Speedtrap.org Redesigned: A New Focus On Usability
The NMA has operated The National Speed Trap Exchange (www.speedtrap.org) for nearly a decade and it has consistently been the number one spot on the web for people looking for information on speed traps. After a large increase in interest in the site about a year and a half ago, the decision was made to redesign the site so that it could include maps of the speed traps (using Google Maps.)
It was something that we thought would make the site more useful to fans of the site. Unfortunately, due to various issues, the redesign was not a hit with the general public. Since the redesign launched, traffic has steadily dropped and user complaints became more frequent.
Adding the mapping feature was a technical challenge and required some compromises on our end. For example, we originally had nearly 60,000 speed traps listed in the United States and Canada. However, since many of the speed traps were not usable by Google Maps we had to drop about 40,000 of them — including all the Canada speed traps.
The overall usability of the site also suffered with various issues popping up from time to time, including but not limited to speed traps showing up in the wrong locations and the search function failing to generate relevant results.
Because of these issues, we decided to redesign the site from the ground up with a new focus on making it as easy as possible to find and add speed traps to the site. We also wanted to make it easy for people to browse the site and discuss speed traps.
It was a tough decision, but we ultimately decided that removing the maps from the site was the best way to achieve these goals. We believe that the mapping feature is a better fit for the increasingly competitive device market (GPS and mobile) than for our website.
We want to be the place where people go to share, talk and vent about speed traps online instead of just being a speed trap notification service.
Because of this decision, we were able to add back the missing speed traps including all the Canada speed traps.
With the new design, we were also able to remove some barriers to interaction. Previously, you had to register for an account before you could add a speed trap. That is no longer the case. With the new site, anyone can easily add a speed trap in less than a minute. To keep the quality of submissions reasonable, each speed trap is moderated by a real person — but speed traps will generally go up quickly.
Another barrier to communication was the commenting system. We’ve decided to start the new site on a clean slate. Our database of comments had become cluttered with spammy links, references to previously corrected spelling/grammar errors, and complaints about inaccurate maps (which no longer exist on the current site and would confuse new users.)
The volume of comments was so large that it was impossible to separate the wheat from the chaff. It’s unfortunate that we’ve lost the good and helpful comments that have been left on the site, but we hope people will start new conversations on the redesigned site.
To encourage above-average comment quality and discourage spammers, commenting is the one thing on the site that requires a user account. The account is free though and it takes less than 30 seconds to sign up. If you already had an account on the old site, it will work on the redesigned site as well — we transferred the accounts into the new system.
On the old site, because comments were tied to specific users, many users chose not to comment out of fear that their username would be noticed by local authorities and they would become targets of unwelcome attention. On the new site this is no longer an issue because all comments will be anonymous.
Overall, we think you’ll find the new site substantially easier and more fun to browse. If your area doesn’t have many speedtraps, we encourage you to add any that you know of. It’s extremely simple to do — just click “Add A Speed Trap” on any page of the website.
Check it out here: The National Speed Trap Exchange
Other Related Articles
To change the picture next to your comments, sign up at Gravatar.com. Each picture is associated with a particular email address. (This is a third-party service not affiliated with NMA.)
Pushpins for connecting dots. Start with a simple A to B pushpins Driving Directions. Move A towards B repeatedly. Press Link to obtain (lat,long) after each move. Example of connected dots: maps?saddr=32.901668,-96.976705&daddr=32.901515,-96.977981+to:32.901695,-96.979355+to:32.902128,-96.980395 (=ABCD).
Grouping by state & hwy/interstate. I drive long distances due to the nature of my work. In less populated states like Idaho, Montana etc the state highway will be the main mode of transport if no feasible interstate option exist. A search for keyword like “INTERSTATE” / “I-20″ / “I20″ in title text?
Since the closing of I-385 Northbound from the I-26 intersection, the Cities of Laurens and Clinton have set up alternet routes.
When you leave I-26 headed on the I-385 Detour the speed limit drops to 55 mph and lower.
Some of the town area is 25 mph.
These roads on the detour are being watched by the local LEO,s. Some are 2 lane with slow moveing traffic. If you get Impatent and start speeding you will be pulled over and most likely fined.
There has been an increase in traffic accidents since Jan 4 2010 when I-385 north closed.
I don’t think this is a speed trap but a deterrant to keep people from getting killed or mangled.
I think it would be best if you are in a hurry and going to speed use the DOT recommended detour and continue on to Spartanburge and then on to Greenville on I-85.
It takes a few minutes longer but you will miss the traffic lights and slow speed limits.
If you have the time and would like to see the sites of some small towns in the upstate then by all means take the slow detour and stop and shop in our towns.
In any case you will be welcome in our towns even if you speed, and may get to see the inside of some of the local jails.
Thanks and be careful, my family and frends use the same roads as you.
Don
You ought to consider creating and documenting a data interface with your database of speedtrap IDs. I understand from your comments above that there were usability problems integrating your database with Google Maps, however I bet the AAA and other travel agencies – given the continuous challenge they face to remain relevant and add value in the do-it-yourself travel arrangement world of the web – might be very interested in being able to query your speed trap database in the process of preparing a Trip-Tik or similar route plan for their customers planning an extended road trip. Bet there are a lot more of those these days compared to air travel. AAA used to be able to include road construction areas in their Trip-Tiks, so I bet they could find a way to import the speed trap data you have collected – especially if you can tag it with lat/long coordinates, or mile marker references. Not a trivial matter I know, but I bet that represents added value to the do-it-yourselfer.
That’s a good suggestion. We’re short on staff time here, but we may look into this down the road.
I would like to see the speed traps organized by Highway number as well. When you are planning a trip through other states, you may not know the city name you will be traveling through. If there was a way to organize it by highway, you could be better prepared.
This is possible to a certain degree with the current site. If you use the search function in the top right section of the page, you can enter a highway name and see all the speed traps that mention that highway. It’s not perfect, but it can definitely be helpful.