Health & Fitness
DOT Introduces Apps Featuring Traffic and Public Transportation Updates
The Connecticut DOT Website now has links to I-Phone and Android Smartphone Apps aimed to help travelers navigate traffic and construction on highways along with information on public transportation.
A series of smartphone apps are now being offered on the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) website.
“These apps give us another way to communicate with travelers and get them the best information quickly—they make government more accessible,” said DOT Commissioner James Redeker, according to the website. “Governor Malloy has been a strong advocate of using technology to make government less expensive and easier to navigate. For commuters who depend on the DOT for road and travel condition updates, this is another way that the DOT is improving responsiveness.”
The apps can be installed on a smartphone by visiting www.ct.gov/dot and scanning the Quick Read (QR) barcode graphic.
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Apps for I-Phone users include Google Maps, Connecticut Traffic Advisor, Connecticut Multi-Cam, Road Ahead, Inrix Traffic, iTrans Metro North, and Amtrak.
Google Maps is a free navigational program eliminating the need for paper maps.
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Connecticut Traffic Advisor is touted as “the #1 traffic app for Connecticut” with “up-to-the-minute accident reports and roadway and construction details” and sells for $2.99.
Connecticut Multi-Cam is advertised as the “fastest way to get to the traffic web cams that matter to you” and is on sale for $1.99.
Road Ahead is a free app that shows services available at upcoming exits on a highway while Inrix Traffic is touted as the “#1 free app that helps you avoid traffic and frustration”.
iTrans Metro North and Amtrak are free apps providing information on train schedules, station information, and service alerts.
Android users can also download Google Maps, Amtrak, and Inrix Traffic.
Additionally, they can download unique Android apps including HopStop, Right Track Metro North, Q-Ride, Tri-State Traffic Cameras, Traffic Smart USA, and Transit Eleven Three.
HopStop is a free public transit app with subway, bus, train, taxi, walking, and biking directions while Right Track Metro North provides information on the Metro North railroad.
Q-Ride has free information on Shoreline East and Amtrak schedules while Tri-State Traffic Cameras has live camera images in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Traffic Smart USA “adopts pioneering methods that enable you to easily figure out the most up-to-date traffic conditions of major roads and streets, highways, and freeways in over 100 cities and 30 states.”
The lite version is free while the regular version is $1.99 and the premiere version is $6.99
Transit Eleven Three offers free public transportation information, including bus and train, based on your location.
The Connecticut DOT is the first state agency to offer mobile phone apps.
The department reminds smartphone users to “never use any of these apps while driving. Stop at a rest area or hand your phone to a passenger and ask them to use the information provided by the app.”
