Traffic Map uses Google Maps software to identify the best routes for increasingly frustrated commuters, collating information sourced from some of the city’s primary traffic monitors, such as PigSpotter, YFM Traffic and Traffic SA. Incidents reported by these sources via Twitter are identified, located and plotted on the map interface, providing users with a dynamic bird’s-eye view of the streets in and around the city.

“Social networks are a mine of real-time information, which can be of exceptional benefit provided that it’s presented in a legible, digestible format,” says Gary Meyer, co-owner of Slash301. “Our aim with Traffic Map was to make this information as tangible and relevant as possible, and to provide a one-stop solution for users looking to ease the hassle and frustration of their daily commute.”

 Traffic Map is a free service, and can be easily viewed on all web browsers and Internet-enabled mobile phones. Traffic Map is currently only available within the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, but will be rolled out to other major centres in the coming months. This new service is the brainchild of Slash301, a Joburg-based technical agency with “a passion for social media, and the very real benefits it can bring to everyday life”.