Tag Archives: Traffic

Traffic alerts make my drive easier!

So when driving during rush hours, I listen to WWJ 950 AM for traffic reports on the 8’s. But the don’t get a chance to report every problem every report and sometimes I miss the last report as I’m walking out the door. So I also subscribe (for free) to Traffic.com (which is run or sponsored by NAVTEQ) and they send me text alerts during the time frame that I select (Usually about the hour before I need to be there). Usually if they don’t send me one, the ride is pretty good, so it’s been very helpful. If they do send me one, I pay attention to the on-ramp before I get on the highway or if they say it’s really bad, I’ll take an alternate route.

traffictext

It’s just traffic for the expressway part, and they think I have 9 minutes on the express way and there is a 2 minute delay (total 11). I think they’re being generous, my experience is to double or triple the number they use for the delay; plus, it’s never 9 minutes on the expressway unless it’s the middle of the day or late at night.

As you can see there is a number to call and there is also a mobile web site at mobi.traffic.com, but I’ve never used those. For me, the text is just enough to tell me that if I’m in a hurry that I might have some delays. But I have a relatively short ride, when there is no traffic, it’s just during rush hour that it stinks, and I’ve got limited options.

They’ve also got an Traffic.com iPhone app (and an ad-free version for $3) and one for Blackberry.

I can see my routes (from the web site) on the iPhone app and it tells me how bad the traffic is. This is helpful for routes that I take often, but not often enough to where I want text messages. I use this for for a quick glance when heading to the doctor’s office after work so that I’m not late.

The thing is, when it texts me, I remember; when I have to look at the app, I forget…

Evil Traffic Sign

The Lens Day Challenge for this week is Traffic.

costraricatrafficsign.jpg

People in Costa Rica barely look at the stop signs. Do they really think someone is going to read this one? This is a pretty busy sign, no matter where you are. And just in case you aren’t sure: Alto means Stop.

This is on a busy side-street in San Jose, Costa Rica; It’s a block or two east of La Sabana Park. I think it’s this messy intersection off of Calle 40; but if that’s where it is, it’s not even a very good representation of the intersection.

I beat my Traffic Ticket!!!

Treo 111007 001So last Saturday I got a ticket from a Wayne County Sheriff on Hines Drive (for passing a Road Closed sign). I knew they were wrong and of course they didn’t want to listen to me.

On the way to the Helms Haven park area, I drove around a gate that says “Road Closed” but also says “Entrance Only Helms Haven area”, but he just didn’t care to listen about that park. Hines Drive is a huge long road that has a bunch of parks, when they close it on Satudays in the summer (so you can bike ride / walk with no traffic) or for flooding (etc.), they block off the main access road and you’re supposed to drive around it to get to the closest park and then the road is really closed (big barricade).

But he didn’t want to listen to me (I said it politely twice and pointed towards the sign in the distance but he didn’t care) so I went to the courthouse. I printed something from the County Parks site that said that you could go around it for certain events, and sent an e-mail to verify it (which they confirmed) and took that with me along with a few pictures I took (the sign and road layout) and I got it waived. It’s just an annoyance since it was more than a few hours of time to beat a ticket that never should have been written.

I do have to give him a little break, he was probably distracted by the decapitated head they just found….

Useless Traffic Reports

I’ve gotten used to listening to traffic at home (Detroit area) and I understand when they talk about areas in general, but I’ve noticed when traveling other cities it’s way to hard decipher it. I’m traveling into Chicago right now, and while I can get around okay, the traffic reports are just gobbly-gook since I don’t know all the roads and traffic slang….

This is a problem today since there appears to still be lots of flooding from the last few days of storms. It’s beautiful right now though!!! Can’t wait to get there!

Expressway Heaven!

So they’ve finally opened up all the lanes on I-96 from Telegraph to Greenfield (maybe farther but I don’t go that much farther). It’s definitely sped up my ride to a from work! We bottleneck at Southfield now but that’s okay I can always skip it if it’s really busy. It’s the mornings that are always the killer with the ride and traffic. So I’m a much happier camper now…