Governor Rod Blagojevich says that the system will provide drivers with up-to-the-minute information about congested areas and travel times, helping them to avoid delays and get to where they’re going faster.
The system, accessible at www.iltrafficalert.com, allows people to register for customized email traffic reports providing travel times, vehicle speeds, construction work, congestion and incident information about 72 route segments on Chicago area expressways and suburban Tollways via email, cell phone text messaging, or other mobile devices.
The new system was developed in conjunction with the University of Illinois at Chicago’s department of computer science and its sub-contractor Delcan. It can register up to 1,000 new users every 15 minutes, so officials have cautioned that, if demand for the new service is high, users may have to wait several hours if they encounter problems signing up.
George Billows, executive director of the Illinois Trucking Association (ITA), described the new system as easy and user friendly.
I am confident that many ITA members will use this site on a regular basis, Mr Billows said. The selection of road segments, times, days of the week, etc., was excellent. Drivers with email via phone or blackberry, on board computers and certainly dispatchers will be able to make their selections to fit their operational needs.
