With Google Maps, you can now know whether there’s a jam in the future

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:50 pm

Okay, the headline might be a little misleading, but there’re some truth to it.

Just imagine this: you intend to go to JB tomorrow (23 March 2016) at 4:00 p.m. Let me do the magic for you and check whether there’ll be a jam tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.

Hmm, not too bad. There’s a slight jam (red) near Singapore Checkpoint, and a little slow (in yellow) on the causeway, but other than that, it’s relatively smooth. Good to go, my friend.

So, what’s the magic in this? Well, it’s actually not magic: it’s technology.

With many people using GPS-enabled phones, Google is able to determine real-time traffic. If you’ve used Google Map as your GPS before, you’ll realize that Google can magically warn you when there’s going to be a jam ahead, and advise you on taking another route.

How Google can “predict” the traffic in the future is even simpler: the traffic conditions are usually similar every day. For example, early in the morning during a weekday at 8:00 a.m., there’re bound to be some areas (let’s say, Farrer Road) that would have high traffic. So, if you try checking for a Tuesday morning, 8:00 a.m., this will be what you see.

Called “Typical Traffic”, it might not be 100% accurate as there might be unforeseen situations, like a car breakdown or an accident. However, if there isn’t any, according to how I’ve used it, it’s pretty reliable.

Of course, if it’s a public holiday on a weekend, it will be very different.

So next time, if you intend to skip the jam, this is handier than the radio!

Top Image: 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com