If you now check Tehran in Google Maps, you will see a lot of block signs in main streets and highways across the city. However, the real traffic status of the city is far different from what Google has demonstrated.
The Maps informed users of heavy traffic and blocked streets on Saturday and also on Sunday morning which created confusion for Tehraners on the streets. The point is that the very same ‘blocked’ roads of Google were open with no traffic at all.
Some of the streets were blocked on Saturday due to surprise snow and also some protests against the revision of gasoline price and all of them were opened on Saturday night. Citizens now have no problem in moving across the city as the online traffic map of the city demonstrates as well.
This great and persistent mistake of Google can be justified by two scenarios; either problems regarding access to the internet have led to this blunder or the application is deliberately manipulating the signs to falsely demonstrate main roads as blocked. If the latter is true, then it will be more logical for Iranian users to rely more on domestic navigation applications.
MNA/ 4774341