In an effort to improve public access to road monitoring and travel service, the province announced upgrades to the 511 Alberta road service Aug. 29. “Albertans will have a new way to check traffic and get home to their families faster,” said Minister of Transportation Brian Mason in a press release. “Companies will be better able to ensure the timely delivery of their goods and products.” The upgrades include voice recognition to allow hands-free access to the service, customization of the website and a new app to suit user’s needs, according to the press release. Users will now be able to specify which traffic routes they want to monitor and be able to set up voice alerts in advance for selected routes. The My511 app – available for Android and Apple smart phones – allows users to view traffic in real time, save favourite routes and receive real-time updates by text regarding construction and traffic delays, the release states. Drivers using the app can also report incidents they encounter while on their route. Visitors to the website – 511.alberta.ca – can check weather conditions from Environment Canada, view images from traffic cameras and plan a route to their destination. The user can also register to receive updates by text. “The new system is state-of-the-art and the RCMP is collaborating with the 511 team to explore ways in which it can leverage this technology to better inform the public, both for traffic safety purposes and in emerging events such as floods and wildfires,” said Alberta RCMP Traffic Services Superintendent Gary Graham. 511 Alberta launched in 2013 with a website and telephone service. It was the first road monitoring service in Canada to display real-time locations of snowplows contracted by the province, and was the first provincial system to recruit citizens to report road conditions in their local area. According to statistics released by the province in the Aug. 29 release, the telephone service has been accessed approximately 100,000 times each year since it was implemented. The release also states the website received 1.7 million unique visitors in 2017. More than 251 cameras across the province, including from the City of Calgary, the Town of Banff and Parks Canada, provide data for the service. More information about the service and the My511 app is available at 511.alberta.ca
