Sept/Oct 2005

Drivers of high vehicles can now avoid low bridges with the help of an add-on to the TomTom Go range of satellite navigation systems. It's called BridgeX, and comes from third-party developer Lowbridges. It is offered at the bargain one-off price of just £9.95.

Essentially it is a database of 1,500 low bridges on A and B roads in England, Scotland and Wales. This 'plugs in' to a satnav system running on a standard PDA, and enables the system to show all low bridges on a chosen route, as well as highlighting them as the driver actually approaches them.

There is provision to set the system to provide audible warnings as the vehicle approaches a low bridge, and the user can set the system to provide alerts only for bridges below a specified height.

Symbols are integrated with the standard plan view or 3D mapping provided with software such as TomTom's.

 

The company says the database is constantly updated, and registered users can download the latest version any time.

Until now the main contender in the low bridge warning market has been Bridgeclear, which offers a stand-alone system that provides a variety of alerts and warnings. The company says this system too can now be integrated with the TomTom product running on a separate device.