May 6 (UPI) — Residents of a one-way road in Toronto said a Google Maps error caused a flood of vehicles to drive the wrong way for several days.
Winona Drive residents said they discovered last week that the sudden influx of wrong-way drivers on the southbound street was a result of a Google Maps error that listed the road as northbound-only.
The error was in place as early as April 29.
“They come up here with such gusto,” resident JP Timmerman told The Toronto Star of the wrong-way drivers. “The crossing guard seems ready to keel over.”
Residents took their concerns to local officials, police and Google itself, but a solution took several days.
Locals posted homemade signs informing drivers that “GPS is wrong,” but they failed to stem the tide.
City Councilor Josh Matlow had the city’s Transportation Services division contact Google Maps directly with the complaint. The city also installed a temporary “do not enter” sign and barricade at the exit-turned-entrance of the road.
Google said the error had been repaired as of Monday.
“I will be following up with Google Maps to understand what went wrong and what improvements can be made to prevent this situation in the future,” Matlow wrote on social media. “These sorts of Google glitches cause real and immediate safety impacts on our streets. Google Maps needs to be far more responsive to residents complaints, and far more transparent about the processes in place.”
