Scientists warn that local short cuts are in danger of becoming major routes because journey-planning software in cars, which automatically select the shortest route to a destination, will probably become commonplace on our roads in the very near future.
Scientists warn that local short cuts are in danger of becoming major routes because journey-planning software in cars, which automatically select the shortest route to a destination, will probably become commonplace on our roads in the very near future.
This could have a big impact on urban residents who think that they are living in “quiet areas”. In July, CARtoday.com reported that with satellite navigation systems and satellite tracking systems readily available on most manufacturers’ top-of-the-range models, it was conceivable that GPS systems, already available on hand-held mobile units, would become an integral part of the motor industry.
A network of satellites will not only be able to track individual vehicles with pin-point accuracy, but also the route they follow and the speed at which a route is covered. The network could process information gathered from the satellites and relay to the motorist when traffic is building up, moving slowly or jammed on a particular route.
This, in turn, would prompt the computer software in cars to suggest alternative or even shorter routes to specific destination.
Is this necessarily a good thing? Could the software on cars turn quiet suburbs into bustling motorways?
Scientists hope to solve the potential problem by logging the surroundings of streets. If a satellite navigation system then detects that the quickest journey takes the driver through a residential area – where traffic noise and vehicle emissions may be intrusive – it will then recalculate and come up with a more “considerate” route. A team from Wuppertal University in Germany is in talks with car manufacturers about fitting the new software to vehicles.