The Low-Tech Times

I am strongly against people using hand-held devices while driving. Besides besides being very dangerous to read while driving, Internet traffic reports can be inaccurate. I find that traffic reports received over the radio are more accurate than Internet sources.

Bad Data?

WTOP’s website has estimated delay times shown for Washington, DC area roads. This data provided by Smartroute Systems is not reliable in my opinion. On several occasions I checked the site prior to driving and took a particular route because the site showed just a 45 second delay, yet I found a severe backup.

On the plus side of modern technology, WTOP’s Custom Commute site allows you to see out through traffic cameras to get a real-time look at the conditions.

Good Old Radio

Instead of using the Internet, I prefer to get updated real-time reports while I am actually on the roads. This information can be used to reroute around problems. Traffic can be bad anytime, but the day before Thanksgiving is notoriously bad.

Guide to DC Traffic Reports

• WTOP 103.5 FM

  The best radio station for DC area traffic reports is WTOP at 103.5fm. Lisa Baden and others report traffic every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week “on the 8’s” (12:08, 12:18, 12:28, etc).

  Some people I’ve talked to find Lisa a bit annoying, but personally I appreciate her enthusiasm and sense of humor in the morning. Lisa Baden of WTOP is the queen of DC traffic reporting.

• WMAL AM 630

  Lately, WMAL 630 AM has been advertising “traffic first on the 5’s.” I suppose that’s true if you turn on your radio at 12:09, 12:10, 12:11, 12:12, 12:13, or 12:14…. but if you happen to turn it on at 12:16 or 12:17, then WTOP would actually have the report first. I actually like to listen to both reports back-to-back for a good one-two punch of two professional reports on current traffic conditions.

  The problem with WMAL is that they only maintain the every ten minutes traffic reporting during the AM rush hour. During the PM rush hour, they feature syndicated conservative talk show hosts and provide traffic reporting much less frequently.

Region Specific Traffic Reports

The problem with DC traffic (one of the worst traffic areas in the U.S.) is that there are so many delays, it is impossible to mention all of them in a short traffic report. Reporters must often leave some significant delays unmentioned to focus on the worst problems. Region specific stations can help because they always cover particular roads.

• 92.5 WINC FM

  92.5 WINC fm is a good station if you commute from the west. In addition to discussing Winchester area traffic (there hardly ever is any), the station always covers I-66 and the Dulles Greenway/Tollroad. Beverly Farmer does a great job here; I’ve also heard her occasionally working for WTOP.

• 93.3 WFLS FM

  Similarly, WFLS 93.3 fm is a Fredricksburg, VA station that always covers the I-95/395 route to and from DC.

Other Stations

Other stations (570 AM, 88.5, 94.7, 97.1, 98.7, 100.3, 101.1, 107.3, etc.) deliver quality traffic reports but I haven’t figured out their schedules enough to know when to expect them.

Constructive Criticism

Just mentioning a stretch of road that is backed up is not really enough information. Radio reports should mentioning the length of delay and/or adequately describe the situation to let listeners determine whether to reroute or not.