Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting. This is why I don't understand why people either choose to, or have set for them, GPS/mapping apps and run them on a device in landscape mode, IF you have the setting that "up" is the direction you are heading as opposed to "North" Me, I want to maximize what is "ahead", not off to the sides where I'm not driving.
I learned to navigate primarily using cardinal directions, before handheld GPS was common. When I walk around a new city, I find it easier to look at google maps to figure out the cardinal direction I need to travel, as opposed to remembering a series of turns that are relative to each other. That’s assuming the sun is out or a compass is available
I guess the apps could be tweaked to do both; show cardinal direction, but put "here" near the edge of the screen that maximizes the distance forward. I suspect it's not because "here" is always on the same spot on your screen the way it is, which is a UX consideration as well.