There are several cities in the world, including London, Paris or Barcelona, that have demarcated themselves Environmental zones for cars. Vehicles entering these areas, usually in city centers, may be fined if they are not allowed to enter these areas.
This new Google Maps tool is currently available in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris
But sometimes these areas are not clearly delineated and can lead to confusion. For this reason, Google Maps has built in a new function that warns drivers when entering these environmental zones.
The driver receives one of these notifications if you have to cross one of these areas when planning a route restricted or when you are near any of them. This warning system can initially be used in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris. The company’s intent is for it to be available in more cities soon.
But this warning system not only warns the driver of a possible fine if he enters this area. Also google maps directs the user to official information from the respective city so that you can choose another mode of transport or an alternative route.
This idea from Google Maps is not really original. There are other geolocation apps like Waze, which by the way were bought by Google in 2013, which already offered this notification service. However, in terms of downloads and frequency of use, Google Maps is by far the most widely used map app in the world. In 2020 alone, around 24 million downloads were added worldwide.
Google Maps, committed to reducing traffic and pollution, introduced another feature in this direction last March. This consists in the app directing the driver to go there when choosing a destination Route that you think is more sustainable based on a number of factors.
