Real-Time Northern Virginia Traffic Speed Data Available to Commuters Via Wireless Devices

LEESBURG, Va., Sept. 29 -- Commuters wanting real-time information about Northern Virginia highway traffic can now receive instant estimated travel times customized to their individual routes. RatRaceUSA, Inc. is offering a subscription-based service that allows area commuters to receive personalized point-to-point travel times on their WAP-enabled cell phones, wireless PDAs and pocketPC or SMS/email devices as well as service to their desktop PCs.

Currently, a one-week free trial is being offered to new subscribers. The cost for the service is $9 per month for unlimited usage.

"The most exciting feature is the exit-to-exit details that will allow travelers to alter their routes to avoid slow travel areas," said Stephen Bull, president of RatRaceUSA.

Each subscriber is able to specify his or her regular travel routes, then access RatRaceUSA before or during a commute to receive estimated drive time for the route based on current traffic congestion. Up to four routes can be selected, assigning a name to each route such as "home to work" or "work to day care."

Messages downloaded to wireless devices will give estimated travel time for routes in minutes and seconds. Emailed messages will offer more extensive information by providing estimated travel times between each exit on the route. The traffic congestion data is gleaned from a network of 143 traffic sensor stations located throughout Northern Virginia's interstate highway system.

"This is the first implementation of personalized on demand real-traffic information in the metropolitan Washington area," said Craig Franklin, president of Leesburg, Virginia-based Trichord, Inc., which gathers and analyzes the traffic data for RatRaceUSA.

RatRaceUSA coverage includes I-95 between I-495 and Triangle/Quantico, I- 495 between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Braddock Road, I-395 between I-495 and Washington DC, and I-66 between I-495 and Haymarket.

The sensor network gathers lane-by-lane data on travel speeds, lane occupancy, and vehicle counts. Trichord's traffic monitoring software archives the data, allowing current estimated travel times to be compared against historical average travel times. Information is updated every minute.

RatRaceUSA is compatible with all WAP-enabled wireless devices as well as XHTML-based Web browsers used in recently released cell phones, wireless PDAs and pocket PCs. RatRaceUSA is also accessible as a regular Web site.

RatRaceUSA, Inc., a division of New York-based CUTLASS Inc., is a leader in the emerging wireless traffic information sector. Its sister organization, TouchToneTours, provides location-based travel content to 3 million TELUS Mobility subscribers with a cell phone guide to museums, attractions and historic sites.

Trichord, Inc. provides systems integration and technology consulting for Intelligent Transportation Systems, Geographic Information Systems, Traveler Information and Emergency Management. Under a Public-Private Partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation, Trichord has deployed real-time traffic monitors in Northern Virginia and augments data from those monitors with data from VDOT. Trichord shares this combined information with VDOT to enhance the agency's traffic management capabilities.

To register for RatRaceUSA's Northern Virginia traffic information service, visit www.ratraceusa.com or call (212) 388-9121.

  Contacts:
  Stephen Bull
  RatRaceUSA, Inc
  56 Ludlow St
  New York, NY  10002
  212.388-9121

  Craig Franklin
  Trichord, Inc.
  12888 James Monroe Hwy.
  Leesburg, VA 20176
  www.trichord-inc.com
  703.737.0162