App review: Live Traffic NSW for iOS

Stay ahead of the traffic with live updates and road camera feeds

PC World

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

Traffic in Sydney (and NSW) is dreadful at the best of times. The Live Traffic NSW app is a means of staying informed about traffic incidents across the state, and provides live updates from the Transport Management Centre (TMC). While it does provide insight into what’s happening on the road, the app has a long way to go when it comes to coverage.

Pros

  • Traffic Cameras
  • Detailed descriptions of incident

Cons

  • Camera outages
  • Too many area selection menus

Bottom Line

Live Traffic NSW is a necessity for Sydneysiders. Despite its flaws, it can be a time saver, particularly for motorists that are forced to use the congested main roads in the city.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    Free (AUD)

Live Traffic NSW has two key features: Live Traffic and Traffic Cameras. Both of these can be browsed in either a text or map view by tapping one of the two options near the top of the screen.

The Live Traffic option allows you to view all traffic incidents recorded by the TMC. You can either hone into a specific area, or view the entire state. Alternatively, you can just tap the map button on the top left, and browse it manually rather than navigating through the menu options. Although this might seem more convenient, it actually only gives you a look at the area in which you are currently located, rather than a complete view of the state (despite the entire map showing). The best bet is to go through text view, and click on "All NSW", which will then give you a full list and, of course, allow you to change to map view. Once an incident is selected, a brief description pops up describing which roads are affected and what precautions to take.

Have you ever seen cameras on the road that don’t have a safety/speed/red light camera sign nearby? Those are the traffic cameras that you have access to with the Live Traffic NSW app. This feature works exactly like Live Traffic, although rather than outlining traffic incidents, you can select a camera to look through. According to the app, the cameras update every minute. Through experience, this isn't entirely correct, but comes close most of the time. The cameras don’t cover all of NSW, but are mainly focused on the greater Sydney suburban areas.

Developer: RTA NSW
Version: 1.2.7
Size: 18.7MB
Cost: Free
Requirements: iOS 4.3 and higher
Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Read more on these topics: iOS app, apps

Thomas kramer

1

this has much better traffic reports http://www.mevvy.com/tools/waze/, for one simple reason, its people reporting as well not just traffic reports. that means the more people that will be using it, the more accurate it will become. they either add this feature or traffic stats will never be as accurate

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
The Large Hadron Collider shows its insides as upgrade work commences ( +11 photos)

Best Deals on PCWorld

Mobile PhonesView all »
NotebooksView all »
TabletsView all »
Printers & ScannersView all »
Networking, Wireless & VoIPView all »

Compare & Save

« 1 of 14 »
Deals powered by WhistleOut
Use WhistleOut's technology to compare:
Mobile phone plans & deals
Mobile phone models
Mobile phone carriers
Broadband plans & deals
Broadband providers
Deals powered by WhistleOut
Guides and Articles
National Broadband Network NBN 100Mbps Plans
Visualising Mobile Phone Plans
SIM Only Mobile Phone Plans
National Broadband Network NBN 25Mbps Plans
iPhone 5, 4S & iPhone 4 Plans - Compare Deals &...
Deals powered by WhistleOut
WhistleOut