Lagos, according to the 2017
study conducted by a UK-based brand, was rated the third most stressed-out city
in the world, having closely followed after Baghdad and Kabul — which ranked
first and second respectively.
But, with the daily tussles of
commuters in the commercial city’s worsening gridlocks, among other obvious
factors like cramped up environment, it is no surprise that Lagos ranked lowly
148 on the least stressed-out rung.
The commercial city’s traffic may
seem an unavoidably stressful part of the workday. There’s no gainsaying it.
But, what if you were told there are tools available to road users to change
the narrative and reduce the daily stress or, perhaps, a few techs to help
reclaim a few hours every day and make good use of commuting time?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Here are five Google Map tools to achieve just that.
Finding out traffic situation
Who says you have to hit the road
at 7:30 am or 5:00 pm sharp? With just one tap, you have access to information
like ETAs, live traffic updates and quickest routes to familiar places like
home, work, and the gym. This will help you decide whether you should join the
fray in the traffic, stick around, head off to the gym, or make a stop to buy
the milk you know is needed at home.
Popular Times feature
If the gym is an alternative to
traffic for you but queues aren’t, try using Google’s ‘Popular Times’ feature.
This is accessible through Search and Maps and will help you decide how to
better use your time. If the gym’s too busy and filled with other traffic
dodgers, for example, you can choose to see how busy things look at your local
mall or the library or the supermarket.
Share your ETA and location
If you’re sitting in traffic on
your way to work and your boss keeps asking for updates, then there’s no better
tool to use than the Share Trip Progress function in Google Maps to which
allows you to share your journey with third parties via Whatsapp, Facebook
Messenger, or even email.
Once they open your shared link
in Maps, they’ll be able to track your progress with ease. In much the same
way, you can share an actual estimated time of arrival at home with your
family, keeping their minds at ease on those “extra trafficky” days.
Preoccupy kids in traffic
Driving in cars with kids: If
it’s your turn to drop the kids off at school, and you have an Android device,
why not use Google’s Bolo app to use their time in traffic wisely? Bolo is a
speech-based reading app that helps kids learn how to read in English while you
maneuver your way through the traffic.
The app allows kids to read out
loud while “listening” to them and offering feedback to help improve their
reading skills. More is that Bolo operates offline so there can be no poor
internet coverage excuse.
Shorten commuting time
With Google’s newly announced
Mixed Transit feature, people faced with traffic on a daily basis can find ways
to shorten or ease this process. For some, this means mixed options when it
comes to transport. You could drive or cycle to a taxi/bus station,
Perhaps, you could board a
taxi/bus or rideshare from there and then walk the last few metres to work.
This feature would be made available to phones soon and promises to help
commuters plot their mixed transit options out every day by choosing the fastest
commuting options available.
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