Say you're driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, looking forward to rest and relaxation after a long drive. Then, 20 miles before your exit, the right lane is blocked because of a fender-bender an hour before. Had you known, you would have left the Turnpike at the last exit and taken back roads to your destination.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission knows these situations are frustrating. It also realizes that a lot of drivers don't catch travel advisories on AM radio. Signs announcing upcoming obstacles can get lost among all the other billboards along the freeway. So right before Labor Day the commission released a free mobile application called TRIP Talk, which uses the mobile device's GPS signal to announce obstacles coming up on the road, from congestion to construction to car accidents.
“It'll tell you if there's something blocking the lanes or closing the road or slowing down traffic,” Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo says. Plus, it announces everything with audio so no one is forced to look at it while driving. So far more than 6,000 people have downloaded it on Apple or Android devices. Voicenet Communications, based in Philadelphia, developed the app, which works on all sections of the Turnpike.
DeFebo says the idea for the app came about because the commission wanted travelers to be able to calculate their tolls on their smart phones. That capability isn't available on TRIP Talk yet, but the plan is to add it. Other features will be added after the commission gets feedback from users.
Source: Carl DeFebo, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen