Is it any wonder that visitors – and many local drivers –get stuck in traffic jams?
Old habits have made advances in ITS difficult. Getting commuters to check on travel conditions ahead of time is twice as hard when those same travelers head for vacation. When those travelers do hear a report, it is often via the attributed source for the majority of traveler information received – commercial broadcast radio. As more and more reliable data is generated, the “old habits” of the broadcast traffic reports work against the traveler. The legacy of headline reports often emphasizes the number of vehicles and injuries (the “news”) instead of vital traveler information –lane closures, length of delays, opposite direction affect, and alternate route conditions. Visitors Are Locals Too Transportation professionals can keep improving the quality and reliability of traveler information by addressing the visitor when designing messages and traffic reports. Often times, these visitors are just in from the next town or may be infrequent highway travelers. Local road names are famili
