Customizing a 511 for the Monterey Bay Area

The beauty of 511 systems is that they can be tailored to meet the needs of travelers in a specific area. While we won’t know the specifics of the best system for our region until our study is completed, here are a few examples of how a 511 might play out in the Monterey Bay Area.

Commuters: The thousands of commuters who travel on Highways 101, 68 or 17 to their jobs each day could find out about real-time travel conditions such as traffic incidents, backups or delays and current weather conditions. Travelers could then choose to delay their trip, take an alternate route, call ahead if they are going to be late or simply work from home.

Agriculture: Targeted information including detours, alternate truck routes, bridge heights and weigh stations could help truckers streamline their freight deliveries and get perishable cargo to its destination fresh and on time.

Visitors: Either before starting out or en-route, a tourist could potentially find information about parking availability, shuttle or bicycle options that could enhance their travel experience in the Monterey Bay Area.

Centralized Options: Information on all modes including bicycling, walking, riding the bus or carpooling, could be found in one location, allowing people to truly consider their travel choices.