5-1-1 is a transportation and traffic information telephone hotline in some regions of the United States and Canada. Travelers can dial 511, a three-digit telephone number, on landlines and most mobile phones. The number has also extended to be the default name of many state and provincial transportation department road conditions Web sites, such as Wisconsin's site. [1] It is an example of an N11 code, part of the North American Numbering Plan.
5-1-1 services in the United States are organized by state or region. Some 5-1-1 services are limited to information for drivers regarding road conditions and traffic. Other services have a wider scope, also providing information on public transport, carpooling and other services.
Beginning as a research project at the University of North Dakota in the Summer 1995, an Advanced Traveler Information System, known by its phone number #SAFE (#7233). This initial system provided the proof of concept for a statewide application across both North and South Dakota, and later Minnesota. This system proved that all interstates, and state highways, could be covered and information about these roadways could be provided to travelers on demand 24/7. After more than 5 years of around the clock operations, the principles that established the operational and business rules of the #SAFE program were adopted by the FHWA as the initial guidelines of what was to later become 5-1-1.
In March 1998, a 3-digit dialing code was launched in the Cincinnati–Northern Kentucky metropolitan area for the ARTIMIS project. The SmarTraveler service, operated by SmartRoute Systems for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet since 1995, had been using a 7-digit code (333-3333) which was available to landline phones in both Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area codes, but cellular callers had to dial a separate code (*1) to access the same touch-tone traffic system. SmartRoute Systems and KYTC negotiated with the two active cellular carriers and Cincinnati Bell and reached an agreement on allowing a 3-digit code "2-1-1" (a number agreed by the carriers), making this the "first in the nation". [2] This implementation was seen as proof that wireless carriers could implement short-codes without a * or # prefix requirement, and led to a series of discussions with the USDOT and the FCC pushing the carriers to release the number (which they viewed as precious internal resources).
On October 2, 1996, Eli Sherer of SmartRoute Systems, along with representatives from ITS America, the USDOT Joint Program Office, and others met with the FCC [3] regarding the possibility of reserving an N11 number nationwide for Advanced Traveler Information Systems. This meeting led to further discussions at ITS America and USDOT, and the information provided was used and molded into the USDOT petition to the FCC for a 3-digit code for ATIS. The USDOT petition (as noted below) did NOT request a specific N11 number; When the FCC ruling was made on July 21, 2001, the 511 code was "ASSIGNED as a national abbreviated dialing code to be used exclusively for access to travel information services," and at the same time, the 211 code was "ASSIGNED as a national abbreviated dialing code to be used to access community information and referral services." Therefore, the 211 code that had been in use in Cincinnati since 1998 was changed to 511.
As of March 2001, at least 300 telephone numbers existed for travel information systems in the United States. To overcome the confusion caused by this array of numbers, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a national assignment of a single three-digit N11 dialing code. On July 21, 2000, the FCC assigned 511 as a nationwide telephone number for intelligent transportation system (ITS) traveler information, [4] along with 2-1-1 for social services. Its use is being promoted by the USDOT's ITS initiative. [5]
"On March 8, 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to designate a nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler information.
On July 21, 2000, the FCC designated 511 as the United States' national travel information telephone number." [6]
The first 511 traveler information system to launch was the Cincinnati area's ARTIMIS hotline in June 2001. [7]
The first statewide 511 traveler information system was launched across the state of Nebraska in October 2001. [8]
Eight states, from Alaska to Maine, pooled resources and expertise to develop the 511 voice-activated phone service for travelers. Led by the Iowa DOT, the multi-state consortium received $700,000 from the Federal Highway Administration to help pay for system design and software development. Each state also provided a 20 percent matching fund, boosting total funds to nearly $900,000. In addition to Iowa, the participating states in the consortium (as of 2011) are Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and Vermont.
