In a hurry, don’t stress, Google Maps is here to help, now!

Peter Dinham
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 10:45

IT Industry - Market

In a traffic jam, late for work or an appointment, cursing those who set the traffic lights to change to red always when you’re running late, or in a taxi and the driver has no idea of the best and shortest route to get to where you’re going? Well, some of your worries might be over from today with Google’s release of a special Google Maps traffic feature that gives you instant information on what’s actually going on with the roads at the same time you’re out there battling the traffic.

As Google says itself, Google Maps in Australia has long been a useful tool for planning different routes, and suggesting how long they might take when traffic becomes a factor, but up until now it hasn't been able to help you make those tough decisions based on what's actually going on out there on the roads.

According to Google, this new traffic information feature is going to make those decisions just a little bit easier. From today, traffic information on Google Maps will show you the current traffic status of many motorways, major and minor arterial routes - see for yourself in Sydney , Melbourne , Brisbane - and regional areas like Wollongong, the Central Coast, Geelong, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast.

Google says the information you get will to you help you avoid congested areas and plan the best route from A to B, and “it's part of our commitment to making Google Maps an essential tool for Aussies as they go about their daily lives.”

And, it seems pretty simple to turn traffic information on. If you go to Google Maps, just click the button labelled 'Traffic' next to the 'More' button at the top left of the page, and the colours you'll see overlaid on the roads correspond to the speed of traffic (relative to the speed limit of the road) - green is free sailing, yellow is medium congestion, red is heavy congestion, and red/black is stop-and-go traffic – with the information updated every few minutes.

And, Google reminds us that the same traffic information is also available on Google Maps for mobile , so you can ask your passengers to check it out on your mobile device while you're on the go and make real time route changes based on the data. Need I remind you not to do it yourself – apart from being illegal it’s likely to end with something far worse than just being later for work!

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