Mapquest Helps Millions to Navigate Routes More Easily and Successfully. Helping over 16 million visitors each month to find convenient driving directions, current traffic updates and total distance to travel are what the offerings on the newly updated mapquest website and mobile app were created to do.
In a quest to be more indispensable to motorists than ever before, the website has integrated with AOL Patch to help users find the most current information on specific geographic areas.
The addition of over 11,000 live traffic cameras focused on targeted traffic areas is another beneficial way to provide realtime traffic updates instantly.
Drivers in busy traffic areas these days need much more than a simple delivering of the best way to get from point A to point B. They also need to know helpful information like:
- Store locations – Helps make drivers aware of exact locations and exits so they can pick up essentials along the way
- Gas Stations – Gas station locations and prices for comparison purposes
- Toll Roads – So drivers can have toll funds ready to pay tolls when necessary
- Highways and toll roads – In case drivers want to avoid things like highways or take an alternate to a toll road route, they’ll know exactly where these roads are
- Restaurant Locations – Becomes an important part of a route planner for rest stops
- Hospital Locations – Especially helpful in an emergency situation
– Current Speed Limits – The speed limit is not always posted due to construction and other unforeseen circumstances. It’s helpful to always know what the speed limit is no matter where you’re driving to help you drive more safely and to lessen your chances of getting a ticket.
Types of Directional Assistance that Users Can Now Find
In addition to basic Mapquest driving directions, users also have advantages gleaned from Mapquest Vibe, a specialized social algorithm service that provides high quality and current local information. Drivers can now get insider tips, advice and ratings on shopping, restaurants, services and other useful information based on a person’s current location.
All the results and ratings that come up in a search are based on voting by users.
Drivers can find out about certain neighborhoods, the walk-ability factor of specific areas, and ratings of restaurants and services they may wish to use.
Users may even be able to get information on Wi-Fi hotspots in certain areas. Making technology more helpful and life easier is the goal of Mapquest Inc in the array of information they now offer to drivers through the website and mobile app.
New Helpful Features Provided Through the Mobile App
Users of the mobile app are now finding that they can get not only maps and directions, they can also get routing help that uses landmarks to help find their desired locale more easily. They’ll also find helpful voice navigation for walking and more specific information with new icons that are able to be customized to make specific locations more easily recognizable.
Places of interest along chosen routes, which are especially helpful on multipoint routes, give any driver a better idea of where they are and where they’re going, along with specific landmarks to look for along the way.
The app is also organized in a more helpful way that makes it easier for people to use its many functions on-the-go. Just a few taps on the app reveal quickandeasy maps and directions and help with planning create routes starting at locations like your home.
Helpful features like voice turn-by-turn directions are available to drivers no matter what device a driver is using.
Knowing the Shortest and Most Convenient Route is Essential for a Positive Experience
When you’re traveling, it doesn’t matter if you’re an individual driver, a truck driver, a delivery route driver, or if you’re involved in a sales occupation, it helps to know precisely the shortest route to take to your destination. Knowing exactly where you are at any given time also helps in times when you need roadside assistance and if you need help with finding rental cars or hotel deals.
Knowledge helps to make driving a more precise activity with better outcomes.
One thing that anyone who has spent a lot of time on the road has learned is that unexpected things will probably come up to cause delays or to create a need to know an alternate route to a destination. Today, this critical information is at your fingertips with help from smart phone apps. You often need this information instantly, sometimes even while you’re still driving. Traffic is a constantly changing and evolving thing.
One simple accident can cause backups and serious delays. Road construction that you weren’t aware of can also put an unexpected crimp in your most well thought out travel plans. Changing weather can be another critical factor in determining how long it will take you to get to your destination. Services like mapquest maps are available to help you in your quest to get to your destination quickly and safely and to know exactly what situations you may face along your travel route so there are fewer surprises and unexpected developments.
Things You Find When You Use the Search Function on Mapquest Maps
The updated search function now lets you do a simple search of a destination, or tailor your route to include things like stops and specific route settings that include locations of restaurants and businesses. Things you can now take into consideration when using the search function include:
- Grocery Stores
- Coffee Shops
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Points of interest
- K-12 Schools
- Gas Stations
- Local Business
The ultimate goal is to make your route planning by using maps and navigation easier, more effective and more personalized than ever before. You’ll feel like you have a personal travel assistant that is always with you in your vehicle. Things like Google maps can be helpful, but mapquest driving directions give you a more customized, specific search experience with its helpful search features.
