Thursday, September 30, 2010

Route Planning with Google Maps

NSW RTA Live Traffic


Arek of All Things Spatial has written a great review of a route planning application for NSW, Australia. Here is a slightly truncated version on Arek's review. You can read the review in full on Arek's blog.

The Road Traffic Authority (RTA) in NSW has started publishing up to the minute information about traffic conditions in Sydney as well as in the greater NSW regional area. The site uses Google Maps to provide an excellent route finder that highlights any road works or hazards on a journey and allows the user to reroute to avoid any potential delays.

The live traffic conditions displayed on the map are refreshed automatically and the update time is clearly marked. Auto update can be turned off if required and users can customise the list of information displayed on the map.

Live updates include information on accidents, scheduled road works, major events, fires, floods and Alpine conditions. There is an option to add a traffic flow overlay for Sydney as well as the locations of live traffic cameras and temporary message signs.

The map also comes with a comprehensive list of points of interests that are very handy for planning a trip. These include: bike parking areas, heavy vehicles checking stations and rest areas, locations of Safe-T-Cams, general rest areas and RTA Motor Registries. Travel routes can be filtered to avoid incidents or road works on specific dates and can be saved for future reference.

Overall, this is quite a comprehensive information source, with an attractive multi tab design and extensive range of features.

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