Credit: Jack Mitchell/MakeUseOf

It happened to me just last Saturday. I was rushing out of the door for a club meeting, hit unexpected traffic, and it was too late before I realized that I should have timed it better. What made it worse was the knowledge that I had the technology to tell me exactly when to leave, sitting in my pocket. In fact, as yet another Google Maps feature I overlooked, it has quietly offered this service for years.

The “best time to leave” feature uses real-time and historical traffic data to suggest the best departure time, based on a chosen route, the day, and the time. This information is invaluable, whether I’m on my commute, catching a flight, or planning yet another road trip, saving me stress, precious time, and even fuel en route. I am now committed to checking this helpful feature whenever I leave the house.

OS Android

Developer Google

Google Maps is a powerful navigation and mapping app that provides real-time GPS directions, traffic updates, and public transport information. It helps you explore new places, find local businesses, and plan trips with ease. With Street View and offline maps, you can navigate anywhere with confidence and convenience.

My personal real-time traffic analyst

How live traffic insights work for me

One of the ways that Google Maps outshines the competition is its ability to read real-time traffic information. By aggregating data from millions of Android devices and app users, it creates a near-instant snapshot of current road conditions. Whenever we enter our destination, it not only plans our route, but it also calculates the best time to depart based on real-time congestion levels.

Let’s say I plan to meet some friends at a roughly 30-minute drive across town at 7 pm. Instead of estimating the drive’s duration, Google Maps accounts for factors such as rush-hour traffic before suggesting a preferred departure time, say, 6:15 pm. This not only lets me time my arrival perfectly, but also gives me extra time to account for unforeseen issues en route.

To activate this feature:

1. Open Google Maps and input your destination.
2. Tap Directions to get route options and choose your mode of travel.
3. Tap the three-dot icon (...) at the top-right of the window.
4. Scroll to select your preferred departure or arrival** time**.
5. Choose your desired departure or arrival date.

Now, tap Done (iOS) or Set (Android), and you’re good to go.

Predictive planning provides more than just directions

Using historical data to forecast future traffic

In addition to my live traffic feed, Google Maps uses historical data to predict how conditions will evolve. This means that the app can predict future traffic conditions with surprising accuracy. Let’s say I have to catch a flight at 8 am. Google Maps can tell me whether leaving at 6:30 rather than 7 am will shave off significant travel time.

This makes the “best time to leave” feature helpful not only for real-time planning but also for future trip planning. All of a sudden, I am not just reacting to traffic; I am outsmarting it and saving myself considerable headaches. With a bit of experimentation, I can identify the best times to travel, ensure I make meetings on time, or dodge the school rush in an unfamiliar destination.

Saving time, money, and fuel

The environmental and economic benefits of smarter timing

The “best time to leave” feature has other benefits that I haven’t considered. In addition to saving me time, it also saves me money while helping reduce my carbon footprint. By using this feature, I am minimizing idle time, avoiding stop-and-go traffic conditions, and maintaining a steadier speed. All this translates to better efficiency, lower fuel consumption, fewer emissions, and less wear on my vehicle.

Another pleasant by-product of this is that it saves me money. As a frequent driver, planning my routes this way reduces operating costs, but on a larger scale, it could yield far more significant benefits. Living in one of the most congested cities in the world, I can see how widespread use could ease collective traffic congestion and make a real difference to the population’s health and mental well-being.

Do I really need an app to tell me when to leave?

Common criticisms and concerns with digital mapping

There’s a compelling argument that relying on an app for timing is unnecessary and makes you overly reliant on technology. After all, we managed for decades without this feature, most of us still don’t use it regularly, and we usually understand our local traffic conditions well enough to hazard an educated guess. There’s also concern that Google’s predictions have been known to miss the mark, which could leave us in dire straits.

Then there’s the privacy factor. As a true believer in the power of Google Maps, even I have concerns about data tracking that recently compelled me to seek a privacy-focused alternative. Faced with these considerations, I, once again, have to weigh the pros and cons of privacy versus convenience.

Data accuracy and privacy are stronger than ever before

Why the feature is more of a positive for me, on balance

Credit: Jack Mitchell/MakeUseOf

I understand the skepticism about sharing our data with Google Maps. However, it’s worth recognizing that Google Maps uses these for the common good, drawing on billions of data points, AI, and reports from transport authorities to deliver highly accurate and useful predictions.

There are also robust privacy features that allow us to pause our location history, delete our historical data, or go incognito while using Google’s services. I’m, therefore, a little more convinced that my convenience won’t come at the cost of my personal security. I’m also reassured that Google’s predictive algorithms rely on the anonymous, aggregated trends of the “hive” rather than on the individual.

Essential for anyone for whom time is a valuable commodity

Although I rarely commute these days, I still travel frequently and would rather spend as little time in traffic as possible. More than that, I am a strong believer in punctuality, and I despise being late to any event or occasion. Google’s “best time to leave” feature is, therefore, a godsend to me. It’s a simple, free tool that can save crucial minutes, frustration, carbon emissions... heck, it can even save me money. The next time I plan a drive, I’ll certainly check this feature before I set off. If you also value your time, your health, and your bank balance, I recommend that you do, too.