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| TomTom's cities index says this is not congestion. |
A SCROOGE myself, who prefers using maps.google free of charge on
my old wap-enabled cellphone rather than my ageing Garmin, I was, in December
2013, challenged by TomTom to use its latest Go 500 GPS.
The TomTom Go series comes with TomTom Traffic, and the company had only released its Go range in the U.S. and Canada on January
3.
It said the redesigned GPS “reinvents how drivers use navigation with its new
map and traffic-centric interface”.
TomTom’s world-class traffic information pinpoints where delays
start and end. Drivers can connect to TomTom Traffic via their Smartphone by
downloading the free TomTom MyDrive mobile app. Consumers can access TomTom
Traffic through their smartphone data plan.
“With this completely redesigned PND, we are empowering drivers
with an essential daily driving tool that provides access to accurate,
real-time traffic information to aid their everyday commute,” said Jocelyn
Vigreux, managing director of TomTom Inc.
“People typically know their commute route very well. What they
don’t always know about is the extent of the traffic they’ll encounter and how
best to avoid it.
“TomTom Traffic provides game-changing insight into that unknown
variable, and gives valuable time back to drivers each time they commute.”
Having made good my escaped from the big smoke of Jozi because of
the congested roads there, I put the TomTom to the test to take me around all
the e-tolling gantries in Gauteng on a recent visit.
All the new TomTom models come with a high-resolution touch screen
on which the user can both pinch and zoom to find and explore places on the map
with their fingertips, and tap on the map to get an instant route to a
destination.
Buildings and landmarks are brought to life in high-quality 3D, so
drivers can see clearly and confirm exactly where they are. I was thinking that
while nice to play with, none of the features beat the app from google.
Then a beep from the TomTom revealed its most useful feature: the
speed-camera alert. While in town I have no need for alerts as my speed is too
slow, on a highway this comes in useful.
TomTom users can also report new cameras by pressing a few buttons.
For this reason alone I can heartily recommend it. The savings on speed fines
will soon pay for the device.
Don't go to these cities!
Indian tourists visiting South Africa find our idea of traffic
congestion laughable. But even India’s holy-cow!-punctuated traffic is not as
congested as the top 10 in the world cities now emerging out of recession.
This is according to the sixth edition of TomTom’s Traffic Index,
which the company calls “the world’s most accurate barometer of traffic
congestion in 169 cities across six continents”.
The index compares travel times during non-congested hours (free
flow) with travel times in peak hours. Based on these comparisons, the world’s
top-10 most congested cities, ranked by overall congestion level, in the second
quarter of 2013 were:
1. Moscow,
2. Istanbul,
3. Rio de Janeiro,
4. Warsaw
5. Palermo,
6. Marseille,
7. São Paulo,
8. Rome,
9. Paris,
10.
Stockholm.
