I-95 Signs-Up for Real Time Traffic Info
According to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute, urban congestion drains the U.S. economy of 4.2 billion man hours and 2.9 billion gallons of fuel per year. The Wall Street Journal reports that the I-95 Corridor Coalition is tackling the problem with Inrix. The subcontractor will gather real-time traffic data (via satellite) on over 2.5k miles of highway, including I95 from New Jersey to North Carolina. Inrix will then beam the data to state transportation departments, who will offer it to motorists via the Internet, mobile alerts and road signs. North Carolina Department of Transportation engineer Jo Ann Oerter figures her employer receives timely traffic data for only one percent of the state’s roads. "We'll be able to see where traffic is building and work within our system to say these are routes you should avoid.” While Inrix will also sell the data to GPS providers for automatic traffic avoidance, we’re guessing Oerter’s union job is safe.
Glenn is a baby-boomer, born in 1954. Along with his wife, he makes his home in Connecticut. Employed in the public sector as an Information Tedchnology Specialist, Glenn has long been a car fan. Past rides have included heavy iron such as a 1967 GTO, to a V8 T-Bird. In between those high-horsepower cars, he's owned a pair of BMW 320i's. Now, with a daily commute of 40 miles, his concession to MPG dictates the ownership of a 2006 Honda Civic coupe which, while fun to drive, is a modest car for a pistonhead. As an avid reader, Glenn enjoys TTAC, along with many other auto-realated sites, and the occasional good book. As an avid electronic junkie, Glenn holds an Advanced Class amateur ("ham") radio license, and is into many things electronic. From a satellite radio and portable GPS unit in the cars, to a modest home theater system and radio-intercom in his home, if it's run by the movement of electrons, he's interested. :-)
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Crackers X2. Last MemorialDay weekend, #1 son and I were heading toward 5er Fest in Chattanooga. We were heading down I 81 and saw sign boards in VA warning us that I 81 was closed approaching Knoxville. We figured that whatever the trouble was,it would be long gone by the time we reached it. To make sure, we stopped for lunch. In MA, a major highway disruption would have a detour established well within the time frame. We hit a major cluster f@#k that could have been remedied by 2 cops directing traffic at strategic spots. The TN highway patrol had over 12 hrs to set up such a detour. There was a cast of 100s on the sight, even had a couple of catering vans. But no detour. What is the point of notifying traffic if there are no steps taken to remedy the problem?
Welcome to Tennessee, "drive-thru country" for all folks from GA-LA-AL-MI-ON-OH-PA-NY-NJ, and certain New England states. You should see it here in Knox County when it snows!
Information is power. I would love to see the results of putting target speed numbers on signs for each lane. Also, lots of signs telling people whats ahead, and how to behave. I really think it could work if done well.
I dont regard TN as drive through country. What little I have seen of TN is purty. I'm just not too impressed with your Highway Patrol. On the way home through central PA( drive through country) Just NE of Harrisburg, at 1am we were about the 5th car on the scene of a motorcycle accident that involved a medevac flight. We were waiting as the cops arrived. In less than 30 minutes we were detoured back across the highway and around the closure.