WEB-SIZING CITY TRAFFIC

Courtesy Governing Magazine:

Chicago and Dallas have joined several other cities taking part in a new public-private effort that gives motorists the latest traffic data.

The Digital Traffic Pulse system, which can be deployed along city highways and interstates, uses radar sensors to monitor vehicular speed, travel time and traffic density on up to eight lanes. As with the digital systems already in place in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, traffic information in Chicago and Dallas will be collected, converted into a variety of algorithms and fed into a data center. This traffic information will then be displayed on a Web site (www.traffic.com) controlled and maintained by the private partner, Mobility Technologies.

Started under the Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure Program of the U.S. Transportation Department, the program is a near-freebie for cities. The U.S. DOT provides $2 million in funding and the home state ponies up $500,000; Mobility Technologies provides the balance.

The state then gets a portion of the revenue Mobility Technologies makes with the Digital Traffic Pulse system. The way the program is set up, radio and television stations have access to the data collected. In exchange for the traffic information, Mobility Technologies is given air time, which they then sell to advertisers and share the profits with the state.

There's another bonus for participating states and cities. Mobility Technologies archives the traffic data it collects and gives states and cities access to it. "We used the data for a street-parking problem we were having," says Darryl Phillips, Pittsburgh's project manager for traffic engineering. "The program helps with traffic projects throughout the city while really benefiting daily commuters." --Elizabeth Daigneau