Does Real-Time Navigation Affect Traffic Efficiency?

A considerable number of people use real-time navigation through smartphone applications. In this study, we analyze the effects of real-time navigation on the speed of vehicles. As data on the number of real-time navigation users on the road is unavailable, we have used the number of smartphone users as a proxy. We focus on two parallel highways built on the north and the south sides of the Han river in Seoul; these highways are connected by some bridges and drivers have an option to switch to another highway with the help of real-time navigation if they can travel faster. We found that an increase in real-time navigation users decreases the speed gap between the two highways. This improvement was more significant during off-peak hours and when a switch option between the highways was available.