Drive Time Map
How to Use This Drive Time Map
There is no “generate” button — set a start point, then change the mode or time and the travel-time area redraws automatically.
Set your start
Type an address or tap the map to drop your start point
Pick a mode
Drive, Walk, or Cycle
Set the time
Use the time buttons or slider — the area redraws automatically
What Is a Drive Time Map?
A drive time map — also called an isochrone map — shows the area you can reach from a location within a specific time by car, foot, or bicycle. Unlike a radius circle which draws a perfect circle based on straight-line distance, a drive time map follows actual roads and paths to create a realistic boundary.
The word “isochrone” comes from Greek: iso (equal) + chronos (time). Every point on the boundary of an isochrone represents the same travel time from the center.
A 30-minute drive time area from a city center is not a circle. It extends further along highways and shorter in areas with few roads, hills, or one-way streets. The resulting shape reveals the real-world accessibility of a location — something a simple radius cannot show.
Drive Time vs. Straight-Line Radius
Drive Time (Isochrone)
- ✓Follows actual roads and paths
- ✓Accounts for road speed limits
- ✓Considers one-way streets
- ✓Shows realistic travel coverage
- ~Irregular shape (accurate)
Radius Circle
- ✓Perfect geometric circle
- ✓Easy to understand and measure
- ✓Great for compliance/regulations
- ~Ignores terrain and roads
- ~May include unreachable areas
When to Use Drive Time vs. Radius
| Scenario | Drive Time | Radius |
|---|---|---|
| “How far can I drive in 30 minutes?” | ✓ Best | |
| “What's within 10 miles of this address?” | ✓ Best | |
| “Is this apartment close enough to work?” | ✓ Best | |
| “Define a rough service coverage zone” | ✓ Best | |
| “Plan a delivery area based on drive time” | ✓ Best | |
| “Estimate area for insurance or compliance” | ✓ Best | |
| “Find customers reachable in under an hour” | ✓ Best | |
| “Emergency response coverage planning” | ✓ Best |
Rule of thumb: If your question involves time (“how long to get there?”), use drive time. If it involves distance (“how far is it?”), use a radius circle.
How to Read an Isochrone Map
The colored area on the map represents everywhere you can reach within your specified time. The boundary edge is the furthest you can travel in that time.
- 1Highway corridors extend the shape. The isochrone stretches along major highways because you can cover more distance at highway speeds.
- 2Dense urban areas shrink the shape. Traffic lights, one-way streets, and lower speed limits mean less distance per minute.
- 3Natural barriers cut off access. Rivers, mountains, and bodies of water create sharp boundaries.
- 4Sparse road networks limit reach. Rural areas with few roads may show smaller isochrones despite highway access.
Drive Time Distance Reference
Why the shape isn't a circle
A drive-time area follows the road network, not a fixed speed. The isochrone stretches along faster roads and pulls in where streets are slower or sparser, so the same number of minutes reaches much further in one direction than another. Draw the isochrone above to see the real reachable area for your start point.
How far can you get in a given time?
There is no single “miles per minute” that applies everywhere — how far you travel in 5, 15, or 30 minutes depends entirely on the roads and paths around your start. Rather than estimate from an average speed, draw a drive-, cycle-, or walk-time isochrone above and read the actual reachable area for your location.
How traffic affects drive time
The isochrone uses the routing engine's road speeds and does not model real-time traffic or congestion. At busy times your real reach will be smaller than the drawn area, so give yourself extra time — or draw the isochrone for the time of day you care about and treat it as a best case.
How city layout shapes a drive-time area
The same drive time covers very different ground depending on where you start. Open road networks with fast highways produce large, far-reaching isochrones; dense urban cores with traffic lights, one-way streets, and congestion produce small, compact ones. There is no fixed area for a “30-minute drive” — it is specific to your location and the roads around it. Draw the isochrone above to see the real coverage for any address.
How This Tool Works
The drive time map is powered by open-source routing technology using OpenStreetMap road data. When you set a location and time:
- The tool sends your coordinates and time limit to a routing engine.
- The engine calculates how far you can travel along every road from that point.
- It returns a polygon boundary connecting the furthest reachable points.
- The polygon is rendered on the Leaflet map as a colored area.
The routing considers road type (highway, residential, path), one-way restrictions, and turn restrictions. It does not currently factor in real-time traffic or road closures.