If you’re not using radio traffic reports, why not?
I’m not afraid to ask for help. I think it’s a sign of strength actually. If you’re struggling, why get frustrated when you know there’s help out there? It falls under the “work smarter, not harder” mentality. Kind of a life lesson, huh? I take that same advice each morning and evening as I head to work and head home from work. I get help from my GPS and from the traffic reports from radio stations.
I trust the local traffic reports on the radio. The key is to find the radio station that is detailed enough to not just tell you volume is picking up, but to also let you know alternative routes available that may be flowing better. I’ve listened to a radio station that, although is more local, it doesn’t really help drivers with their local commute. They were only saying volume was picking up. It wasn’t detailed enough to where the volume was picking up or why traffic was slow. Rather disappointing actually. I’ve now chosen a station that provides regular updates to help keep drivers informed.
Recently the traffic reports stated there was a major slowdown on the route I normally use to get to work because of a couple of collisions in the same area. I travel almost 100 km’s each way to work and home. The radio DJ gave a few suggested routes as alternatives and I still got to work on time. It suggested when to get off the expressway and when to get back on to avoid the collision scenes. It was more helpful that just saying “higher than normal volume” as other stations have done. It worked perfectly.
As an alternative to traffic reports, there are electronics that can help you during your quest to reach work/home in a timely manner during rush hour traffic. I also have a GPS that speaks and will offer alternative routes if traffic is slowing down. I find the alternatives can be a little premature or misleading at times. Because the traffic flow fluctuates, it sometimes shows the estimated time of arrival (ETA) to be later than it would normally be, but as I get closer to my destination, it shows my ETA to be back to normal. It’s tough to trust it at times.
Other alternatives to the traffic reports are apps for your smartphone. The difficulty of using aps on the smartphone is the screen is often smaller than a GPS and you have to take your attention away from the driving task too long. If you’re stopped in traffic, it works well as you have more time to look at the screen. Too many glances at the app on your phone will add to distracted driving and we done need that!
I’m also a fan of Twitter and follow a few traffic reporters and radio station accounts. They give me an idea of the traffic before I leave the house in the morning or the office at the end of the day. Again, I’m letting others do the work for me so my commute can be a little less stressful.
Overall, I’m still a fan of the traffic reports on the radio. It lets me focus on driving, which is my main job during my daily commute. I’ll just do what the traffic DJ tells me to do.