How useful are national radio (i.e. Radio 2) travel bulletins?
I ask the question because in all the years that I have been driving, I cannot recall ever finding them of any benefit (in fact I find them distracting and annoying). Furthermore, with most cars equipped with RDS radios, local radio bulletins are easily accessed and are superior since they cover only the immediate area and incorporate local, detailed information.
Each hour there are two 5 minute bulletins, and so 17% of the stations output is irrelevant to the majority of listeners (especially to those at home or at work!). I always play a tape or switch stations when the ?traffic and travel? starts!
Is it just me, or do others also agree?
DaveH
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Dave, much as people ignored the boy who cried wolf, i've turned off RDS/TP because it was a pointless and uninformative interruption. Traffic information needs to be Timely, Accurate and Relevant, but as far as i can see, they struggle to get one out of three.
Over the 6 or so years i've been doing the current commute, in three different cars with 5 different RDS radios, no matter how I configure the system for my 15 mile journey which is wholely in Greater Manchester, i'll get RDS traffic bulletins from GMR (ok), Radio Merseyside, Radio Lancashire, Leeds, Sheffield and Stoke
Major problems can and do occur on my route but are rarely mentioned, yet I know all about the traffic at the Gildersome roundabout or Meir Tunnel, both well over an hour away.
Before christmas on two specific occasions, BBC Gmr claimed that Wigan town centre was at a standstill because of roadworks at a specific location. At both times I was by some curious coincidence at that location, and there was (a) no congestion (b) no roadworks, which makes me wonder where they get there information from.
Add to that the irritating fact that Radio Merseyside RDS bulletins ALWAYS start 10 seconds before the end of the traffic report and then give you 50 seconds of plug for 'Snelly's show', and the fact that at least one announcer on Radio Lancashire has great difficulty in stringing sentences together makes me wonder how seriously the BBC takes the service
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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Bulletins on five live (supplied by mix of police/cameras and listeners) are informative but inevitably behind the event and only an overview.
Turned off TA after 12 hours as it constantly hunted to someone else's local radio and told me about traffic in Coventry and Oxford instead of Northampton!!
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borasport, tend to agree with you about these reports.
For many years a regular journey the most appropriate station was Radio Derby. Announcements from Sheffield, Nottingham, Stoke, Leicester what have you were all disruptive.
Derby's announcements seemed to bear more resemblance to typical conditions, so Markeston (A38/A52jn) got a mention as there was usually a big queue by 8am, even if on that day it was clear.
Big problems due to accidents were perhaps the most help, but as you say continued to be broadcast long after incident cleared.
Anyway suddenly the service got far worse and it turned out they had subcontracted the traffic to a new outfit whose name escapes me. Previously it was the AA broadcasting from Halesowen HQ who had been providing the service.
Also they had the problem of poor timing to the signal over the carrier wave to tell the radio to switch over.
Can anyone explain why you can get traffic reports for BBC and not independent stations.
Now on a related issue. Prev car had Trafficmaster and at first I thought it was great. That system too has its problems, esp round long term road works. So don't have it anymore and can't say I miss it either.
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Adriana's car has Traffic Master. I think its great. Several times it has saved me on the M1/M25/M40 area.
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I quite agree that it is good when there is an unusual event.
Problem with Traffic Master is when there are long term delays typically due to roadworks.
The delay is accurately reported for the first couple of days; after that it seems as though their system now thinks the normal average speed is the new lower figure. Thus the extra 15/20 minutes seems to be ignored so you get a 10 minute delay report when reality is nearer 25 minutes.
Some time ago in this situation their reports were so obviously wrong that I questioned TM. Initially didn't believe me, you know "the computer says so must be right" syndrome.After sending an engineer out to drive the route TM agreed that there is/was a problem. IIRC they put an extra temporary detector in place.
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Also agree with you sometimes very annoying when they but in on a good programme just to inform you of nothing relevent then not turn back to station tuned into , I periodically use hands free mobile and dial 2222 vodaphone for road information ahead.
chris
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"2222 vodaphone for road information ahead."
1200 on o2 (aka Cellnet, BT)
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Any idea if T-Mobile have a traffic number.
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Yeah, 666 if Prescott and Livingstone are to be believed.
No Dosh ** Quick, talk motoring, Mark's coming! **
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