Drivers to get traffic updates on satnavs
LIVE traffic information to help motorists avoid hold-ups in Dublin city is to be broadcast direct to satnavs.
Dublin City Council has announced that information on crashes, road closures and weather conditions is to be relayed to the devices.
The RDS-TMC (Traffic Message Channel) service "will be available to users of enabled satellite navigation devices", the council said.
"Unlike existing traffic bulletins, TMC messages will appear on the user's satellite navigation device," it added.
The messages "will not only show the nature of a traffic problem when it occurs but will also show its exact location".
In addition, drivers will be provided with an alternative route to avoid the traffic problem.
"Other information such as weather warnings will also be included to make motorists aware of possible dangerous road conditions," the council said.
Brendan O'Brien, of the council's traffic division, said: "This service adds to the existing channels that Dublin City Council use to provide traffic information to the public, such as the dedicated radio station Live Drive 103.2FM and the SMS and email traffic-alert system provided at www.dublinregionaltraffic.ie."
However, the system will not be available on most satnavs without modification and an upgrade of maps.
The council announced an agreement with Hungarian firm TrafficNav to provide the new service.
No date has been set for the system to go live.
However, TrafficNav expects it to be available to owners of new satnav equipment as early as January.
It said it will be accessible on new Map Master satnavs, provided they have the latest maps.
enabled
To access the system, other satnav owners will have to ensure their device is enabled to receive an FM broadcast of a TMC.
If it is not TMC-enabled, it can be upgraded with extra hardware.
In addition, the latest maps of Dublin, showing new routes, like the Samuel Beckett bridge, will have to be installed.
The council said such systems are the norm across Europe.
The new service was demonstrated in the Dublin City Council offices on Wood Quay yesterday.
comurphy@herald.ie
- Cormac Murphy
