WebApp or Web Service for Monitoring Traffic Conditions

Question

Is there a (free) WebApp or Web Service I could use to get alerts for traffic problems at specific locations at specified times of the day?

It would really be handy to get an email alert 10 minutes or so before I leave for or from work; if there's a problem I can change my route accordingly.

Answer 1

If you are in the US,

Traffic.com

As for web services, Yahoo has a web service for this

Yahoo Traffic web service

Answer 2

Your profile says "Northern California", not sure exactly where. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, then the best service I have found is 511.org

• You can enter starting point and destination, and it will show you estimated time. It will also show you the "average" time for the time of day and day of week
• They have a feature called My 511 - where you can make it remember some of your most commonly used routes (such as "home to work"). And it will send you alerts via email and/or SMS if the projected driving times go past some pre-set threshold (such as more than 50% of "normal" driving time)
• Last, but not the least, both of these features are accessible via phone, using a voice-recognition interface.

Hope you find it as useful as I do.