Journey planning will be improved for Scotland’s road users with the launch of a new Traffic Scotland mobile website, which uses the latest technology and is available on all connected devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Transport Scotland has worked collaboratively with its partners, including Google and the IBI Group, to develop the site, which is map based so that people can see where traffic hotspots are on the country’s trunk road network before they set off on their journeys and make informed choices about the best route to take.
Details of planned road works are also available and access to Traffic Scotland Radio is greatly enhanced, meaning that traffic bulletins are online whenever and wherever they are needed. The site also includes live tweets from Traffic Scotland’s Twitter feed, weather and incident reports, and a route-finder service, showing the quickest options.
“The way that we communicate is continually evolving and it is really important that people know what is happening on our roads, so they can get to where they need to be. The new Traffic Scotland mobile site hugely improves the information that is available to help plan journeys and we want to see as many people as possible making use of it,” explained Scotland’s Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf.
“The site is easier to use than before on mobile phones or tablets and it is more responsive to people’s needs, as they can easily zoom in on the map to access the information about their preferred route. If there is an incident on the road, the information about diversions will be easily available.”
Yousaf continued, “The service is already extremely popular and the mobile site is building on the reputation for excellence that Traffic Scotland has developed over the years as the go-to provider for real-time travel information. This is just the beginning of the improvements that we have planned, with further developments coming online in the next few months.”
IBI Group’s director, Graeme Scott, commented, “IBI, with our partners Cubic, is delighted to have worked with Transport Scotland to deliver this new solution. It is building on our international experience, ensures best practice for the Traffic Scotland service, enhancing it for its users.”
Marko Pignataro, head of Google Maps (UK and Ireland), said, “We are pleased to be working with Transport Scotland, and see this new site as a significant and innovative development for mobile users looking to plan their journey.”
