The Federal Highway Administration has announced the first winners of its new national awards for traffic information websites
: the Houston TranStar website; Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) website in Hanover, Md.; and the Virginia Department of Transportation traffic information website.
FHWA officials recognized the websites during the board of directors meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Sunday.
The selections were made after a national review of 102 traveler information websites, covering both content and usability of the sites. The content was evaluated on whether sites presented information on current conditions, incidents, construction notices, high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, tolls, and the extent to which other useful information and links were provided. Usability criteria addressed factors such as the organization of information on the site, navigation through the site, and the ways in which information is described to the users.
Houston TranStar (http://traffic.tamu.edu/) is a consortium of agencies in the greater Houston area. The Texas Department of Transportation, working with the Texas Transportation Institute, sponsors the website. It provides information and links related to most modes of transportation, emergency preparedness, and environmental issues. It incorporates a continuous improvement process into its website development, with changes or enhancements made every two to three months. It also adapts useful products from other websites. TranStar plans to look at the feasibility of making information from the site available on cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
CHART (www.chart.state.md.us/travinfo/travinfo.asp), developed by the Maryland State Highway Administration, presents comprehensive, real-time information for travelers in Maryland. The CHART website builds upon transportation projects in Maryland, which similarly consider how information may be presented on the website. For example, a dynamic message sign alert would be formatted simultaneously for the sign and for the website.
The VDOT traffic information website (www.vdot.state.va.us/traf/traf.html) uses a simple design that gives users easy access to current traffic conditions and alerts and other timely information. VDOT integrated information that was already being provided made it look similar to the original product, and organized it to be easy for the user to access needed information quickly. At the beginning of the website development process, potential users were asked what they wanted. After the site debuted, VDOT did testing to find out if it worked well for commuters and if they got what they expected. VDOT is continuing its user-oriented approach with plans to enable personalization, such as choosing a regional home page or customized information.