Individual states have the lead role in coordinating 511 deployments. National leadership is provided by the 511 Deployment Coalition. [9] Led by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and including travel information experts from more than 30 organizations, the Coalition has developed voluntary guidelines for state transportation agencies to follow when planning 511 service for their states or regions. Other leading member organizations of the Coalition include the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Active 511 systems (in order of deployment date)[ citation needed ] as of January 31, 2010:
Preceded, in 1996, by TravInfo [11] [12] and 817-1717, [13] [14] [15] [16] travelers in the San Francisco Bay Area can use the 5-1-1 phone service, access transit and traffic information on a Web site, 511.org, which provides information on mass transit schedules and an interactive trip planner, which will provide an optimal routing between a given origin, destination, and optional time constraints. In addition, 511.org provides information on bicycling, ridesharing, and the toll road system FasTrak. 511.org [17] is a service of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, [18] and was designed by the transportation engineering company PB Farradyne, [19] a division of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, [18] (later Telvent Farradyne). [20] The system had a fair amount of controversy when it was announced that it would use FasTrak electronic toll tags to track vehicles as they traversed Bay Area freeways. [21] 511 has since stopped using FasTrak toll tag data to provide driving times. [22] Driving times are now derived from GPS probe vehicle-based traffic speed data that 511 purchases from INRIX, Inc. [23]
In 2006, the Bay Area's transit coordinator signed an $11 million four-year contract with defense contractor Science Applications International Corporation to operate the local 511 system. [24]
Users of the San Diego area have access to road, transit, and other information via the phone and Web. They can access transit information on a Web site, [25] which provides information on mass transit schedules and an interactive trip planner, which will provide an optimal routing between a given origin, destination, and optional time constraints. In addition, 511sd.com provides information on bicycling, ridesharing, and the toll road system Fastrak. 511sd.com is a service of the San Diego Association of Governments, and was designed by the company ICx Technologies and PB Farradyne (now Telvent Farradyne). [20]
Florida has an active 511 system that underwent an overhaul in 2009. Central Florida is claimed to have the most-used 511 system in the nation, on a per capita basis. [26]
This statewide Georgia Navigator system provides traffic, MARTA/GRTA and other public transport, rideshare, Clean Air Campaign, Atlanta and Savannah airport, Amtrak, Greyhound, weather and tourism information in an interactive voice response (IVR) format. Callers are also given the option of connecting to live operators at the Georgia Department of Transportation's Transportation Management Center in Atlanta. Connecting to operators allows users to report traffic accidents to the Georgia State Patrol or local police or sheriffs, or request motorist assistance from the Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) program. Callers can also connect to adjacent states' 5-1-1 systems, including North Carolina's.
In January 2011, the Georgia Department of Transportation launched a mobile application on the iPhone platform to provide iPhone users with a mobile option for up to the minute traffic information found on the website. The application also provides special offers and other information about businesses and organizations who participate in the program.
Georgia actually had a system for years before this, using only live operators, and the code *DOT (*368), which could not necessarily be used by those mobile phone users who were roaming from elsewhere, as these codes are specific to each phone company. A local 404 number in metro Atlanta and a toll-free 800 number were used for these and landline calls, and still serve as backup for mobile providers that fail to connect. [27]
In Kentucky, 511 services cover traffic and weather conditions, and can also be heard on the radio on the AM dial (the Travelers' Information Station) and at 511.ky.gov. [28]
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has implemented a service that helps commuters and travelers access information regarding weather-related road conditions, construction and congestion, via the Web or mobile device 24/7. The site can be found at ww38.511nh.com. New Hampshire is part of an 8-state consortium that is sharing the cost to design and develop the system. [29]
511 New York is established and administered by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Basic service was launched in the New York City metropolitan area in late 2008. Statewide coverage and more sophisticated services will be added throughout 2009. 511 NY – "Get Connected to Go" is the umbrella brand of The New York State Department of Transportation for traffic, transit and travel information. The 511 New York theme line is: Get Connected to Go. The tag line is: New York State's Official Traffic and Travel Info Source. The credit line is: A Free Service of the New York State Department of Transportation.
