Mapping software/ distance locator

[tim]

We have to move at some point this year - my wife's commute is c 1h 30mins each way. She works in brum (edgbaston) and we are agreed that a 45 min each way journey for her is the max that she wants to do. This doesn't have to be by car ie train is possible.

Is there a clever piece of mapping software that can draw a perimeter line based on a 45 min car or train journey around a centre point?

Cheers

Tim

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Tim

The closest I can think of is The AA mileage site which gives you an approximate journey time, but this is only for the car.



Cheers
Neil

 

[stix]

Tim,

I don't know of any software that will do that but is it possilble that you could estimate the distance you could travel in 45mins by car (if your travelling at peak time that won't get you very far out of Brum in my experience!) or train and do a property search from the postcode your wife works at and see what areas it throws up? This website has a useful search function for that sort of thing.

Hope that helps (and makes sense :? )

Steve

 

[StevieB]

I dont know of one, but can you not make some form of crude estimate based on how long it takes to drive through the urban area to the office (say the last 3 miles is traffic and takes 15 mins for example) then add that to 30 mins driving on an A road or motorway (eg average speed = 50mph so in 30 mins I can do 25 miles) then draw a perimeter based on 28 miles from the office?

I am assuming your wife drives at the moment and knows roughly how long journey segments take. Failing that, drive home and see where you get to on average in 45 minutes. Use this as a rough perimeter for your circle.

Steve.

 

[tim]

Thanks Neil. There are loads of sites that allow you to put in start and destination points which will then calculate approx journey time but what I am looking for is one that will do that automatically for a bunch of destinations based on a specific journey time. I think that I may well have to just annotate a google map as I go along though.

Cheers

Tim

 

[lurker]

Trouble with your plan Tim is that today's 45 min journey might be tomorrows 2 hour trip.

My own commute (20 miles) currently takes between 25 & 55 mins.
Even though I usually leave home at 7am the traffic is considerably lighter when the schools are on holiday.
As my own brats are now grown up, I ensure all holiday is taken when schools are in - just to maximise that slight benefit.

I hate my conmmute!! If it was as long as your wifes, I'd give up the will to live.
Have you thought of a canal boat :lol:
evidently Brum is covered with canals :shock: :shock:

 

[DomValente]

Or you could move to London.
Front door to 5 mile radius= 45mins.

Dom

 

[tim]

Trouble with your plan Tim is that today's 45 min journey might be tomorrows 2 hour trip.

Of course and sometimes her journey is 3 hours but its a guideline and narrows down where to look.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Shultzy]

Tim, how about looking at it from a different angle. Use the railway stations as a guide as its easier to work out how long it will take from the timetables. If you use this site

http://maps.live.com/

it allows you to plot say a one mile radius (15 mins walk) around the station. You could use the AA site to calculate the time from each station to Brum, this give a comparison and allows the use of the train if the car is out of action.

 

[Dad]

Depends on where in Edgbaston you're working too. I work at the University & at 5:00 it can take getting on for half an hour to get half a mile down the road. It might get worse before it gets better (new hospital being built).

Local train service (to University) is usually good but can go through extended periods of being really dire.

 

[tiler99]

Hi Tim, not sure if this would help but Edgbaston could be reached within 45 minutes from where i live at most times of the day. I live in Stourbridge so i would imagine if you looked on map for Edgbaston and then Stourbridge you could use that as you radius.

 

[gidon]

Tim
MS Autoroute can plot a distance permiter line around a point. The best thing I can think of is to plot of a few of these based on different transport methods and estimates of average speed (use Autoroute to give you few timings). Then manually draw your perimeter line.
Of course it'll only be so accurate but may be good enough. Of course you could use any map and a pen to do this too! With some help from the online mapping sites ...
I have Autoroute and can do some plots if you think they'd help.
Cheers
Gidon