Open Dataset of the Week: Causeway Traffic Malaysia

This week we cover an app built using government data.

An app using public sector data is helping commuters avoid traffic jams at the border between Singapore and Malaysia. Congestion at the Causeway and Second Link border crossings are constant and can last up to three hours. Hayden Lak, a Malaysian citizen who frequently travels to Singapore, has built Beat The Jam to help drivers see how long they would have to wait in traffic. It shows traffic camera screenshots from the Malaysian Highway Authority, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya authorities. It also uses Google’s traffic data to calculate how long people will be stuck in a jam, and whether congestion is likely to increase, decrease or stay the same. “Our goal is to make causeway traffic predictable so that you can make an informed decision [on] whether to cross the border,” says the app’s website, causewayjam.com. The app also shows traffic trends from seven days ago, and compares this with today’s trend to show how traffic could move in the next three hours. While this feature usually discusses datasets, the Beat The Jam app shows the value of government data in action.