The TDPM is an interactive map with a time slider. It indicates the predicted traffic delay at the time indicated by the slider. Traffic density is predicted from several variables such as season and day of week, combined with historical traffic data from road sensors. This will account for predictable things like rush hour and beach traffic. Special events like stadium sports or N'Sync concerts (the resulting traffic jam which inspired this idea) are also represented. Though this won't be perfect, it will be a particular boon to travelers who wouldn't otherwise know that it might take 2 hours on summer Fridays to drive the fifteen miles to the airport. (Not to mention relieving the average driver of having to keep track of all the *&^$#@ baseball games, Monster Truck derbies, and insidious teenybopper concertizing.)
-- rmutt, Jul 26 2001

Traffic Master http://www.trafficmaster.co.uk
These people have had a commerical network of traffic sensors installed throughout the UK for years. [Aristotle, Jul 26 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

'Definitive' list of and links to real time Traffic Maps http://www.itsonline.com/rttable.html
Based on Current Conditions, not using an algorithm for predictions of alternative routes 2 hours or days down the line. [thumbwax, Jul 26 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

A decent idea, but I think it'd be hard to implement.
-- StarChaser, Jul 26 2001


Speaking of road sensors, am I alone in stopping near one of those when I have to read my map?
-- reensure, Jul 26 2001


Bingo. I was discussing this very thing last night - ya dawg. What I will be doing in a matter of minutes is checking Hollywood Bowl schedule, as I live very close to it and summer traffic is hellish when there is a show going on. I could go on with other locations at different points of time, but summary is same. Tonight is Thursday - hellish on Sunset Strip as it seems EVERYbody and their granny wants to check it out or go to a live show and arrive to work Friday with stamps still on their hands and a hangover.
-- thumbwax, Jul 27 2001


I like the idea, rmutt. But let's see...if lots and lots of people started using TDPMs then they would tend to avoid areas of predicted traffic density, which would create unforseen areas of congestion and make the TDPMs inaccurate. Maybe the TDPM could have a realtime feature which would show how well the prediction was matching current conditions?
-- Dog Ed, Jul 29 2001


Ahh, the joy of living in Atlanta. We can accurately predict traffic here because it always sucks.
-- Reverend D, Jul 31 2001


I just came here to half-bake this, and noticed that someone thought of it before maps.google.com had even *current* traffic data. Tip 'o the hat to you, Rmutt!

Easily bakeable at this point, however. Just keep archives of traffic incidents, subtract out the random unpredictable accidents(unless they're statistically relevant -- if they happen every weekend at about the same time (mention this to a civil engineer and have them fix the cause), and you're done! The ability to know if, in general, taking I-95 on a sunday afternoon from DC to NYC is a bad idea (yes it is).

Further use would be "what was the traffic like on a particular day?" for showing loved-ones that you would have been in traffic all day, had you gone out instead of staying home and playing with the cat.
-- ericscottf, May 26 2009



random, halfbakery