HOUSTON, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Tis' the season to imagine driving home
or to the office without sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. One local
television station here is doing its part to make that dream come true by
introducing the KHCW Traffic Jam Cell Cams -- a free mobile traffic service
helping local drivers to spot and avoid highway tie-ups.
KHCW-TV channel 39, the local CW network affiliate in Houston, is
launching the new advertising-supported service targeting the more than
2,000,000 daily commuters in the region. Commuters will now be able to view
traffic tie-ups on their mobile devices before leaving their home, office or
school, to help them plan the quickest and safest route.
'This is something that isn't dependent on having a morning news show to
offer traffic to commuters,' said Roger Bare, vice president and general
manager of KHCW-TV, Tribune Broadcasting Company, Houston. 'This service gives
people real-time traffic information anytime, anywhere and should prove to be
popular with local commuters.'
The service relies on more than 600 traffic cameras operated by Houston
TranStar. Houston TranStar is a collaboration between four government agencies
responsible for providing transportation management and emergency management
services to the greater Houston area.
Cameras are mounted along freeways, tollways and some major county
arterials in the region, which includes Harris, Galveston, Montgomery Fort
Bend, Brazoria and Waller counties. This area, with an estimated population of
5.16 million inhabitants and 4.3 million registered vehicles, encompasses
5,948 square miles. Each day, local vehicles travel more than 83.3 million
miles within the area.
'This new service supports our mission of enhancing transportation
services to taxpayers throughout the region,' said Dinah Massie Martinez,
public information officer, Houston TranStar. 'Drivers will be able to plan
the most time and fuel-efficient route to wherever they are going before ever
setting foot in their vehicles.'
3rd Dimension Inc., a New York-based mobile marketing and application
company developed the system technology.
