Document text
Traffic reports by bus Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Rogue Valley Transit driver Jim Sunseri says he has practiced sending in traffic reports over his radio. RVTD will begin reporting traffic conditions to the media in January. In January, RVTD will start providing free updates to radio and TV stations By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Combine a slew of upcoming road projects with a fast-growing community and you've got big traffic jams waiting to happen. To unsnarl tie-ups before they start and soothe the savage road rager, the valley's bus agency will begin daily traffic updates through local radio and television stations beginning in January. "And not from a helicopter," quipped Andreas Paulsen, planning technician for the Rogue Valley Transportation District. "We're not in an economic situation where we could buy a helicopter." "Nor would we want to," added RVTD senior planner Scott Chancey. While local motorists are capable of getting through their day without a helicopter service to assist them, both men agree that Southern Oregon has grown large enough to benefit from daily traffic tips. "There's definitely a need," said Paulsen. "This is a growing area; you can't say it isn't." At any given time, Paulsen said, RVTD has 17 buses cruising eight routes through Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford, Central Point and White City. Paulsen said those bus drivers will relay traffic information over the radio to the Medford transfer station. Those reports will be sent to participating news and radio stations several times a day via the Internet, free of charge. Chancey said the daily reports won't cost RVTD any money, just a little manpower and time. "It's a public service," he added. In addition to flow of traffic along Medford's congested streets, Interstate 5 and Highway 99, anticipated updates will provide information about traffic accidents, tie-ups and weather. Chancey said perhaps the most important part of the daily tips will be updates of construction projects and their delays. "We've got nine years of continuous construction projects," Chancey said of the state's plans to overhaul the north Medford and Phoenix interchanges, build a new interchange in south Medford, and resurface I-5. "All these upcoming projects are going to cause a disruption." He also points to the Oregon Department of Transportation's plan to resurface and upgrade the viaduct. Chancey said that project will significantly slow interstate traffic and transfer an additional 20,000 vehicles into Medford's city streets. Statistics show 40 percent of the viaduct's traffic is local. Paulsen said current and anticipated growth in the region also warrants the need for daily traffic condition reports. Population projections based on the 2000 census estimate Jackson County will have 303,000 people by 2050, a 67 percent increase over the current population of 181,000. Medford is projected to increase 76 percent from an existing 63,154 residents to 111,068. Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.