Yahoo! Maps to Support Realtime Traffic

squidfrog writes "Yahoo is set to support realtime traffic overlays for its existing Yahoo! Maps program. 'Yahoo's dynamic maps draw on real-time traffic information from metropolitan transportation departments and private providers, including embedded road sensors, traffic cameras, police scanners, and traffic helicopters. Yahoo declined to identify the exact sources of its traffic data... Roadways are colored green, yellow and red, to highlight the normal movement of traffic, minor delays or severe road congestion. A user can hover over a stretch of road to view details of impediments.'"

Comments

Re:Seattle has had something like this for ages

[jrockway]

http://www.ai.eecs.uic.edu/GCM/chicagoland.html

Thanks to UIC, Chicago has this too.

Limited Coverage

[spdt]

Looking at the country map, it seems that this only covers the larger metropolitan areas, so far.

So don't get too excited if you happen to be from a place like Mianus, Connecticut.

Washington, DC already does this

[friedegg]

The WMATA RideGuide lets you enter a starting point and a destination and offers you multiple routes using rail, buses and walking.

Re:Washington, DC already does this

[Anonymous Coward]

...and for the SF Bay area there's 511 TakeTransit

one possible source for data

[Fratz]

Traffic.com also posts realtime traffic flow information, and they say they get their data from these sources.

Re:declined because...?

[karlowfwb]

Actually, when you view the map, it displays exactly where its getting its information from. Whether it pays for it or not is still to be determined.

In regards to traffic cameras being a waste of money, perhaps. But even if they do not currently have any ways to reduce traffic, a simple easy way of knowing where traffic is bad and being able to redirect accordingly should be of some help. Additionally, when the technology is developed to dynamically, intellegently alter traffic patterns, then the infrastructure will be in place to make it possible.

Re:Seattle has had something like this for ages

[miltimj]

Add the Twin Cities to the list...

They also have traffic cameras, which I find much more useful.

TMC in Europe... nice if this could be here...

[cytoman]

Apparently, in Europe, there is something called TMC which is a standard for all of Europe. The GPS software there can make use of this to give you additional information on traffic. Below is an excerpt of a review on OnCourse Navigator from http://www.pocketgpsworld.com:

TMC

Traffic Message Channel is a pretty successful system in some European countries that transmits current traffic conditions via the RDS (radio data system) components of standard FM radio station broadcasting. Provided with a special GPS receiver (which basically includes a FM radio) users in Europe can let Navigon adjust it's routing decisions based on the incoming TMC messages. In the US the picture is very different. Every metropole has its own traffic messaging system, they are all incompatible, and most of them are not free services anyhow. As a result the OnCourse Navigator program has left out the TMC functionality. If you come over from Europe and use your MN|4 with the maps of OnCourse Navigator then keep in mind that TMC is of no use here.

Re:TMC in Europe... nice if this could be here...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's coming!!

XM started a new service call XM navtraffic which beams traffic information to cars via their satellites. The system is currently available in 20 metro areas. From what I understand, it will be a subscription based service.

The GPS systems that use navtraffic can tell you how long you trip will take with traffic and how long a proposed detour would take. Very cool.

The 2005 Acura RL was the first car to have this available.

More info here
http://acura.com/models/model_comfort_realtime.asp ?module=rl/

and here
http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/pr_2004_04_ 07_2.html

Portland, OR's Tri-Met

[SendBot]

The trip planner is a wonderful companion to Portland's (tri-metropolitan) transportation system of busses and light rail.
http://tri-met.org/.
There are also lots of bike paths that are neatly mapped somewhere, but I don't have a link.

Re:declined because...?

[ergo98]

Someone want to explain to me how a camera reduces traffic? Considering they have no dynamic ways to alter traffic patterns, seems like a royal fucking waste of money and something bound to be abused.

Obviously cameras don't reduce the gross flow of traffic, but they might help ensure that the traffic keeps flowing as smoothly as possible - for instance dispatching police, tow trucks, or other emergency crews where necessary. It can also be used for road condition analysis for display on information boards that might lead some to take alternate routes (just as the local media usually monitors them as well to gauge traffic patterns in real time).

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/compass /camera/camhome.htm

My list of traffic maps list for L.A....

[antdude]

Note: Some of these URLs are other cities too.

TANN
Sigalert.com
Metrocommute
MSN Autos
CHP Traffic Incident Info.
Caltrans Realtime Freeway Speed Map (Java)

Any more I missed for Los Angeles area? :)

Other places?

[Jafar00]

Apparently only the US and Canada exist at the moment. I wonder if they will expand to the rest of the world?

I'm skeptical

[SethJohnson]

I just checked Sixth street in Downtown Austin, TX at 1:30 am. The map indicates 'minor traffic'. Funny thing, that street is closed with barricades at this time of night on a weekend.

Cameras on Roads

[lxt]

The wonderul privacy country where I come from (the UK, AKA "CCTV Capital of the World") have multiple cameras on roads, mainly motorways and A-(main)Roads. They're mainly used to monitor traffic remotely, and reduce the need for police patrols. They don't directly reduce the traffic, but the information they provide is used on radio reports etc. A side effect of the proliferation of cameras has been the availability to the public - you can access nearly all of the cameras via the BBC websites - London alone must have well over 50 you can look at ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/jamcams/camloco /camlist.shtml ).

Re:Great...

[nizo]

Ahh here is the study I was thinking of:

here is the full story

And here is the first bit of the article:

A new study of traffic accidents conducted on Virginia roads has found, unsurprisingly, that many car crashes are the result of driver distraction. But while cell phones are increasingly fingered as dangerous in-car distractions, the study, conducted by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), found that old-fashioned rubbernecking was the biggest single cause, accounting for 16 percent of distraction-related crashes.

Re:Great...

[ScrewMaster]

The real problem is stupid people. They're everywhere. And ... they don't know they're stupid.