Avoiding spring break traffic on Florida's roads

Congestion on Interstate Highway 95
in Miami © 2009 George Leposky
 

With thousands of college students converging on Florida for spring break from now through April, traffic congestion on the state’s roads is likely – especially in popular resort areas.

That potential is especially great this week – March 8-14, 2009 – because it’s also spring break week at several Florida colleges and universities, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, the University of West Florida, Florida A & M University, and Palm Beach Community College.

To help travelers avoid such congestion, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) offers a free travel and traffic information system, available on the telephone by dialing 511, or online at FL511.com.

You can call 511 to connect to the free Florida system from anywhere in the state. The 511 system consists of the statewide system and five regional systems: Central Florida, Northeast Florida, Southwest Florida, South Florida and Tampa Bay. Calls to 511 are free from anywhere in Florida on land lines or cell phones, but minutes may apply on your cell phone.

For South Florida information

South Florida’s regional system is SunGuide Traveler Information.  It covers Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties, which you can access online through a link from FL511.com or directly at SouthFlorida511.com.

If you dial 511 from a South Florida location, the system will connect you directly with SunGuide. Elsewhere in the state, you’ll be connected to the system serving that location. Then you can tell a voice-activated computer what you want, and obtain it through a series of interactive menus. By saying “other parts of the state,” you can transfer to any regional system and check road conditions on a local roadway.   

I find the 511 phone system clunkier and less efficient than going online for the information, but it’s better than nothing if you’re in traffic with a cell phone but no computer.

“By learning about traffic conditions before traveling,” FDOT says in a news release, “drivers can make informed decisions to take an alternate route or change their departure time. By avoiding congestion, travelers do not waste time idling in stop-and-go traffic.”

“Traffic congestion can lead to accidents, which can lead to even more congestion,” says Lt. Col. Ernesto Duarte of the Florida Highway Patrol. “If drivers can use 511 to plan a better route, everyone wins.”

Of course, you may not be able to avoid congestion if where it’s happening is where you want to go  – but at least you’ll have some sense of why the congestion exists and how long it may delay you.

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