Toyota Experiments With Providing Lane-Specific Traffic Info

As far as iconic movie intros go, few hit closer to home than the commuting scene at the beginning of Mike Judge’s Office Space. At some point, we’ve all felt like Peter (and sometimes, Samir), inching through traffic on the way to work, not even moving as quickly as an elderly man with a walker. And every time you get into what looks like the faster lane, it immediately slows down, and the lane you were in speeds up. Sadly, outside of your city improving its public transportation system, there’s no real solution for heavy traffic on your commute. But Toyota thinks it can help you find the fastest-moving lane.

The Japanese automaker announced today that it plans to launch a trial test of a service that provides lane-specific traffic-congestion information. The service will be available to users of its TC Smartphone Navigation app starting in the spring of next year. Using data gathered from recorders installed on 500 taxis in Tokyo, an artificial intelligence program will analyze traffic patterns by lane, not simply the roadway in general.

The service will initially be available only in the Tokyo metro area, but Toyota says that if it works well and enough people use it, it will consider expanding into other markets. It’s also open to potentially providing the service on different apps, as well. Toyota also expects to use the information it gathers from these recorder-equipped taxis to eventually provide users with information on road construction, traffic accidents, empty parking spots, and even general congestion around shopping areas.

While Toyota doesn’t plan to launch the service until next year, it will demonstrate the app at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Source: Toyota

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