2024 is the year of the Olympic Games, with all the preparations needed for an event of maximum magnitude. And in the Paris region, they are very concerned about mobility: the transport entity of Ile-de-France, the region where the capital is located, wants distribute the entire influx of travelers according to the capacity of the transport network. But he ran into an obstacle: Google Maps.
The free map application not only puts us on the ground, but it also guides us from one point to another regardless of the means of transport. The car is usual, although Google Maps also serves to guide you by bike, on foot and by public transport, a real marvel when traveling anywhere in the world. And always with a maxim: find the shortest and fastest route possible
In a transport network at risk of collapse, the shortest route is not always the best
The Summer Olympic Games will take place in a few months in Paris. As usually happens, preparations are progressing at a forced pace and with deadlines that are stifling those involved, from the builders to those in charge of managing the larger ones. People expected for the event. And this is where Île-de-France Mobilités comes in, the organization which regulates transport in the Ile-de-France region, where Paris is located.
As we can read in Video Games, concern about transport during the days when the Olympic Games (from July 26 to August 11) and the Paralympic Games (from August 28 to September 8) are taking place is at the forefront. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, had already expressed her doubts in November 2023 about the capacity of the transport network to support mobility during the Olympic dates. And those responsible evaluate all the aspects that can affect this mobility.
Laurent Probst, director of Île-de-France Mobilités, was concerned about the responsibility that Google Maps could have in destabilizing the Parisian transport network. Since the map application seeks to take its users from one point to another following the shortest and fastest route, This mechanism could conflict with inflow forecasts that the transport entity will take care of for the different competitions. In anticipation, Île-de-France Mobilités requests that Maps and other similar applications, such as City Mapper, restrict routes so that only the entity’s official application, “Transports publics Paris 2024”, can be used.
The transport network plans to distribute spectators attending the different competitions in the most efficient way possible for the said network and without the risk of saturating the busiest lines. Even the plans use alternative routes that might be longer than usual
As Laurent Probst says:
“We asked that they transmit our transportation plans so that the traveler takes the route we have indicated to them.”
And what would happen if Google Maps and other independent transport apps did not follow the guidelines set by the Parisian transport authority? Among his projects is request the blocking of said applications for not meeting security requirements. Laurent Probst clarified this in a press release: “They will be asked to close their application. This is a matter of public safety.“.
Would it be possible for France to block applications of the importance of Google Maps in the country? Certainly not, especially since Île-de-France Mobilités trusts companies with orientation requests They will meet the needs by proposing the routes recommended by the transport entity.. But we will see how events develop: there are six months left to find out.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
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