By SHANNON KELLY
Want to get around the traffic jams and beat the speed traps without shelling out $59.99 for a TomTom navigation system? The traffic apps we’ve rounded up here are some of the best on the market now and our top favourites.
Two words of caution: None of these apps is great for using while you’re driving—serious road hazard. It’s best to hand the device over to a copilot. Secondly, all of these apps track your location using GPS if you enable that function, which could be used for advertising purposes.
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- Developed in France, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.monthorin.rttraffic16&hl=en">Glob</a> comes <em>en français</em> and English (as well as Spanish, German and Chinese) and uses kilometres. Glob claims to "preserve the Glubbers' [what it calls its users] anonymity" despite using GPS. Real-time traffic conditions and speeds are displayed using colour coding on the map.<br /> <br /> Other features: notification with visuals and sound alerts when you're near speed cameras and speed traps and accidents. A Biker Mode makes information more visible to motorcyclists. With information for destinations worldwide, Glob is the app to load if you're travelling overseas.<br /> <br /> <strong>Platforms:</strong> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.monthorin.rttraffic16&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsIm5ldC5tb250aG9yaW4ucnR0cmFmZmljMTYiXQ..">Android</a><br /> <br /> <strong>Cost:</strong> Free
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- Similar to Beat the Traffic, <a href="http://www.inrixtraffic.com/">INRIX Traffic</a> colour codes routes to indicate traffic congestion. Users can report accidents, construction, events and police presence. We like that the app predicts fastest drive times up to an hour in advance for a certain route. You can also quickly e-mail or text your estimated arrival time to friends and family. But you can only get info for one route unless you upgrade to the premium version for $24.99. Another bummer: traffic cameras are only available for premium users.<br /> <br /> <strong>Platforms:</strong> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=inrix.android.ui&hl=en">Android</a>, <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/50728/">Blackberry</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/inrix-traffic-canadian-real/id324384027?mt=8">iPad, iPhone, iPod touch</a>, <a href="http://www.windowsphone.com/en-ca/apps/e0f93342-14ac-e011-a53c-78e7d1fa76f8">Windows Phone</a><br /> <br /> <strong>Cost:</strong> Free
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- <a href="http://www.beatthetraffic.com/mobi.aspx">Beat the Traffic</a> shows the speed of traffic along your route using colour coding. We've found it to be fairly accurate, down to the block in a city. You're also alerted to incidents and road work and you can view traffic cameras in real time in some locations. As with Waze, you can report incidents (accidents, construction zones, road hazards) but not hands-free and there's no speed trap reporting. An upgrade eliminates ads and allows you to save several routes.<br /> <br /> <strong>Platforms:</strong> <a href="http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/2705/">Blackberry</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/beat-the-traffic/id339660839?mt=8">iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch</a><br /> <br /> <strong>Cost:</strong> Free (Beat the Traffic Plus+ $3.99)
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- <a href="http://m.waze.com">Waze</a> relies heavily on user-generated information to alert you to radar traps, traffic backups and delays and accidents along your route, as well as locations of parking lots, car repair shops and gas stations. Crowd-sourced information means that the app works great in areas with lots of users and not so well in areas where it hasn't caught on. <br /> <br /> An advantage over other traffic apps is Waze's audio navigation with turn-by-turn instructions and the ability to use voice commands (iPhone and Android only) simply by waving your hand in front of your phone or tapping the screen with three fingers.<br /> <br /> Sharing information or photos of traffic snarls on Twitter of Facebook while driving doesn't seem particularly wise, but Waze allows it. Once you drive 100 miles (160 km) using Waze, you can access its gas prices feature, which displays prices updated in real time by users. <br /> <br /> <strong>Platforms: </strong> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waze&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS53YXplIl0.">Android</a>, <a href="http://www.waze.com/download/bb/">Blackberry</a> (beta), <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/waze-social-gps-traffic/id323229106?mt=8">iPhone</a><br /> <br /> <strong>Cost: </strong>Free
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