Improvements to 511 Traveler Services platform
help motorists stay safe during winter drive
Tony Ernest, the manager of the Idaho Transportation Department’s 5-1-1 Traveler Services Platform, is overseeing changes to the system that gives drivers additional winter driving information to help them stay safe.
A new feature is the Winter Traffic Delays. Travelers visit 511.Idaho.gov or use their smartphone app most frequently during winter storms.
“We want to give travelers all the information available to us, especially when winter road conditions are at their worst, so that they have the opportunity to adjust their plans accordingly,” Ernest said.
The 511 system already calculates live traffic delays for roadwork and crash incidents. The new change to 511 now allows it to calculate and display how much adverse winter road conditions are slowing traffic. The platform will display which sections of highway are ex
periencing delays by highlighting that section on a map with a peach colored aura. In addition, the delay information will be integrated into the description of the winter road conditions report.
“The goal is to communicate to the public as clearly as possibly that this weather event is creating hazardous conditions, so hazardous that people are feeling it necessary to slow down,” Ernest said.
Ernest said the Winter Traffic Delays feature will be active when there are challenging winter travel conditions. Information will not be displayed when driving conditions are good.
511 system offers opportunity for citizen feedback in order to increase interaction, customer service
The Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 Traveler Services Platform is evaluating how it can best allow drivers to verify the accuracy of reports displayed in the system.
The Citizen Feedback on 511 Events feature will eventually allow drivers to help the transportation department ensure the accuracy of reported events. Information on accidents or roadwork events may occasionally be entered into the system incorrectly. In addition, the specifics of a
n event can shift over time or roadwork projects can end early. Any of those scenarios can result in stale or out-of-date information in 511.
During a trial run of CitizenFeedback, users could click on an “I have something to say about this report” option. After they clicked on that link, they could then choose “The report is right (I saw it”) option or an “I think the report is wrong” option. Tony Ernest, the manager of the 511 platform, then immediately received an e-mail notification of the feedback, triggering follow-up editing of the event where appropriate.
Ernest said one of the challenges was that those using the Citizen Feedback feature couldn’t offer additional information or comments once they clicked on either of the options. For example, those who clicked on the “I think the report is wrong” option couldn’t offer additional feedback.
He said that in one instance an event reported in 511 was inaccurate, and those clicking on the “I think the report is wrong” option were giving accurate feedback. There was a road closure event reported, and one end point of the road closure was displayed as being in a local community. That end point of the closure wasn’t actually in the community, and members of the community used the Citizen Feedback option to report that.
The trial run has helped Ernest identify potential solutions.
“Possibly, we can add a comments field that would allow for clarifying information to be submitted,” Ernest said. “We’re going to bring the Citizen Feedback feature back."
Published 08-16-19