RadiusMapperTravel Time Calculator
Drive Time and Travel Time Map
See everywhere you can reach within any travel time
Enter a starting point and travel time in minutes. RadiusMapper draws an isochrone polygon showing every location reachable within that time by car, on foot, or by bike.
Calculate travel time area
Interactive travel time map
What is a travel time polygon (isochrone)?
An isochrone connects all points reachable from a starting location in equal travel time. Unlike a straight-line radius circle, it follows the road network - highways push the boundary farther; dense urban grids create rounder shapes.
- A short drive in a downtown grid covers a smaller area than the same drive on highways
- Walking and cycling polygons are far smaller than driving polygons for the same time budget
- The boundary updates whenever you change the starting address or travel time
- Pair this page with the walking and cycling pages to compare reachable areas across modes for the same starting point and time
Use a travel time polygon when the road network matters more than straight-line distance - service areas, commute zones, catchment areas, or accessibility analysis.
Drive time vs. travel time vs. driving time: what is the difference?
Drive time
The time to complete a journey by car, following the road network. Drive time accounts for route efficiency, speed limits, and road types (highway vs. local).
Travel time
A broader term covering any mode: car, walking, or cycling. Travel time from a given point varies significantly by mode. A 30-minute travel time by car covers much more area than a 30-minute walk from the same starting point.
Driving time
Often used interchangeably with drive time. In RadiusMapper, driving time and drive time produce identical polygons - both use road-network routing.
Common uses for a travel time map
Commute analysis
Find every neighborhood within a 30-minute commute of your office. Draw a 30-minute drive polygon to see your full set of options.
Service area definition
Define the realistic service boundary for a field technician, delivery driver, or home health aide. Set a 45-minute drive polygon as the territory limit.
Retail catchment area
Use 5, 10, and 15-minute drive polygons to model primary, secondary, and tertiary trade areas around a store location.
Healthcare access
Visualize how far residents must travel to reach a hospital or urgent care clinic - a common requirement for accessibility studies and planning filings.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between drive time and travel time?
Drive time is car-specific. Travel time covers all modes: car, walking, or cycling. RadiusMapper supports all three - switch the transport mode to compare the reachable polygon for the same time budget.
How do I calculate drive time from an address?
Enter a starting address and time in minutes. The map draws a polygon of everywhere reachable within that drive time. More useful than point-to-point because it shows all possible destinations at once.
How accurate is the calculation?
Polygons are computed from real road-network data using the Mapbox isochrone API. The boundary reflects typical travel times rather than live traffic.
Can I compare drive time vs. walking time?
This page calculates drive-time polygons. For walking and cycling polygons from the same address, use the dedicated walking and cycling pages — a 15-minute walk from a Manhattan address covers about 0.8 sq mi while a 15-minute drive from the same point covers over 20.
What is an isochrone?
A line connecting all points at equal travel time from a starting location. On a map it appears as a polygon that follows the road network rather than a perfect circle.
How is this different from Google Maps?
Google Maps calculates time from A to one specific B. RadiusMapper calculates all destinations reachable from A within a time budget - showing the full territory, not just one route.
See who lives in your area
Layer population, income & housing data on any travel-time map. Free to start.