Nokia says London is most confusing city

Am I anywhere near the Houses of Parliament?
Am I anywhere near the Houses of Parliament?

The days of navigating by A to Z are nearly over, says a new survey commissioned by Nokia.

It found that London is the most confusing city in the world and that a quarter of people now rely on online maps and mobile sat navs for even the shortest trips.

Research found that 10 per cent of people find it impossible to navigate around London, followed closely by Paris (9 per cent), Bangkok and Hong Kong (5 per cent), and Beijing (4 per cent), making up the top five 'lost cities' on the planet.

Moreover, when lost in the Square Mile, don't ask locals for directions, as one in three Londoners admit to deliberately giving people the wrong directions.

No trouble finding Poland

Contrast that to Germany, where a third of people claim to have never lost their way. Nokia reckons that might have something to do with Germany having the highest levels of sat nav usage, although we reckon it just shows how dull most of Germany is.

Thirteen per cent of people now rely exclusively on their mobile phone for navigation, although half of all Chinese resort to asking someone for directions at some point.

Despite all this new technology and assistance, an incredible 93 per cent of the 12,500 people surveyed in 13 countries around the world admitted to getting lost on a regular basis.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.