Editor’s note: Writing today’s Skinny and filling in for LTW Editor Rick Smith this week is Noah Garrett. You can reach Noah directly at noah@thinkngc.com.
Are you ready for back-to-school? Better yet, are you ready for back-to-school traffic?
I am a huge fan of ideas that make me go, “dang, why didn’t I think of that?” Today, as I fill in once again for WRAL LTW Editor Rick Smith, I found an interesting idea to battle the school commute blues.
Traffic.com might just become the next great resource for parents on the go. This online traffic solution created by Chicago-based NAVTEQ is helping parents this back-to-school season with traffic tools that make it easy to drop off the kids at school and get to work on time.
In addition to packing lunches and loading backpacks, a visit to Traffic.com provides valuable insights into roadway conditions that can impact the daily carpool and school bus pick-up. From the shortest routes to accident and construction locations and real-time information on delays, Traffic.com may just be the top traffic-only website for online and mobile traffic information in the country.
"Remember, taking one minute to check Traffic.com before you get in the car can save precious time sitting in traffic," says Alex Wiegand, vice president, NAVTEQ. "Plan carefully, and back-to-school driving can be quicker, easier and stress-free."
For any on-the-go parent getting kids to school, real-time traffic and traffic alerts can become a daily must-have.
Utilize these Traffic.com solutions to obtain the latest traffic information:
1. Call 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232), a free automated voice hotline for speed dial access to roadway updates.
2. Connect to http://mobi.traffic.com, a free wireless Web site for mobile traffic hotspot reports.
3. Text your CITY CODE (NY, CHIC, PHL, LA, etc.) to TRAFC (87232) to get instant traffic updates for the worst city area delays. Traffic.com city codes can be found at http://help.traffic.com/city-codes-used-for-sms.
4. Download Traffic.com2GO to bring accurate, real-time traffic reporting to your cell phone.
Local schools are back in session, so please drive accordingly. Thought this might help some of you adjusting back to school schedules this week.
Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.
This blog post is closed for comments.