In the New York metropolitan area 5-1-1 provides information on bus, subway, and commuter rail mass transit systems in addition to road conditions and traffic information.
Pennsylvania's statewide 511 launched on September 1, 2009. The system provides up to date information on all the states interstate highways. [30]
Implemented in August 2006, Tennessee travelers have the option of accessing road and travel conditions at TN511.com [31] or through the 511 phone service.
The FCC designated 511 as the national traveler information number. Virginia's 511 system began in the Shenandoah Valley in 2000 and went statewide in early 2005. [32] Currently both the 511virginia.org website and calling 511 from any land line or mobile phone provides statewide travelling information. Alternatively, there is now a 511 VDOT app for iOS and Android devices.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation's (WVDOT) free 511 Traveler Information System provides real-time traffic information, including congestion, construction, lane closures, road conditions and severe weather information on all West Virginia interstates and other major highways. The resource is available 24 hours a day via phone by dialing 511 or online at WV511.org. WV 511 advisories also are available from the WV 511 Drive Safe mobile app and via statewide, regional and roadway-specific Twitter feeds. The public safety alerts (such as Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts) carried on 511 are voluntary, cooperative partnerships among law enforcement, WVDOT, other agencies and local broadcasters. WVDOT uses overhead electronic message signs and 511 to get public safety alerts out to the public. 511 was implemented in West Virginia in 2012. [33]
In the summer of 2007, the original vendor was removed and services were redesigned and improved using Meridian Environmental Technology. [34] The effort to redesign and improve service undertaken summer of 2007 to revamp WYDOT's 511 Travel Information telephone service is paying benefits this winter, based on recent customer feedback. [35]
Some of the additional features are:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation operates a website for traffic and road condition information.
The Washington State Department of Transportation launched the state's 511 service in July 2003. [36] On April 24, 2023, the WSDOT announced that it would deactivate the 511 telephone number within the state on May 19 of that year, citing declining usage (attributed to the use of smartphones and GPS navigation), old technology, and cost. [37] [38]
The Intelligent Transportation Systems Society of Canada (ITS Canada) has brought together a consortium, the Canada 511 Consortium, [39] to help get 5-1-1 service established in Canada.
In January 2005, the consortium filed an application to assign the 5-1-1 access code in Canada. 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. The application was approved by the CRTC in Canada on July 28, 2006. [40] [41]
In March 2007, an article in Computing Canada said it was up to each individual province whether or not to launch a 5-1-1 system, but that not all provinces were eager to proceed. [42]
In May 2008, an article in IT World Canada claimed that the 5-1-1 initiative "appears to have lost momentum". [43]
British Columbia began loose implementation of 5-1-1 service in late 2009/early 2010. This replaced the interim mobile service provided by *4997 (*HWYS) which had been in place on Rogers, Telus Mobility and Bell Mobility. BC 5-1-1 service was available to Telus, Telus Mobility and Telus MiKE clients as of 2010. Full service NOT utilizing 5-1-1 is available via DriveBC (a government website/phone line) at www.drivebc.ca or by phone across North America at 1-800-550-4997 (HWYS).
Alberta unveiled its 5-1-1 road report service on February 4, 2013. [44]
In Saskatchewan 5-1-1 redirects to 888-335-7623 which is the Highways Hotline, a Provincial phone information system with highway weather and impassibility information. The Implementation date is Unknown.
Alberta, [45] Manitoba, [46] Ontario, [47] [48] [49] Quebec, [47] New Brunswick, [50] Nova Scotia, [51] Prince Edward Island [52] and the Yukon Territory [53] each have 5-1-1 systems. Most provinces and territories without 5-1-1 systems have other road information hotlines, accessible by dialing various phone numbers. [54]
A country code is a short alphanumeric identification code for countries and dependent areas. Its primary use is in data processing and communications. Several identification systems have been developed.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for voice calls for the delivery of voice communication sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet.
