Not knowing the traffic that lies ahead before hitting the highway
is a frustration of the past. That's because Yahoo has introduced
a traffic feature update--for 70 major U.S. cities--on its Local
Maps page.
The company's feature, which debuted pretty quietly last year,
displays real-time traffic conditions including speed and congestion
information on major roads, as well as construction information
and accident reports. What's more, users can turn traffic information
on or off with a control box that sits at the right side of a map
display.
Knowing What's in Store
The speed on major highways is indicated by small colored dots:
- Green = smoothly flowing traffic at normal speeds
- Yellow = traffic
- Red = traffic is slow
The dots are displayed on both sides of a road, letting users see
when traffic is moving at different speeds in different directions.
Small icons mark accident locations and construction zones--placing
the mouse over an icon will give a brief summary of the situation,
and clicking the icon will give a more detailed pop-up.
Where does the traffic data come from? Yahoo receives data from
various sources, including government agencies responsible for traffic
information collection (i.e. information for Atlanta comes from
the Georgia Department of Transportation).
Ways to Access Real-Time Traffic Info
SearchEngineWatch.com
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