Even though I’m a traffic engineer, I still have no idea how or where google gets this kind of detailed traffic info on local streets:

I mean seriously, is telegraph really backed up in only one direction between Elmwood and Temescal at this moment?

I think they may have installed their own sensors, or in some way circumvented the cities. Either that or they have been able to convince each city to release their data and done all the work of translating and combining it. Either way, it’s an amazing accomplishment, considering that huge federal and state resources have been put behind the integration of traffic info for decades, with very little actual integration to show for it.