Google has announced that it is bringing traffic alerts to Google Maps.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the US that occurs on the last Monday of May. Think of it as our American cousins’ May bank holiday.
Another common trait shared with the UK’s own early summer bank holiday is that produces crazy traffic. That’s why Google is announcing this Google Maps update now.
The latest version of Google Maps, which should be rolling out to US users in time for Memorial Day, adds new alerts during the turn-by-turn navigation process. This will give you alerts when there’s congestion ahead, and how long you might be stuck in the jam.
At this point you’ll also be given alternative route options, as well as explanations for why they’re recommended – whether they’re faster or just avoid such snarl ups, for example.
Related: Android Wear gets a fully-featured Google Maps app… sort of
It also gives you an explanation of upcoming traffic conditions when you first set the route.
As we mentioned at the outset, it looks like a decidedly US-centric feature right now, what with the talk of Memorial Day over on the official Google blog post. Hopefully we won’t have long to wait for these traffic alerts to come to the UK and Europe.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.