TrafficTV Mini Review

We tend not to review a tonne of software on tracyandmatt but I have been using TrafficTV for over four years now and as I drive a lot I couldnt or wouldnt want to be without it.

TrafficTV

By using the TrafficTV application on your Smartphone it allows you to view any incidents or delays on the UKs major road network.

TrafficTV is now available for Android, Windows Mobile, iPhone and BlackBerry Smartphone’s. I have used the software on WinMo for four years and now on BlackBerry and both platforms work a treat.

TrafficTV from MXData is a requires a paid subscription of either £39.99 per year or £14.99 per quarter and if you rely on driving a lot on motorways and A-roads then its money well spent.

Orange support TrafficTV and if you are an Orange customer you can download a free 30 day trial from them on your device. After that you will be billed £4.00 per month.

Once launched the application revolves around a map of the UK. You can set your home location so when the app is opened its where you want it to be.

TrafficTV Map

You will see on the image above of London that the map is filled with markers. These are highlighting problems and the colour of the marker dictates how severe the incident is. Red being most severe, Orange is medium and Yellow being minor.

Traffic TV Icons

You have the option to zoom into the area you wish to see and this will then show you one of two things. You can either set the icons to show how many minutes delay is occurring (which I use) or alternatively the icon can show the current average speed of the traffic on that stretch of road.

So to give you an example if you see a red 99, this is the maximum delay, and this will mean the road has been closed due to an incident.

You will also notice on the maps a lot of small icons with a number inside. These are CCTV cameras and if you wish to you can actually view the cameras. The images are refreshed every five minutes so are pretty accurate. If you think you can use this though to view carnage on the motorways then I’m afraid you are wrong. With very serious road traffic accidents the highways agency move the cameras slightly or switch them off. However you can view many other cameras prior to incidents to see how far back the traffic jam is.

TrafficTV CCTV

TrafficTV Camera List

The cameras are listed as above so if you know the area well its pretty easy to find the one you want.

You can also view the incidents as text and by clicking the incident TrafficTV will give you further details.

TrafficTV Incidents

The user interface on the app is dead easy to use and there are several options within the settings to get the app running just how you want it including different coloured maps.

TrafficTV Settings/Options

On the latest version of TrafficTV you will find a menu bar at the bottom of the screen which disappears when not in use. Here you can scroll left or right to the different options within the software.

TrafficTV Menu Bar

Conclusion:

TrafficTV is without doubt the one app that I rely on most. Facebook and Twitter are cool but they don’t stop you from spending hours stuck in a traffic jam!

If you drive for a living and you need to get to your destination by a certain time then TrafficTV is a must. I drive between two and six hours a day and I very rarely get stuck in a jam as I check the traffic on a regular basis.

Give it a try.

Posted By: James