Access real-time traffic information

Traffic information online

There are several different ways to use the internet to access detailed and real-time online traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads.

Traffic England website

The Highways Agency Traffic England website service is free to use and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides live information about:

• journey delays
• average speeds
• incidents and congestion
• roadworks
• adverse weather conditions

It also highlights future events and roadworks. You can access information about your route by using features like the interactive map and motorway traffic flow tool.

You can view traffic information in different ways:

• by area - for example, the East Midlands
• by road - eg the M25
• by current traffic alerts - for example, congestion after a recent accident on a particular motorway

You can also:

• search by date and/or by road for planned disruptions like roadworks and events
• check how traffic is flowing on a specific section of a particular motorway
• get breaking news on England's strategic road network

Find up-to-date traffic information on the Traffic England website - Opens in a new window.

Traffic information on your desktop

The Highways Agency can also make the latest traffic information available directly to your computer desktop. If your computer is connected to the internet you can use the free Desktop Traffic Headlines application to view live information about traffic incidents. You don't even have to open your web browser. Find out how to install the Desktop Traffic Headlines application on the Highways Agency website - Opens in a new window.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) traffic feeds, email alerts and widgets

You can receive live headline traffic information as a free direct RSS feed from the Highways Agency. You can select a feed that covers the whole of the Highways Agency network or just a particular area of the network. For example, you could use it to:

• broadcast traffic headlines on customer information displays
• allow employees to receive headline information on their computer desktop

You'll need a News Reader or similar software to view the content. To subscribe to a feed, you need to click on the orange RSS button of your choice and drag it to your News Reader.

You can also subscribe to a twice daily round-up of the RSS feed information via email alerts. Bulletins are sent at about 06.00 and again around 16.00 to help you plan your journey.

You can access traffic information with Highways Agency traffic information widgets. You can use these widgets on your social media pages or website, or email them to your friends.

Sign up for RSS traffic feeds, alerts and widgets on the Highways Agency website - Opens in a new window.

Traffic information for the rest of the UK

You can get real-time traffic information for the rest of the UK from:

• Traffic Scotland - find traffic information on the Traffic Scotland website - Opens in a new window
• Traffic Wales - find traffic information on the Traffic Wales website - Opens in a new window
• Traffic Watch Northern Ireland (NI) - find traffic information on the Traffic Watch NI website - Opens in a new window

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Traffic information online
• Traffic information on your mobile
• Traffic information on the Highways Agency iPhone app
• Traffic Radio
• Traffic information over the telephone
• Build your own traffic services
• Atlas Pro - traffic information for professionals
• Traffic management support for events
• Scheduled roadworks and events