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OpenTrafficMap

opentrafficmap.org

71–80 of 111 posts

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#71

I recently learned that with smart traffic lights cyclists can change traffic lights - https://nltimes.nl/2026/04/28/new-app-turns-traffic-lights-g...

Rotterdam is using rain data to asjust traffic lights. Bicycles are waiting less at intersections. They also make the amber light longer to give you time to break for farther away and avoid a fall.

https://popupcity.net/insights/rotterdam-traffic-light-prior...

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#72
post #70

We need global open congestion data. At least on the european scale. It's important so that alternatives to Google Maps and Waze (Google) can emerge. To create congestion data, one needs to own an OS with location tracking, or be an international mobile network. Won't happen. [disclaimer : I work on an open source alternative to big tech's maps]

What is the OS alternative? OSM?

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason could be that calling this OpenTrafficMap gives an impression that it is similar to OpenStreetMap, which is global.

OSM launched as a London / UK project. Even today, it's a lot more comprehensive in some parts of the world than others. If I got the impression that it was like OSM, that would give me the impression that it is only as global as my contributions to it (which is what lead to OSM becoming global).

Expecting support globally is of course unreasonable. Expecting it to be designed to be somewhat location-agnostic for contributors and including some obvious docs (which could just be "coming soon" or "here's what we need to expand") is pretty reasonable to me.

I don't get why there isn't even a stub repo for a mobile app to contribute with. Or am I just not finding it?

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#74
post #70

We need global open congestion data. At least on the european scale. It's important so that alternatives to Google Maps and Waze (Google) can emerge. To create congestion data, one needs to own an OS with location tracking, or be an international mobile network. Won't happen. [disclaimer : I work on an open source alternative to big tech's maps]

What is the OS alternative? OSM?

https://cartes.app. Based on OSM of course, but OSM is just a geographical database, with lots of incomplete UIs built on top by the community. Cartes is one of them, we're trying to make it complete and modern :)

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#76
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the OS alternative? OSM?

https://cartes.app . Based on OSM of course, but OSM is just a geographical database, with lots of incomplete UIs built on top by the community. Cartes is one of them, we're trying to make it complete and modern :)

That looks pretty cool - sorry to have a complaint immediately:

When opening the map on Firefox/Linux zooming to like a France-size view and then not doing anything, the view keeps scrolling up and down relatively slowly, but very annoyingly.

Zooming all the way out, it looks like the globe is jiggling back and forth ever so slightly, but continually.

I've recently seen this happen on another mapping application ( cannot remember which one) so it's probably in down the stack somewhere in a library you are using.

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#77
post #70

We need global open congestion data. At least on the european scale. It's important so that alternatives to Google Maps and Waze (Google) can emerge. To create congestion data, one needs to own an OS with location tracking, or be an international mobile network. Won't happen. [disclaimer : I work on an open source alternative to big tech's maps]

How would you overcome the data source trust issue? In open data collection you either fingerprint the data to ensure validity or you anonymize the data to provide security, but striking the balance between the two seems like the biggest of hurdles in an effort like this.

The risk of the data being invalid seems as risky as the privacy implications in this case.

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#79

I recently learned that with smart traffic lights cyclists can change traffic lights - https://nltimes.nl/2026/04/28/new-app-turns-traffic-lights-g...

For a while I tried creating traffic-light-free bicycle routes from my home in the suburbs to my office in Amsterdam center (because intersections, especially with trams, can sometimes take a long time.

Unfortunately there was no API with data on which intersections have traffic lights and I had to build these routes manually in Strava using satellite images.

I did learn in the process that some traffic light data is actually available from the government, but only for selected partners. The Flitsmeister app for example has it and shows at some traffic lights how long it will take for the light to turn green (in a car, not on a bicycle)

Re: OpenTrafficMap

#80
post #70

We need global open congestion data. At least on the european scale. It's important so that alternatives to Google Maps and Waze (Google) can emerge. To create congestion data, one needs to own an OS with location tracking, or be an international mobile network. Won't happen. [disclaimer : I work on an open source alternative to big tech's maps]

In my experience, the congestion data is not the issue: even with the split across Google / TomTom / Here / Apple / some hyperlocal alternatives, everyone seems to have reasonably good idea where the traffic jams are. Having up to date POIs is a different can of worms only solved by Google, not by some clever algo, but through the sheer brand recognition. They're the only ones that have this data fed to them by POI owners.
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