tracker dept.

Tourism operators in Australia claim inaccuracies in Google Maps are deterring potential visitors, by making remote attractions appear further away than they actually are. From a report: The Queensland government in north-east Australia has complained to Google, which says it will look into the issue. Firms looking to promote their small towns as remote tourist destinations say Google Maps inflates travel times. Outback businesses say errors in the map app can add hours to a journey. "People aren't coming to places because they think it takes too long, or they're missing opportunities to refuel and they're getting sent off on another road that has no fuel [outlets]," Robyn Mackenzie, of the Eromanga Natural History Museum, told national broadcaster ABC. "People will get frightened of travelling in the outback, because they don't have any confidence in the mapping," the general manager of the small town museum added.

8 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Story doesn't seem up to date by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Informative

    In TFA it states

    In one case, the journey time from Birdsville, on the Queensland border, up to the Western Star Hotel in Windorah, in the centre of the state, was estimated to be close to 11 hours by Google Maps.
    After claims the time was inaccurate, Google changed the estimated time to about 7 hours and 45 minutes. But locals say the drive is closer to four hours with no stops.

    I just plotted out the same route in google maps and it told me 4 hours and 22 minutes. So either the story is wrong or google has been fixing things.

    But it makes me wonder* about people estimating times. Its a 380km journey and at 100km/hr that puts it at the 4 hour mark. I can't explain where 7 or 11 hours comes from,

    *Cue Stairways to Heaven

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    1. Re:Story doesn't seem up to date by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Could be that road conditions do not let you travel at 100KM on average.
      So most likely they think it was a road where 100KM was not possible. Here a 450KM trip that would take 12.5 hours. 70KM more added 8 hours travel time.

      That actually could be the what is going on. The locals are taking route 14 in 4 hours, but the tourists are being directed along route 12 and 83 for what ever reason and take 12 hours. And I compared apples to oranges.

      One possible reason is that the locals are geared up for long distance driving with long range fuel tanks, but rental cars don't have them, so the locals can safely do a straight shot along a route with limited fuel stops and the tourists are being directed to the route that has more fuel stops that suit their shorter range tanks.

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    2. Re:Story doesn't seem up to date by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Its a 380km journey

      For your search it is. Who is to say that when they made the search they got the same result? Now none of this is to say that Google is at "fault" but when a main road is closed in the outback you can easily change a route that adds hundreds of km to a journey. Likewise it can put you on a shitty dirt track that drops you down to 50km / hour.

      Last time I traveled through Far North Queensland Google took me off the highway and through Woodleigh Station. It cut 60km from my trip but at one point the road completely ceased to exist making the trip very slow and a short time later I was standing for 20min while 200 cattle were being herded around us and a cattledog was biting at my tires. We got to where we were going well over an hour later than the other car which left at the same time.

      Was Google at "fault"? No idea. Maybe the road was listed as closed, maybe the previous driver through the station raced through it at 100km/h and Google recorded the road as being faster. Maybe everyone else pulled over due to a road train passing on the highway and Google assumed there was an accident. Point is, from 4 hours to 7 hours is less than double the time and far worse than that does happen.

  2. Re:Tourism Destroys Culture and Wildlife. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously though, nobody should be relying on Google Maps to plan a trip somewhere like the Outback. Outback steakhouse, sure. A place where taking a wrong turn or getting stranded could be fatal? Ask a human being. Google warns people when a store's operating hours may be different because of holidays, it would seem that a warning when traveling through the middle of freaking nowhere is warranted. "Consult local resources before making this trip or you may die." "Fragile ecosystem - do not deviate from marked paths!" "Seasonal access only - conditions out of season may be fatal."

  3. Re:Sure, blame google by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think Google is doing something similar to what the Interstate did with America.

    Older roads use to go into small towns, where drivers will fill up, have a meal, check out a little of the local culture. Then they put in the interstate system, which connected big cities together, and drive by small towns, sometimes without an exit to them. With the promise of a fast MPH speed on the road, you can get from Point A to Point B much faster, but the small towns have been left out and are now shadows of their former self.

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  4. Re:Tourism Destroys Culture and Wildlife. by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 4, Informative

    Same for driving through the US's deserts and mountain ranges. Even the interstates have some danger; they will warn you with things like "last fuel / cell reception for 80 miles".

  5. Re:Sure, blame google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think Google is doing something similar to what the Interstate did with America.

    Older roads use to go into small towns, where drivers will fill up, have a meal, check out a little of the local culture. Then they put in the interstate system, which connected big cities together, and drive by small towns, sometimes without an exit to them. With the promise of a fast MPH speed on the road, you can get from Point A to Point B much faster, but the small towns have been left out and are now shadows of their former self.

    That's exactly what happened to Radiator Springs on route 66 when I-40 came through.

  6. Re: TRUMP Destroys Culture and Wildlife. by Desler · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's also pretty funny that this guy seems to think we forgot that Trump stated on national television that he owned the shitdown and wasn't gonna blame the Democrats.

    I'm sure there are some "alternative facts" to explain that away.