5-1-1 transit info service goes statewide

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 11:11 AM EDT

NY NOAH ROSENBERG

A free phone- and internet-based system that in 2008 began providing New York City Metro area residents with traffic, travel and transportation updates, has gone statewide, Governor David Paterson announced on June 19.

5-1-1 New York, which was created following federal guidelines mandating that all states have a 5-1-1 system in place by 2010, targets the needs of commuters, long-distance and local travelers, tourists and commercial-vehicle operators.

Covering state highways and public transportation services, the system will provide information on traffic incidents, roadway conditions, congestion, weather, work zones and scheduled events affecting transit. Additionally, 5-1-1 New York will offer a trip-planning feature, rideshare referrals and bicycling information, and become a crucial information source during transportation emergencies.

“Making up-to-the-minute, multi-modal transportation information available to commuters, tourists and commercial drivers through this new 5-1-1 system strengthens our efforts to keep traffic flowing smoothly and people and goods moving efficiently throughout New York state,” Paterson said in a news release.

The service, available by dialing 5-1-1 or visiting www.511ny.org – or, for the hearing impaired, by dialing 7-1-1 – has been “a huge success” as a pilot program in the New York City area, according to Paterson. Its expansion into the rest of the state makes New York the 34th state in the nation to implement a 5-1-1 program.

State Transportation Department Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee, whose agency developed the system, said 5-1-1 New York would be “among the best traveler information systems in the country.” The system emerges a year after the state Transportation Department rolled out its TransAlert text message system to keep travelers informed of disruptions.

The state estimates that the federally funded 5-1-1 New York service will cost around $2.5 million to operate and maintain each year.