The BC Ministry of Transportation has announced some significant changes to one of its key traffic reporting tools.
Following the loss of AM730 Traffic (the frequency is now home to CKNW Radio, a news talk radio station), many spoke out on social media about the lack of a consistent and accurate traffic reporting option in B.C.
We contacted the B.C. Ministry of Transportation, following the loss of the traffic radio station. In response, the ministry suggested drivers in the province use DriveBC, the province’s traffic reporting website. The ministry is now announcing several changes to DriveBC to enhance the user experience.
One significant change is an enhanced mobile experience. If you visit DriveBC on your smartphone, you’ll notice a new, streamlined user experience that is perfectly suited for mobile devices.
“A new interactive map replaces the previous mobile text-based layout, offering a more visual, streamlined way to explore road conditions and updates,” the ministry says.
DriveBC on a smartphone.
The ministry says the new website offers improved route planning features, which will allow users to focus on specific trips, save their favourite ones, and also receive customized notifications.
“The platform’s updated highway webcams have a simpler layout and enhanced features for faster access to real-time conditions.”
We’ve tested it out and everything seems to work pretty smoothly. It’s nice to have traffic cameras in one convenient tab. One thing to note is that the map function doesn’t feature every major landmark. For example, we tried inputting ‘Richmond Centre’ as a destination in the map option, and it didn’t recognize it. But it did recognize Metrotown.
So, for some destinations, you’ll have to input the actual address and not just the landmark name.
The elephant in the room is the driving rules in B.C., and it’s hard not to wonder if this could lead to more distracted driving in the province.
With AM730 Traffic, you could have the radio on, hear what was going on in traffic, and keep your eyes on the road. Of course, that isn’t possible when using a web app that requires physical interaction with your hands.
Still, the updates we’ve noticed are a considerable improvement over the previous DriveBC experience, but will likely leave some road users continuing to yearn for AM730 Traffic.
If you like the old DriveBC layout, you can still access it for a limited time through the legacy page.
We’ve contacted the ministry with questions about the web app relating to distracted driving concerns.
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