Drats!
It’s pouring down rain again and you forgot to look at the state’s traffic Web site to see how horrible things are out there.
Never fear. Now you can confirm your nightmare by dialing 511.
The new service from the state Department of Transportation allows you to hear an abbreviated rendition of what you would get by checking the state’s traffic Web sites.
Not many people know about 511 yet, but it is becoming more popular, said Eldon Jacobson, 511 project manager for the Transportation Department.
“People like to know what’s ahead of them, especially in bad weather,” Jacobson said.
He said the line was called 60,000 times in October, and most phone companies in the state offer the service.
Unlike calling 911 for emergencies, you can call 511 just to get familiar with the service. It’s a lot easier to use it after you try it out once or twice.
When I tried it for the first time, a friendly voice gave me a menu of options to choose from. If I wanted help with ferry schedules, I had to say “ferries” and a soothing computer-synthesized voice responded.
Or I could ask about road construction, mountain passes or other road issues.
When I tried, the soothing voice didn’t always hear me correctly. I heard a soothing “Sorry, I didn’t get that” quite a bit when I called on my cell phone. Then I was soothingly, unceremoniously disconnected after the voice didn’t understand me the second time. Apparently, robots don’t have a lot of patience.
Jacobson said the voice-activated menu was selected when the 511 service rolled out more than a year ago so drivers wouldn’t be distracted punching cell phone buttons.
But traffic noise, shouting kids and blaring music proved to be too much for the sound-sensitive system. So the state recently added a touch-tone option that allows you to press keys until you get to the traffic report you want.
To switch from enunciating your words to keypad numbers, press the pound key.
Personally, I think it’s more fun to play with the machine, especially when I have nothing better to do than stare at the blurry taillights of traffic parked 2 feet in front of me.
Now, imagine a soothing robot voice saying: For more info on 511, go to www.wsdot.wa. gov/traffic/511. You can also get traffic updates at www.wsdot. wa.gov/traffic/seattle.
School bus rules
Question: I drive 164th Street, Highway 527 and 128th Street – all major roads where school buses stop to pick up and drop off children. The red stop signs and flashing lights tell all traffic to stop, but often the oncoming traffic does not.
Isn’t it illegal for the oncoming traffic to not stop even if the school bus is four lanes away?
Doug Beyerlein, Mill Creek
Answer: If the road is two lanes and divided (such as with a raised median), or three or more lanes, a vehicle approaching a stopped school bus in the opposite direction need not stop.
Jim Bloodgood, traffic engineer, Snohomish County Public Works Department
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
