What do you use to check traffic?

I only check traffic when I'm going through major cities. I'd prefer extreme mountain roads to sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Though I don't shy away from either.

On the open Highway I never both because traffic is so rare.

On my last 4000 mile trip I checked twice: Once when rolling through Denver, and again when rolling through Seattle. Everywhere else we avoided the cities, so there was no need to check traffic.

There was one time that the Interstate was shut down because the State Troopers had to land a life-flight helicopter. In that case Google Maps showed the traffic and the incident. There was no bypass within 50 miles, so we just sat there and waited.

I haven't in nearly 50 years of traveling coast to coast, border to border. On this current trip we did 2,000 miles from southern Indiana to Great Falls,MT. and I never worried or thought about traffic. Leaving Great Falls,MT next week for Portland,OR. and could care less about traffic. No firm route plans for return trip home thru Rapid City so again not caring about traffic. Just the way we run.

Look out the window?

GizmosMom wrote:
...I always wonder where these traffic sites get their info from. Does anyone know?

Just wondering...

Both Waze and Google Maps use a combination of data sources, including DOT roadside sensors, and crowd-sourcing.

Crowd-sourcing has become the most valuable source of real-time traffic data. When you are using the traffic app on your smart phone while driving, you are automatically providing them with real-time, anonymous data about your current position and speed.

For example, if they see 90% of their users on I-40 in downtown Oklahoma City moving at 60-70 MPH, then they can safely deduce that traffic is flowing freely.

It doesn't rely on a single user, because someone could be stopped on the side of the road, or they could be speeding down the shoulder. But the larger the group of users gets, the more accurate the crowd-sourced data is.

I have found the navigate feature on Google Maps will divert me around stopped traffic. Memorial Day weekend I had to make a trip on I75 here in GA. Was on a stretch that I knew well and getting closer to home so wasn't using navigate. Traffic was stopped and I checked Google Map and it told me I would be home in 2 hours if I got off I75 and took a detour. After I got home, found out there had been a fatal wreck and entire southbound section was closed for over 2 hours. I was sure glad I listened to Google.

I found they were doing it in Texas and an article in the local RI paper about 3 weeks ago said it was getting common to use E-ZPass to monitor traffic by timing the distance between 2 points.

intheburbs wrote:

Gene&Ginny wrote:
From your E-ZPass. LINK It's not just for toll roads anymore.

I think you might need to loosen the tinfoil hat a bit. The system is only being used in Manhattan right now.

Gene&Ginny wrote:

intheburbs wrote:
...I think you might need to loosen the tinfoil hat a bit. The system is only being used in Manhattan right now....

You should check around somemore.

Ok, it's New York City, not just Manhattan.

Unless, of course, you mean something else, in which case please do me the courtesy of enlightening me with your wisdom, since my knowledge and skills are clearly inadequate.

korbe wrote:
We don't. But if we know we're coming into an area of major traffic, we try not to come through during typical high traffic volume times. Of course, in some areas those opportunity windows are getting smaller and smaller.

In general I don't either except if I'm unfamiliar with an area and might be going over some say bridge I will see if there is a traffic cam that I can look at to get get a feel. A good example was when we first went to the Outer Banks ... I looked at the traffic cams for like the bridge and the main road at various times during the day to just get a feel for what sort of traffic was on those roads during the day and what the actual roads looked like.

I also have a CB in the Van which generally I don't have on, but will turn it on if we encounter some delay so I can find out what is actually going on and more importantly exactly where the hold up is mile marker wise.

Heck I do the same thing here at home just outside D.C. when we have doctor's appointments at Walter Reed since I have to not only take I-66 into the beltway, but the beltway around over the Legion Bridge and into Bethesda and traffic around here, even for HOVs is a complete******SHOOT at best. Sometimes I think if someone SNEEZEs on one of the Interstates that could cause a 30min backup and delay:E

Larry

intheburbs wrote:
...I think you might need to loosen the tinfoil hat a bit. The system is only being used in Manhattan right now....

You should check around somemore.

And with waze , if your leaving for a trip , you can go online from any computer or device with internet and see real time traffic , you just type in the city or town you want yo look at.. It's user driven so pretty close yo real time... I checked it last night leaving the office to see the Friday night shore traffic... Yup -it's was there! joe