"Time to xxxx" signs on DeerFoot

[revelations]

So whats the reasoning with the signs on DF that say "15 min to Glenmore" etc. ??

I dont quite understand what that is supposed to help. Once your parked on the DF because so nubtard merged in front of a semi on the Calf Robe bridge and got smashed up, its not like a sign telling you "1 hour to Glenmore" is going to make life easier.

Apparently the city is expanding the program:

http://www.660news.com/2013/07/19/co...-yyc-roadways/

[Tarrantula]

So you can get off and exit if you get a chance. Its mostly for rerouting traffic I imagine.

[Disoblige]

Because you could still be in the North and heading down to Glenmore or Anderson, but if there was an accident and it says "35 minutes to Glenmore", you'll find an alternate route instead of being those idiots who U turn onto the grass you see on the news cam all the time.

[revelations]

I drive every day on DF - between rush hours - and I've yet to make any use of them. Google traffic/maps works a lot better I find. I've come across several delays that were not reflected on the signs.

The next question is WHO'S bluetooth are they scanning to provide this time estimate? City vehicles??

[Disoblige]

Anyone who is traveling on Deerfoot, not just city vehicles.

It's successful enough that they're planning to expand it onto Glenmore and Crowchild

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/07/18...s-travel-times

Also, I find it useful and I just turn off on Memorial. I'd be up North and it says 6 minutes to Memorial or something. In the Winter, it's even more useful because of the increase in accidents on Deerfoot.

[carson blocks]

I think the signs are great. I use the northernmost sign every time I go DT in the morning to try and figure out whether Deerfoot is clear enough for me to take to Memorial or whether it would be faster to take 64th to Centre St. to get in to the core.

[revelations]

Cool, I guess I'm in the minority then.....as long as its helping people out....good idea.

I tend to try to beat the estimates myself (esp on the bike for some reason)

I can see this being a basis of a city-wide program that would broadcast live traffic data to vehicles or smart devices - quicker that Google Traffic potentially.

[A790]

I find them very helpful.

[ExtraSlow]

I love these signs. I use them in my route planning decisions.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by revelations

The next question is WHO'S bluetooth are they scanning to provide this time estimate? City vehicles??

City, taxi and cellphones. All open season these days. Bluetooth for certain in Calgary:

http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...on-system.aspx

http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/28/3...ters-of-delays

The city of Calgary, Alberta is using Bluetooth technology to monitor traffic conditions and alert commuters of any delays along their route in realtime. By anonymously tapping into the unique identifier codes found in all Bluetooth-compatible devices Ñ smartphones, tablets, hands-free headsets, etc. Ñ the city's Travel Time Information System collects the whereabouts of drivers at 15 points along the Deerfoot Trail, a major six-lane freeway in Calgary. This data is sent to central hub where workers can dispatched messages to a number of roadside displays that can warn commuters of impending delays and urge them to seek alternate routes.

The city ran trials for the system in 2010 and has been working to improve its reliability since; advancements have allowed them to largely exclude signals from nearby pedestrians and drivers on other roads, for instance. Crowdsourced GPS apps like Waze (and the now-defunct Dash hardware before it) have similarly proven popular for their ability to offer up accurate traffic data.

[rage2]

I love the signs. I usually click off the laptimer on the car and try to beat the time.

[98type_r]

Originally posted by carson blocks
I think the signs are great. I use the northernmost sign every time I go DT in the morning to try and figure out whether Deerfoot is clear enough for me to take to Memorial or whether it would be faster to take 64th to Centre St. to get in to the core.

Exactly this, these signs have been great.

[revelations]

So if a bunch of bikes, on a quiet night, ripped from Memorial to Glenmore in 3 minutes on the DF, the signs would probably have some people wondering.

[revelations]

Originally posted by rage2
I love the signs. I usually click off the laptimer on the car and try to beat the time.

Yea thats all I used them for

[eglove]

I thought this thread was gunna be about rage2's time to fuck banners to fight the anti-abortion banners

[speedog]

Many new cars are transmitting a bluetooth signal as soon as they are turned on - part of the radio package to connect up to your bluetooth enabled cell phone to provide handsfree. This then means your bluetooth phone's signal will be used as well.

It is a very good indicator of traffic times but I still use Google traffic and AM660/770 as other sources of traffic info before starting my cross-town commutes - what is amazing is how accurate the city's signs are, they're like to the minute. As far as the city's system, I'd suspect they average everything out and there's probably more than enough bluetooth enabled vehicles/devices traveling these routes so that some speed demons won't skew the displayed numbers - late at night, hard to say but maybe some really skewed numbers might trigger an alert to the authorities in the sky to start looking somewhere for some speed demons. Just saying.

[DeleriousZ]

I really like the signs as well, they're quite handy!

[rage2]

The new google maps for iPhone released this week has improved traffic info too, shows actual incidents on the map. That's what I use for all my traffic needs.