Avoid Common Pitfalls of Road Travel
Mapquest Inc has made it their mission to incorporate GPS navigation to help drivers to drive more efficiently and more intelligently. Simply by typing in addresses for quickandeasy maps, a driver will notice that the routes that come up in their search may help them in avoiding highways where there are problems and issues that could impede their travel. They also receive the latest information for the fastest and most efficient travel routes.
Another advantageous feature that helps drivers avoid common travel pitfalls is the live traffic camera feature. This component is now available in over 100 markets and will most likely be expanded to include additional markets in the future. The way this feature works is that when a camera is available, you’ll see a blue camera icon in the corner of your screen.
Clicking on that will bring up live traffic screen shots and views based on your current location that are updated every few minutes. This is so you’re always assured of getting the latest, most accurate information.
Being Informed is the Best Way to Travel
Years ago, people would keep a trusty Rand McNally map in the glove compartment so they had a general idea of the route they would be taking and the time it might take to get to their destination. Today, there are so many factors that come into play that this is no longer a feasible way to travel. Having knowledge of potential obstacles and changes that need to be made to your travel route helps to reduce the stress people sometimes can feel when they travel.
Things like GPS navigation and maps along with navigation services are essential to help you avoid pitfalls and factors that can cause travel delays. Being able to know immediately of an alternate route you can take and the highways and toll roads that are open and clear of obstacles is a valuable tool in today’s travel.
Not only can you be made aware of travel obstacles, you’ll also know helpful things like store locations and hotel deals along the way! You’ll know the total distance you need to travel, which can be helpful in determining when you need to make essential fuel stops.
A More Accurate Determination of your Location
If an emergency does come up while you’re driving, a helpful maps and navigation service can pinpoint your exact location. This is essential for getting the help you need should you have mechanical or other issues with your car or truck along the way. It can help you to get exactly the roadside assistance you need, quickly and more efficiently.
You’ll even find that knowing your exact location can help with avoiding highways you don’t want to travel on and toll roads that you may want to take instead. In the event of a complete vehicle breakdown, you’ll be able to find the closest hotels and where you can find rental cars if that becomes necessary. Being well-informed helps you to plan for things you expect along the way and for the unexpected.
Having exact information can be a great stress reliever whenever you’re preparing for your next trip. Travel becomes a more pleasant pastime once again with the help of accurate maps and directions and correct traffic updates.
If you have not visited Mapquest recently, they have completely redesigned the site and added a bunch of new features. These changes are evident in both the desktop and mobile app. With competition from Google Maps, Bing Maps & GPS units, they have pushed the envelope in terms of the user experience and functionality.
While being well known for driving directions, MapQuest® is adding more elaborate tools to make users life easier. The online mapping site clearly has become a part of many people’s daily lives. In an attempt to separate themselves from their competitors, mainly Google, Map Quest has started to focus on a local discovery by integration with AOL Patch, a news reporting tool that helps users find out what’s happening in all the areas you’re searching for. And MapQuest® Vibe uses data collected around the country about local neighborhoods and rates the restaurants, shops, and services.
They base the results on user voting and give helpful information including wi-fi hotspots. They also give a walkability score in the more popular, trendy areas of town.
In recent news, MapQuest announced a new enhancement to their popular Live Traffic feature. Now available in over 100 markets, you can now view live traffic conditions through a network of over 11,000 cameras to make your traveling even easier and safer. Simply click the Live Traffic icon on the top, the right of the map and a blue camera icon will appear wherever a traffic cam is available. Most camera images are updated every few minutes, and will also be available on MapQuest Mobile and the mobile web in the very near future. This is a great addition to an already large array of travel information and tools, like gas prices, route planning, and local search. Be sure to check their blog, Facebook and Twitter to keep abreast of new developments with the roll-out of this unique feature.
In other news, mapquest® mobile now offers landmark-assisted routing by providing places of interest along the way for both driving and walking directions. For example, it may tell you to turn left on Route 19, right after the tennis courts. The new “You Are Here” icon will now show your location with a customizable icon, and the web APP is better organized and easier to use while on the go. And, with a single tap, you can now find local restaurants, hotels and other local services and points of interest.
They are committed to giving you the best mobile experience possible and are one the few services that provide free voice turn-by-turn driving directions via a mobile device. For more complete information, check out MapQuest.com from you iPhone, Android or another mobile device..
MapQuest® provides web-based, mobile and business applications to over 16 million visitors every month and is one of the top online mapping services – giving users driving directions, local search and a variety of mobile applications. Many consider them among the most accurate mapping services, with user generated updates and live traffic updates every few minutes. Check out their Facebook Page for travel ideas, giveaways, and contests from time to time. Check back often as we update this page on a regular basis..