STARTS & STOPS
511 users, say bye to the voice on the other end of the lineBy Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | May 30, 2010 The Boston Globe
It may not be John Henry battling the steam drill, but two 511 traveler information systems - one human-powered, the other computer-driven - have competed in Massachusetts over the past week, with the manned one doomed to expire and the computerized system set to take over for good tomorrow night at the end of this busy holiday travel weekend.
State transportation officials say that's something to celebrate. The outgoing SmartRoute Systems (also known as "smartroutes'') cost taxpayers $1.2 million a year. The new 511 program, run by the high-tech marketing company Sendza, costs taxpayers nothing. Cellphone providers began switching 511 callers from one to the other in recent days, in advance of a full June 1 turnover.
But even as Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan was holding a press conference at a Route 128 service plaza and tweeting the news, SmartRoute's shrinking but loyal band of devotees were startled and upset.
"The 511 service is new but not improved. To be honest it is terrible,'' a commuter wrote, voicing displeasure in a comment on the state Department of Transportation's blog. I received several e-mails along the same lines. "It is amazing that the state took a really useful service and screwed it up so badly,'' wrote another reader.
If you're not familiar with 511, here's how it worked - or works, until tomorrow - under SmartRoute. (And if you're not familiar, you're not alone; fewer than 1 in 100 motorists take advantage of it.) After dialing, you enter numbers for a particular highway or route and hear a freshly recorded update that sounds like a tailored version of reports you might hear on WBZ radio. Push more buttons and you connect with a live operator who can provide extra details, answer questions, or take input from you - if you're stuck in traffic they don't yet know about.
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