Next Generation of GPS Devices Will Save More Fuel
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 03.27.08
Traffic jams, apart from being a major cause of lost productivity and frustration, are also a source of pollution and wasted fuel. Idling cars are getting zero miles per gallon. The Economist reports that technology might soon help drivers get where they are going in less time, and thus, burn less fuel.
GPS devices are already seeing rapid adoption, and they are helping, but they alone are not enough: Most use signposted speeds to calculate trip times, don't have real-time traffic data, and don't take into account the changes in traffic flows that occur on different days and at different times of the day (or because of special circumstances, such as accidents, bad weather, etc).
That's about to change! Devices will get real-time traffic movement data from sensors in commercial fleets, buses, road sensors, police, emergency services, and even cell phones. With that information and some clever software, a GPS could find out what the best route is based on current conditions and not just on a static map. Potential fuel savings are huge. Still, nothing beats telecommuting. ::Turn left. No right. I mean left
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You can already get traffic alerts with many GPS brands, but it'll cost ya. You have to buy a higher-end device and pay a subscription fee.
I doubt that the majority of traffic jams are due to people getting lost. Mostly are due to construction and accidents.
Ok this is a good thing. Driving avoid lines, get the shorter directions, safe fuel. Fuel? The Next generation of GPS should safe Electric-POWER not fuel. For how long should we have these engines fueled with dinosaur juice messing up OUR air and our finances?
My GPS has saved enough gas to pay for itself (cheap portable, but still)
If I got traffic updates, would probably have saved even more gas.
For those without fancy GPS systems, most online mapping sites have real time traffic. The one I like the best, because it seems to have more cities, is MapQuest's: http://www.mapquest.com/explore/traffic
"I doubt that the majority of traffic jams are due to people getting lost. Mostly are due to construction and accidents."
Exactly. This is about routing people as efficiently as possible around these jams in real-time, and not guessing at an alternate route that might be as clogged.
Sometimes there's no way around, but other times there is, and these could distribute the traffic based on computer models and make things a lot more fluid.
There would be a lot less traffic jams if cities investing in 'skycranes' (heavy-lift helicopters) to pick up and remove stalled and crashed vehicles.
Pedestrians also should not have right of way. More crosswalk lights should be installed, but they should not activate immediately.
Traffic lights should use sensors to adjust to traffic flows.
Advance turn signals should be installed at every intersection on major roads.
Police should ticket people who hold up traffic, not speeders.
Laws should be enacted regarding how long people can idle vehicles.
Lane splitting by motorcycles should be allowed everywhere.
Fewer road construction projects should be underway at any given time with more workers devoted to each, speeding their completion.
All tolls should be automated somehow.
See, if you elect me dictator of the planet i can solve everything.
I always thought a GPS system would include an exact interval in between lights at a intersection. But I guess its still a new idea.
For example... Lets say up ahead the traffic lights appears green but infact is just about to turn yellow then red, the system would give you the exact seconds before the green light would make the transition thus giving you the option to slow down beforehand, rather than to accelerate only to find the light has turned yellow.