Web site tracks traffic woes for O'ahu drivers

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

Drivers trying to navigate through O'ahu's daily traffic snarls now have one more tool to help solve their problem: an up-to-the-minute Web site showing all reported accidents and other hazards.

"It's information that people might want to know as they plan any trip," said Gordon Lum, head of the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization.

And it's available to the public almost as soon as police know about it, said Capt. John Thompson, head of Honolulu Police Department's Information Technology section.

The site works like this:

As calls of any type come into HPD's computer-aided dispatch center, they are logged and classified by type. An automated filtering system screens out non-traffic-related issues and makes information about everything else available on the live-action Web site, which is updated every 30 seconds.

The site includes information on traffic accidents, stalled cars, roadside hazards and reports of dangerous drivers. It also has interactive filters to let people find information about traffic problems in only the areas they are interested in.

That means, for instance, that somebody could wake up in Kailua, check for problems on the Pali, Likelike or H-3 highways and plan their route accordingly.

"Or if you can access the site though a wireless device, you could check in from your car and find out why you are stalled in traffic somewhere," Thompson said.

The site was developed through the cooperative efforts of police and city's Office of Information Technology. Because most of the work was done in-house, officials managed to save almost all the expected $150,000 in start-up costs, Thompson said.

The city plans to add more information to the Web site in coming months, including a mapping feature that would show bottlenecked roadways.

"If you see something there, you'll have the ability to divert around it," Thompson said.

The new site is part of the growing field of intelligent transportation systems, which takes advantage of new technology to help keep traffic moving, Lum said.

"It's a major step, but there are a lot more things like this coming," he said.

Other ITS features showing up on Honolulu roads include those portable signs warning drivers of problems, a network of video cameras that let officials monitor roadways and dispatch help quickly, and a developing centralized traffic management center where traffic officials can keep traffic of the islandwide situation.

"Eventually the goal is to have one Web site where a viewer can get all the information that could affect their trip, rather than relying on having to jump around," Lum said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.