New SpeedInfo Sensors Installed on Highway 101 Extends Real-Time Traveler Information

SAN JOSE, Calif. January 26, 2009:The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), working in partnership with the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and Caltrans have installed an additional 30 SpeedInfo solar-powered Doppler radar sensors along 25 miles of busy Highway 101 from Goleta to the Ventura County line. This latest installment of sensors adds to the existing Ventura County network that provides coverage for over 150 miles of roadways in the region. Real-time traffic information provided by these sensors will feed into the Greater Los Angeles Area’s 511Traveler Information System currently under development. With this installation, drivers from Goleta through Los Angeles will have the most accurate and up-to-the-minute traffic information available.

“We have continued to deploy SpeedInfo sensors over the last year to cover Highway 101 the entire distance from Goleta to the Los Angeles County line, an essential but especially congested route for business and recreational travelers,” said Steve DeGeorge, VCTC’s Director of Technology. Mr. DeGeorge also notes that, “With the SpeedInfo solution, we have gained an important asset that gives our transportation agencies a data tool for improved visibility to real-time conditions, and the ability to generate highway performance profiles to identify and address specific congestion areas along our busy traffic corridors.”

“We observed the effectiveness of SpeedInfo’s system for providing highly-accurate, real-time traffic information from the Ventura County deployment earlier this year and determined the solution would help the Santa Barbara area as well,” added Fred Luna, Program Manager at SBCAG. “As an important business and tourist destination, we are eager to employ the latest technology to give people critical traffic information and ensure our roads are as free of congestion as possible.

“We are pleased to expand our partnership with VCTC, SBCAG and Caltrans to support their mission of improving safety and mobility for travelers in the region,” said Doug Finlay, CEO for SpeedInfo.

How SpeedInfo’s Technology Works

SpeedInfo sensors update real-time traffic systems with speeds every minute and are located approximately every mile. Sensors forward data to the SpeedInfo Traffic Data Server via the AT&T Wireless^® data network with virtually no latency. SpeedInfo servers format the data for delivery to customers via the Internet. The data is available from SpeedInfo servers in a standard XML format, or if required, specialized formats. Unlike other solutions that are expensive, difficult to deploy, provide inaccurate data and/or are buried under the highway and destroyed when roads are repaved, SpeedInfo’s sensors install easily. Highway crews can cover as many as 15 miles of highway a day with no lane closures or disruption to traffic.