Real-Time Traffic Info Gets You Past Jams

Traffic on the Line

Meanwhile, similar traffic-reporting technology has be--gun to emerge on cell phones. For example, the VZ Navigator GPS service from Verizon Wireless is available for an extra monthly fee on some Verizon handsets. In addition to supplying basic turn-by-turn directions on a street map, VZ Navigator simultaneously transmits your location (not your speed or other details) to an Internet service such as Traffic.com to give you a look at the road conditions ahead.

Tracking by Cell

Whether you know it or not, your cell phone already may be helping to track real-time traffic. Atlanta-based IntelliOne provides roadway speed data by anonymously triangulating the location of phones as they pass between cell-network towers. Since they are in constant communication to main-tain their signals, cell phones in moving vehicles can provide accurate data on just how fast traffic is moving. Intelli-One's TrafficAid service combines this information with GPS data to more precisely gauge traffic flow. It will be available in 20 cities in March, and nationwide by late summer; the beta version is available in a few markets now.

Dash has a head start in the race to offer motorists real-time traffic reports because of its integrated, bidirectional Wi-Fi and cellular technology. According to Klein, Dash Express will cost around $600 to $800 for the product, plus a monthly fee of about $10 to $15 for the traffic data (after an introductory trial period). At first the device will be available only in California, but the vendor plans a nationwide rollout for this summer.

Michael S. Lasky