By Micki Bare
Pop could motor across the country, but was careful to plot his course on the latest edition road atlas. Dad never traveled far without his personalized, highlighted, computer generated directions and maps.
When I began to second guess the exit I took as we traveled around Baltimore on our way up the Eastern Seaboard, my middle child stated matter-of-factly, “Just turn on your GPS. You brought it, didn’t you?” The question was rhetorical, as he knows I bring my portable GPS whenever I travel more than 50 miles from home.
The boys and learned a lot between photo-ops at Times Square, Fenway Park and Independence Hall. Mostly, we learned that today’s portable GPS could use some new features. We also learned that to use the restroom in a fast food restaurant in some tourist locations, you might have to purchase food to be eligible for the token that will give you access to the facilities.
Getting back to our high-tech maps, it would be nice if the next generation could be developed with some user-friendly features. For example, there should be a construction alert mode that warns the driver 100 miles in advance of current construction projects that could affect travel.
I expect to run into construction on our trips to the Northeast. This year, we encountered orange barrels, blinking caution lights and blocked lanes on every interstate between North Carolina and Massachusetts. I tried not to get too frustrated considering many of the projects are most likely stimulus-related and the highways are all in dire need of attention.
It would also be very convenient of the information that is posted on the electronic informational signs, such as “ACCIDENT, left lane closed at exit 246, take alternate route,” were automatically linked to the satellite system so that it could be picked up by the GPS and displayed 100 miles in advance.
Knowing exactly when and where all the delays occur would be great. But once you know, you need to be able to easily determine an alternate route. Knowing the state department of transportation recommends we weary travelers take an alternate route doesn’t help us if we are not familiar with the area.
What we need is an option on the GPS that will automatically map out an alternate route of comparable mileage and time. Not only would this help the individual traveler, but it would assist construction crews by keeping the traffic light through the affected area. Emergency response vehicles would surely appreciate traffic being routed away from accidents, as well.
Of course, the many, MANY travelers who are addicted to rubber-necking might go out of their way to drive slowly by the scene. But at least those of us, who get frustrated by traffic slowed by people with a disturbing desire to witness the gory details so they have something interesting to share at the family picnic during the holiday weekend, would be able to avoid the area.
We learned from resident family members that it is a crime to manipulate a GPS while driving in New Jersey. Those who get caught poking the touch-screen will receive a ticket and fine. I do think the Jersey law is a good one, as people trying to enter an address into the system while driving are clearly road-hazards.
There are times, even if you pre-programmed the GPS, during which you might need to poke the screen while traveling. Therefore, I believe to ensure the safety of all those on the road, the next generation GPS should be voice-activated. My PDA phone has voice-command functionality, so the technology is available. It just needs to be applied to the portable GPS.
Multiple voice-activated devices could have the potential to create some confusion, so the cell phone and GPS software people will have to coordinate to work out the bugs. I wouldn’t want to tell my phone to call Hubby and have the GPS re-route us through downtown Trenton. And while I’m telling the GPS to find an alternate route around Hartford, I don’t need my phone interrupting with, “Did you say, ‘Call Uncle Fred?’”
And while the experts upgrading our GPS’s, it would be nice if they could incorporate automatic toll-paying abilities so those of us from out-of-state could temporarily use our GPS the way locals use their electronic toll-paying devices.
Maybe we’ll see some of these upgrades in the next few years. Maybe they will be affordable to the general masses in another decade or two. And just when we figure out how to manage the traffic on roadways, maybe new cars will be capable of flying and floating, congesting our air and waterways so I can zip around the vacant highways with ease.
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Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, “Relative Expressions.” She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.
