5-1-1
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5-1-1 is a transit and traffic information hotline in some regions of the United States. Commuters can simply dial the three numbers 511 on traditional landline telephones or on many mobile phones.
Its assignment was created after various studies showed that people dialed the 511 number more often than the seven-digit alternative, and also that cities which used it had less traffic problems than those who did not. Its use is being promoted by the US Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transport Systems initative.
In addition to phone service, travelers in the San Francisco Bay Area can access transit information on a website named 511.org. 511.org provides information on mass transit schedules and an interactive trip planner which will provide an optimal routing between given an origin, destination, and optional time constraints. In addition, 511.org provides information on bicycling, ridesharing, and the toll road system Fastrak. 511.org is a service of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and was designed by the transportation engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff, Farradyne [1] (http://www.pbfarradyne.com).
The number is not yet assigned by the CRTC in Canada, but in January 2005 the Intelligent Transportation Systems Society of Canada (ITS Canada) consortium filed an application to do so. It proposed that in addition to traffic, the number would report weather, which also has a major impact on traffic, particularly in a country with such harsh winters.
External link
- 511.org, Transit Information for the San Francisco Bay Area
- US Department of Transportation 511 website (http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511.htm), a source of official information
- 511 Deployment Coalition (http://www.deploy511.org/index.htm), a 511 advocacy group
- 511canada.ca (http://www.511canada.ca)
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