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AS EARLY AS 1910, MICHELIN

INVENTED A SERIES OF SIGNS

WHICH ARE STILL FOUND TODAY ON

SOME FRENCH ROADS. HENCE THE

ORIGIN OF THE TWO-SIDED “THANK

YOU” SIGNS WHICH INDICATE PLACE

NAMES, A DESCRIPTION, ROAD NUM-

BERS AND SAFETY INFORMATION.

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BIT OF HISTORY...

A LITTLE

DID YOU KNOW?● There are nearly half a million traffic jams

in Britain every year.That is nearly 10,000 a week.

● A quarter of Britain's main roadsare jammed for an hour a day.

● Congestion levels are forecastto grow by between 11 and 20 per cent

over the next ten years.

● Nearly a quarter of people affected bycongestion experience it every day

and 55 per cent at least once a week.

● The cost of traffic jams to British businessis £20 billion every year.

Initially, 30,000 enamelled signs were pro-vided and fitted free in towns throughoutFrance.

A century later, over half of all Europeansown a car and the car has reshaped theEuropean countryside.

Despite improvements in equipment reliabilityand road safety, more time is still wasted onthe road: slow-moving traffic, traffic jams and

road incidents have become standard in citiesand on main roads, especially during rushhours.

As a result, motorists are keen to combinetime saving and comfort while on the road,making them more open to technologicalinnovations which can make journeys easierand more enjoyable.

ViaMichelin has gone a step further and nowoffers the option of free traffic informationon its portable GPS navigation devices, ensu-ring that motorists are kept informed, inreal-time, of traffic incidents ahead and allo-wing them to bypass the traffic byrecalculating their route.

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rely on additional subscriptions (mobilephone subscription), extra fees (from GPRSconnection) or accessories.

● TRAFFIC UPDATES AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE

LANGUAGES

The RDS/TMC format operates in allEuropean countries. It is currently the onlytraffic information channel which allowsmotorists to receive information in their pre-ferred language, irrespective of whichcountry they are travelling through.

Traffic information is defined as a ser-vice which keeps motorists informedabout the road traffic situation in a

given area or territory. It already exists invarious forms (see opposite).

The next step has been to integrate trafficinformation into portable GPS navigationsystems to make them smart road travel com-panions. In addition to helping motoristsfind their way, ViaMichelin portable naviga-tion devices are also enhanced with a“Warner” feature to alert motorists of anyunexpected road incidents and then suggestthe best alternative route. Well informedand well guided, motorists save precioustime!

BROADCAST OVER THE RADIO

The traffic information service offered inViaMichelin navigation devices is coded inTMC (Traffic Message Channel) format andbroadcast by RDS (Radio Data System) onFM channels.

ViaMichelin uses the RDS-TMC format forthe advantages it provides:

● EXTENSIVE COVERAGE

All motorways, major trunk roads and ringroads around major cities throughoutEurope.

● FREE: NO ADDITIONAL

SUBSCRIPTIONS REQUIRED

Unlike other solutions currently on the mar-ket, the traffic information service availableon ViaMichelin navigation devices does not

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TRADITIONAL TRAFFIC INFORMATIONBROADCAST SOURCES:

● Television channels

● General radio stations

● Motorway radio stations

● Websites

● Illuminated signs on motorwaysand main roads (such as ring roads

round major cities)

FREE TRAFFIC INFORMATION,INTEGRATED WITHIN NAVIGATIONDEVICES


The traffic information available is col-lected and then sent to the navigationsystem in your vehicle. Both written

messages and audible alerts warn you oftraffic incidents such as slow-moving traffic,traffic jams, accidents, road works and wea-ther alerts along your route and in thesurrounding area, enabling you to alter yourroute accordingly. An alternative route isautomatically suggested.

Areas affected by traffic are often concen-trated around motorways, major trunkroads and urban areas. With the trafficinformation provided on the ViaMichelinnavigation devices, you will receive the

best possible coverage which covers mostof traffic blackspots:

● The motorway network, trunk roads andmain secondary roads

● For urban areas, town centre access roadsand ring roads where applicable

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3 MULTIPLE INFORMATION SOURCESPROVIDING THE BESTPOSSIBLE COVERAGE

S

N

DK

NLGB

B

F

E

D

CZ

A

I

CH

COVERAGE

OF TRAFFIC

INFORMATION

IN EUROPE


On the navigation mode screen, traf-fic information is shown by symbolswhich indicate the nature of the

information and by coloured triangleswhich tell you the level of traffic conges-tion or the extent of the traffic incident. 22symbols and over 1,400 different trafficmessages are available; indicating events asvaried as road works, closed roads, alterna-ting traffic, stopped vehicle on the road,traffic lights not working, or difficult wea-ther conditions: wind, rain, snow, fog…

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YOU CAN ACTIVATE

THE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

SERVICE IN 3 WAYS:

● From Main menu, by clicking on Settings,then Navigation, and then on Traffic Info

● From Navigation mode, by clicking on thescreen then on Settings

● From Plan your journey menu:click on Display a map, Map options

and then Traffic Info. You can then displaytraffic conditions on the map.

SIMPLE TO USEAND EFFICIENT

4If the TMC signal is green,the traffic information

option is switched on. If it isred, it is not activated.

4This screen informs you of the service status:service name, reception quality, FM frequency used

and radio station. 444


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Traffic message. Click on it for more details.

4Display of traffic within a given geographical area -you can choose to display (or not) the traffic condi-

tions on your map.

444

Level of traffic congestion.

4Complete list of traffic informationmessages with details.

4Orange: slow-moving traffic

4Red: traffic at a standstill

4Black: road closed


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