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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Editorial: Get Going On Road Hot Line

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    The state Department of Transportation's second-generation Web site, nmroads.com, is an improvement over the first. Travelers should consult it as they plan trips, then pull it up just before leaving. But for everybody without an Internet connection in the car— in other words, for just about everybody— its utility ends once you hit the road.
    Just about everybody with a cell phone— in other words, just about everybody— does have a mobile communications link. Back in 2001, state officials seemed to realize that, joining a consortium of six other states to develop a 511 telephone service to provide road-condition updates on the go. Better yet, it would be about as seamless crossing over state lines as the highway blacktop.
    Since then, more than 30 states including all those west of the Mississippi and north of New Mexico have adopted the system. Road hot lines that have converted from 800 numbers to the three-digit 511 have seen call volume rise by 300 percent to 500 percent, while users' on-time performance has improved from 5 percent to 16 percent.
    But after years of effort and $850,000, New Mexico is not part of that success story. Transportation officials decided in September to stick with the less-expensive, less-capable 800 number and the Web site the department calls a stop-gap measure.
    But the time and $850,000 spent trying to get on the 511 bandwagon wasn't wasted, according to Robert Ortiz, deputy transportation secretary for highway operations. The agency is now better prepared to forge ahead with new technology, he says.
    Let's hope it's technology that makes sense for people behind the wheel. And that it gets here before the next big blizzard.