Photo: Google Street View
Navigation apps are a great way to reach a specific address faster and more conveniently, but they’re certainly not bulletproof. And the slightest change on the road can lead to a map error, which in turn causes the app to send you right in the middle of nowhere.
In the case of several drivers in Swindon, the United Kingdom, their problem is a little different. They claim such a map error is causing them to get fined for entering a bus-only lane on Rodbourne Road.
A local report highlights the case of a motorist who ended up receiving a fine not once but twice, in both cases for entering the bus lane. The driver says he was just using the navigation app, which for some reason sent him on a road where he shouldn’t have been in the first place.
In theory, it all looks like that sat-nav solution urgently needs a map update to correct the error and prevent drivers from entering the bus-only lane. But there’s also another side of the story.
Local authorities explain that before ending up on the bus lane, drivers actually ignore a dozen signs that are placed on the side of the road, as well as color markings right on the road surface, with occasional gigantic bus lane indicators, and the typical “BUS” text written in huge fonts. So it just looks like drivers are simply ignoring all these signs because they somehow believe the sat-nav knows better.
Well, maybe they should ask the sat-nav to pay their fines then.
Needless to say, this doesn’t mean the navigation software doesn’t require an update, especially because it’s estimated the bus lane generated 2.5 million pounds ($3.4 million) in five years. While the name of the app that was used for directions is currently unknown, reporting map errors is something that’s typically very straightforward, with parent companies very often relying on the community and volunteers to deal with such issues.
If you want to report such an error on Google Maps, here’s a support document guiding you throughout the process.
A local report highlights the case of a motorist who ended up receiving a fine not once but twice, in both cases for entering the bus lane. The driver says he was just using the navigation app, which for some reason sent him on a road where he shouldn’t have been in the first place.
In theory, it all looks like that sat-nav solution urgently needs a map update to correct the error and prevent drivers from entering the bus-only lane. But there’s also another side of the story.
Local authorities explain that before ending up on the bus lane, drivers actually ignore a dozen signs that are placed on the side of the road, as well as color markings right on the road surface, with occasional gigantic bus lane indicators, and the typical “BUS” text written in huge fonts. So it just looks like drivers are simply ignoring all these signs because they somehow believe the sat-nav knows better.
Well, maybe they should ask the sat-nav to pay their fines then.
Needless to say, this doesn’t mean the navigation software doesn’t require an update, especially because it’s estimated the bus lane generated 2.5 million pounds ($3.4 million) in five years. While the name of the app that was used for directions is currently unknown, reporting map errors is something that’s typically very straightforward, with parent companies very often relying on the community and volunteers to deal with such issues.
If you want to report such an error on Google Maps, here’s a support document guiding you throughout the process.
Google News