Friday, August 3, 2012

Soon, check traffic updates online

A week from now, motorists will be able to view traffic congestion spots along the route of their journey simply by visiting the traffic police's official website. This will be possible through a product called Traffline, which sources data from public transport vehicles moving across city streets. The information is then overlaid on a digital map or provided in text format to users. Motorists can also receive free SMS and email alerts if they subscribe to the service.
"At present, most motorists rely on information available through radio channels for congestion spots. But this information is limited and gets outdated very soon. The advantage with Traffline is that it offers real-time updates. As of now, we are providing information on an area basis and are working towards including major landmarks as well. Smartphone applications for Android and iPhones will be launched by October," said Brijraj Waghani, one of the founders of the product.

The system relies on getting data from GPS-based locational devices fitted onto public transport vehicles. The data is then filtered and real-time information is provided on road traffic. A link to access Traffline is likely to be uploaded onto the traffic police's website.

Additional commissioner Brijesh Singh, who is spearheading the project, said the system will help the traffic police to plan better and chart out alternate routes in instances such as VIP route movements or excavation of roads by the civic body.

Traffline, which is still evolving, also aims at providing information on accidents and events by sourcing details from the traffic police control room. "In future, we could add more features to Traffline and make it more interactive," said Singh. The product is being launched by its founders in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore at present.

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