911, sometimes written 9-1-1, is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mexico, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency numbers around the world, this number is only intended for use in emergency circumstances. Using it for any other purpose is a crime in most jurisdictions. Penalties for abuse or misuse of 911 can range from probation or community service to fines and jail time. Offenders can also be ordered to undergo counseling and have their use of telephones restricted or suspended for a period time as a condition of probation.
Enhanced 911 is a system used in North America to automatically provide the caller's location to 911 dispatchers. 911 is the universal emergency telephone number in the region. In the European Union, a similar system exists known as E112 and known as eCall when called by a vehicle.
An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit.
Caller identification is a telephone service, available in analog and digital telephone systems, including voice over IP (VoIP), that transmits a caller's telephone number to the called party's telephone equipment when the call is being set up. The caller ID service may include the transmission of a name associated with the calling telephone number, in a service called Calling Name Presentation (CNAM). The service was first defined in 1993 in International Telecommunication Union – Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Recommendation Q.731.3.
An interexchange carrier (IXC), in U.S. legal and regulatory terminology, is a type of telecommunication company, commonly called a long-distance telephone company. It is defined as any carrier that provides services across multiple local access and transport areas (interLATA). Calls made on telephone circuits within the local geographic area covered by one local network are handled only by that intraLATA carrier, commonly called a local telephone exchange carrier. Local calls are usually defined by connections made without additional charge whether the connected call is in the same LATA or connects to another LATA with no charge. IntraLATA usually refers to rated or toll calls between LATA within state boundaries, as opposed to interstate, or calls between LATAs in different states.
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the telephone country code 1. Some North American countries, most notably Mexico, do not participate with the NANP.
2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number reserved in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) as an easy-to-remember three-digit code to reach information and referral services to health, human, and social service organizations.
An N11 code is a three-digit dialing code used in abbreviated dialing in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The mnemonic N stands for the digits 2 through 9 and thus the syntax stands for the codes 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, 811, and 911. These dialing codes provide access to special local services, such as 911 for emergency services, which is a facility mandated by law in the United States.
A travelers' information station (TIS), also called highway advisory radio (HAR) by the United States Department of Transportation, is a licensed low-powered non-commercial radio station, used to broadcast information to the general public, including for motorists regarding travel, destinations of interest, and situations of imminent danger and emergencies. They are commonly operated by transportation departments, national and local parks departments and historic sites, airport authorities, local governments, federal agencies, colleges and universities, hospitals and health agencies, and for special events and destinations.
Telephone numbers in Hong Kong are mostly eight-digit. Fixed land line numbers start with 2 or 3, mobile (cellular) phone numbers with 5, 6, 7 or 9, pager numbers with 7 and forwarding service with 8. Since the end of 1989, there have been no area codes within Hong Kong.
Telephone number pooling, thousands-block number pooling, or just number pooling, is a method of allocating telephony numbering space of the North American Numbering Plan in the United States. The method allocates telephone numbers in blocks of 1,000 consecutive numbers of a given central office code to telephony service providers. In the United States it replaced the practice of allocating all 10,000 numbers of a central office prefix at a time. Under number pooling, the entire prefix is assigned to a rate center, to be shared among all providers delivering services in that rate center. Number pooling reduced the quantity of unused telephone numbers in markets which have been fragmented between multiple service providers, avoided central office prefix exhaustion in high growth areas, and extended the lifetime of the North American telephone numbering plan without structure changes of telephone numbers. Telephone number pooling was first tested for area code 847 in Illinois in June 1998, and became national policy in a series of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) orders from 2000 to 2003.
Abbreviated dialing is the use of a very short digit sequence to reach specific telephone numbers, such as those of public services. The purpose of such numbers is to be universal, short, and easy to remember. Typically they are two or three digits.
A traffic camera is a video camera which observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, traffic cameras are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, expressways and arterial roads, and are connected by optical fibers buried alongside or under the road, with electricity provided either by mains power in urban areas, or by solar panels or other alternative power sources which provide consistent imagery without the threat of power outages.
