York Region’s Travel Alert App receives more than 7,500 downloads during first year

Vaughan Weekly
April 1, 2014

York Regional Council received a report on the one-year pilot of the York Region Travel Alert App, a hands-free smartphone application that alerts motorists to traffic issues en route to their destination.

“We are pleased with the success of the Travel Alert App and by the number of downloads since it was launched a year ago,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch. “The app is an important initiative York Region has implemented to help motorists avoid traffic congestion whenever possible.”

There have been more than 7,500 downloads of the hands-free, smart phone application, which uses voice alerts to inform motorists in real time of traffic issues on their travel route. Information provided includes collisions and construction activity, as well as when motorist are entering community safety and school zones which requires a reduction in speed.

York Region’s initiatives for helping to manage congestion include:
• Smart Commute, which encourages people to carpool, cycle and take transit
• Traffic signal timing through a centralized traffic control system
• High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes
• YRT/Viva Bus Rapidways along Highway 7, Yonge Street and Davis Drive

For more information on the York Region Travel Alert App, visit www.york.ca/travelalert.