Philadelphia Mummers New Year's Day Parade live traffic reports for parade-goers
27 December 2000
Traffic.com a Sponsor of Annual Philadelphia Mummers New Year's Day Parade; Local company to provide live traffic reports for parade-goers
WAYNE, Pa.--Dec. 26, 2000--Traffic.com, the premier provider of traffic and logistics information, announced that it will be a sponsor of the Philadelphia Mummers New Year's Day Parade. Utilizing its exclusive TrafficPulse(SM) digital sensor network in and around the city, Traffic.com will provide real-time traffic updates to WB 17, the television station that is broadcasting the event for the seventh consecutive year, so that spectators can determine their best route for traveling to and from the parade. Traffic.com will also be the official sponsor of Mummers' online trivia questions that will be featured during the broadcast.On November 14th, Traffic.com launched the first phase of its exclusive TrafficPulse(SM) digital sensor network in the Philadelphia region along with its Philadelphia traffic website at www.traffic.com. The TrafficPulse(SM) network provides Philadelphia area drivers with new and unique features, like actual speeds of traffic on major roadways and point-to-point travel times. The digital system is supplemented by a traffic operations center in Wayne that monitors all incidents (accidents, disabled vehicles, police activity) and events (construction, motorcades, etc.) that impact traffic in the Philadelphia region.
"As a company that was founded in and based in the metropolitan Philadelphia area, we are very pleased to sponsor an event with such longstanding tradition as the Mummers Parade," said Richard P. Ramirez, CEO and President of Traffic.com. "We could think of no better way to kick off the New Year and our commitment to Philadelphia motorists than by providing them with unprecedented access to accurate, timely traffic information as they travel to the parade and throughout the region year-round. For the first time, drivers can now get relevant data for their Key Routes on demand."
The Mummers Parade begins on New Year's Day at 8:45 a.m. in Philadelphia at 5th & Market Streets and proceeds nine blocks west to City Hall. The parade consists of four divisions: the Comics, the Fancies, the String Bands and the Fancy Brigades. The Mummers tradition began in the late 1700's when the Swedes came to Tinicum, bringing with them their custom of visiting friends on December 26, which soon extended into a New Year's celebration, complete with parade-goers wearing masks. This is the 100th year that the parade will enjoy sponsorship by the City of Philadelphia.
About Traffic.com:
Traffic.com is revolutionizing traffic and logistics information services with the development of advanced information systems and its exclusive TrafficPulse(SM) digital sensor network. Traffic.com employs proprietary digital technology that enables users to access information about actual speeds, point-to-point travel times, traffic density, events and incidents on a 24/7 basis. Its TrafficPulse(SM) network, built in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, is deployed along key roadways in major markets and delivers data wirelessly to its National Transportation Intelligence Center(SM). The resulting traffic information is distributed via the Web and radio broadcast reports, to be augmented shortly by TV broadcasts and wireless access. Ultimately, data will be delivered to vehicles via digitally based on-board telematics devices.