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state mode responsible for maintaining Maryland's numbered highways outside Baltimore. Formed originally under authority of the General Assembly of Maryland in 1908 as the State Roads Commission (SRC), under the direction of the executive branch of state government headed by the governor of Maryland, it is tasked with maintaining non-tolled/free bridges throughout the state, removing snow from the state's major thoroughfares, administering the state's "adopt-a-highway" program, and both developing and maintaining the state's freeway/expressway system. Since the reorganization of the several commissions, bureaus, boards, and assorted minor agencies with departments of the executive branch and establishment of the governor's cabinet in the early 1970s following the adoption of several individual reorganization recommendations after the rejection by the voters in a November 1968 referendum of the 1968 proposed overall new state constitution prepared by the 1967–1968 Constitutional Convention. It is now a division of the larger establishment of the Maryland Department of Transportation and is currently overseen by an administrator.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and public aviation programs. ODOT is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly, under the direction of Michael Massa, ODOT initiated a series of interstate-based Travel Information Centers, which were later transferred to local sectors. The Director of Transportation is part of the Governor's Cabinet.
A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices for data transmission via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or other public and private networks.
Toll-free telephone numbers in the North American Numbering Plan have the area code prefix 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888. Additionally, area codes 822, 880 through 887, and 889 are reserved for toll-free use in the future. 811 is excluded because it is a special dialing code in the group NXX for various other purposes.
An Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS) is any system that acquires, analyzes, and presents information to assist surface transportation travellers in moving from a starting location (origin) to their desired destination. An ATIS may operate through information supplied entirely within the vehicle or it can also use data supplied by the traffic management centres. Relevant information may include locations of incidents, weather and road conditions, optimal routes, recommended speeds, and lane restrictions, all part of the Intelligent transportation system or ITS.
International City/County Management Association
In the Bay Area and Tri-Valley Area, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency, and hence, is the agency that will be implementing 511.
The TravInfo freeway monitoring system collects and distributes instantaneous traffic information for highways around the Bay Area. PHONE: 817-1717 (from any area code).
PB Farradyne reached an agreement with the Oakland-based Metropolitan Transportation Commission to operate and eventually expand Trav-Info, a real-time traffic and transit information source. PB Farradyne is a division of New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc., the nation's largest transportation design firm. ...The MTC, which handles transportation planning and financing for the nine-county Bay Area, established TravInfo in 1996 along with the California Department of Transportation and the California Highway Patrol. ...Michael Berman, MTC's TravInfo project manager...
Metropolitan Transportation Commission; California Highway Patrol; Caltrans; PB Farradyne (PBF) is a division of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas;
ITS Canada has initiated an effort to establish the 511 telephone number as an automated 'weather and traveller information service' number in Canada. ... ITS Canada has developed a 'Canada 511 Consortium'... .
That's because, while Environment Canada is spearheading the weather information service, the other portion is the responsibility of the provinces, not all of whom have the same interest in (or resources to participate in) the project. And that, say experts, could leave a good part of the undertaking in the ditch.
But the initiative appears to have lost momentum.
Alberta's provincial government is set to unveil its new 511 road report service on Monday.
511 is a quick way to contact the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. From this line, you can obtain traffic, weather and road condition reports across the province.
5-1-1 is a free service that allows callers to find out about road conditions, report transportation incidents, make comments or complaints, and obtain other general information pertaining to transportation. 5-1-1 is available in Ontario and Quebec and is intended for non-emergency inquiries.Click either of the "Available services" tabs to see the original quoted text.
Ontario 511 is an Ontario Ministry of Transportation telephone service that provides the public with voice-activated, hands-free information on provincial highways: Road closures, Winter road conditions, and Construction projects
For Road Conditions Dial 511 within New Brunswick
Dial 511 from any touch-tone phone in the Yukon for the current road report
This list below provides phone number and Web site information by state for road conditions and road construction forecasts in the United States and Canada.