It’s pretty nice if you’re fortunate enough to live in a city where there is an underground subway system for public transport. You don’t really need a car, you get to smell all of the humanity (of which is legion), and there’s a slightly romantic notion for tourists who travel via the subway. But whether you’re traveling through unfamiliar corridors or if you’re simply following your quotidian routine for the commute to and from work, sometimes sluggish itineraries happen, and that sometimes puts those subway cars on some kind of delay.
While most of the world will probably just have to swallow down the frustration of discovering that their means of public transport has been delayed, travelers on London’s Underground will be able to catch a little bit of a break now thanks to a new feature on Google Maps. Via the Lat Long Blog, Google Maps will now display real-time alerts for the London Underground service.
Now, if you’re trying to figure out where you’re going or just want to plan ahead so as to not be late for work, when you check Google Maps public transit information in London, you’ll get notices of disrupted service on the Underground like this:
This new feature will be available on both Google Maps’ site and via mobile access. In addition to having the transit disruption alerts, Google Maps is also planning to include planned construction works for the weekends.
If you’re anything like me, you probably are either too groggy or running too late (or both) to really have the presence of mind to remember to check these sorts of things and plan accordingly. But, many of you are probably morning people (I am not) and so this new feature my come as some great boon for your daily commute. And hey, if you’re traveling through London’s unfamiliar labyrinth of public transport, maybe this will help you feel (and look – that’s important) a little more navigationally competent.