5-1-1, the DOT and the Ledger

Since Tom Feeney’s story on the N.J. Department of Transportation’s new 5-1-1 traffic information system appeared in the Star-Ledger on Election Day, you may have missed it. But Feeney deserves credit for providing New Jersey motorists with a valuable piece of information that the DOT apparently was sitting on.

The new system provides real-time information about accidents, construction delays and other incidents on highways throughout New Jersey. Although it’s fully operational, the DOT wasn’t planning to announce it until next spring, along with some other new projects designed to provide motorists with traffic information. That’s all well and good, but I think that those of us who struggle with New Jersey’s traffic congestion on a daily basis would rather know about a service that makes our lives easier NOW -- not when the DOT and a bunch of state officials decide to schedule a photo op to announce it next spring.

Kudos to Feeney for taking the initiative to report the story now and not wait for the official announcement from the DOT.