511 Driving TimesSM Expands Coverage Area,
Adds S.F., Peninsula, North Bay Routes

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has expanded its popular 511 Driving TimesSM service to include on-demand, point-to-point travel times for five more key freeway corridors: Interstate 280 between the San Francisco terminus and John Daly Boulevard in Daly City, U.S. 101 between Interstate 80 in San Francisco and Belmont, State Route 92 between Interstate 880 in Hayward and U.S. 101 in San Mateo (including the San Mateo Bridge), U.S. 101 between the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza and Bicentennial Way in Santa Rosa (including the Golden Gate Bridge), and Interstate 580 between Albany and San Rafael (including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge).

The expanded 511 Driving TimesSM coverage, available free of charge on the phone at 511 or on the Web at www.511.org, is expected to bolster travelers’ already high satisfaction with the Bay Area’s 511 service. A recent survey of callers shows that overall satisfaction with the 511 system rose to 92 percent from 90 percent in 2003. Of the 1,001 callers questioned in this year’s survey, 99 percent declared themselves likely (and 93 percent very likely) to call 511 again. Among the features most frequently hailed by callers are the usefulness of the available data, and the system’s overall ease of use.

Tapping data from FasTrakTM toll transponders and constantly updated information from Caltrans, the 511 Driving TimesSM feature tells motorists the current travel time between cities or major landmarks in the Bay Area, and if there are any incidents on the route. 511 Driving TimesSM quickly has become one of the most popular features on the 511 Traffic Web page.

Expansion of the 511 Driving TimesSM coverage area brings to eight the number of freeway corridors and five the number of toll bridges on which current driving times are now available. The cutting-edge system debuted in March 2004 with real-time information for the entire Interstate 80 corridor from San Francisco to Highway 12 east near Suisun City (including the Bay Bridge and Carquinez Bridge), Interstate 880 from the MacArthur Maze to Fremont, and Interstate 680 from Highway 4 in Pacheco to Interstate 580 in Dublin/Pleasanton. Over the next year, this first-of-its-kind service will be expanded region-wide and will be available for all major Bay Area highways and bridges.

511 Driving TimesSM
To access the 511 Driving TimesSM service on the Web, simply go to www.511.org, click on the 511 Driving TimesSM button, and then use the interactive freeway map to identify starting and ending points along the available routes. The system will report the current driving time, as well as any traffic incidents along the route. On the phone, callers using 511’s state-of-the-art voice system need only ask for “Driving Times” at the Main Menu and then say their starting and destination points. 511 automatically provides the estimated driving time and incidents along that route.

To identify origin and destination points, callers can say the name of cities, such as “Foster City” or “Santa Rosa”; landmarks, such as “SBC Park,” “Children’s Hospital,” or “Marin Civic Center”; or bridges, such as “Bay Bridge” or “Richmond Bridge.” For larger cities, the automated operator will prompt callers to refine their starting and ending points, if they wish. These points include exits and highway junctions. Callers can always ask for “help” to get a list of options. 511 will then provide the current driving time between these points.

Once drivers are informed of the current travel time, 511 Driving TimesSM will also tell them about any current incidents along their route, based on real-time data collected by the California Highway Patrol.
“Traffic congestion is frustrating,” remarked MTC Chair and Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey, “especially if you don’t know how long you’ll be stuck in traffic. Now, if I want to know how long it’s going to take to get to a meeting in Santa Rosa or an event in San Francisco, or when I’m going to get home, I can just call 511 anytime, day or night. It’s easy, and it’s free.”

Advanced Software Makes Breakthrough Possible
The 511 Driving TimesSM service is made possible by a new version of the software that updates 511 traffic reports. In addition to point-to-point driving times, the 511 phone service offers a whole range of enhanced traffic features, including an option that allows callers to be transferred to the FasTrakTM customer service center. The system also features a faster voice response system; more flexible menu navigation that allows callers to request conditions on various freeways without having to go back to the traffic conditions menu; more detail about incident locations, including the city in which the incident is located; and more specifics about traffic slowdowns—complete with actual traffic speeds triggered when the average speed falls below 40 miles per hour. “This is cutting-edge technology,” says Kinsey. “All the options available on the phone are available on the Web, too.”

511 is the Bay Area’s one-stop resource for free traffic, transit, ridesharing, and bicycling information. Much like 411 or 911, the 511 phone service is an easy-to-remember, three-digit number. Callers can use the service to get the most current reports on road conditions and traffic incidents, as well as fare and schedule information from over 40 public transportation providers and 20 paratransit operators, plus information about carpooling, vanpooling, and bicycling.

In addition to the online 511 Driving TimesSM feature, the 511 web site at www.511.org features online FasTrakTM applications, MTC’s popular TakeTransitSM Trip Planner, an online ride-matching tool for carpoolers, and links to other resources, including an interactive traffic map showing traffic congestion, accidents, and highway construction events.