In the days before personal mobile communications (ie - cell phones), they were a wonder. Now they are obsolete. While driving back from CT to VT this afternoon, it didn't struck me until I was within sight of the Mass/VT border on I-91... the motorist aid call boxes were gone. I was wondering why about every 30 miles there were empty steel posts which once held signs. They would advertise "MOTORIST AID CALL BOXES - NEXT XX MILES" and the one at each border would say "END MOTORIST AID CALL BOXES". Now just to be certain that the signs didn't just blow over... I checked and both boxes that were right at the border are now gone.
I have no idea if this is spreading to other routes in Massachusetts, or how many other routes had the boxes. I know I-495 used to have them and I think I-95 either north or south of 128 did. I had to use one on I-495 once and it was very helpful - a tow truck came in a matter of minutes... and that during a black ice event.
CT used to have them as well, RI I believe did too.
Are any left in any other states in the Northeast? With most people having cell phones for the past several years, I'm truly surprised those in Mass lasted this long!
Reading the "motorist aid call boxes" page on Wikipedia... it said one advantage of the call boxes was the fact that whoever responded knew exactly where the disabled motorist was. I bet that is why all states (except CT) seem to be posting more prominent mile markers referencing the mileage every 0.2 miles.
I-87 in the Adirondacks still has them. In fact those were all refurbished/replaced a couple years ago.
I-295 in RI used to have them, but they were removed about 10 years ago. None left on I-495 in Mass either, as far as I remember. The only highway in MA that might still have them is I-195, which had them for a stretch west of New Bedford.
Quote from: Beeper1 on September 04, 2011, 10:06:16 PM
I-87 in the Adirondacks still has them. In fact those were all refurbished/replaced a couple years ago.
Because there's no cell service up there. I noticed out West that I didn't have that problem on any Interstate corridor, so presumably the only place left for call boxes is within mountainous areas.
There were call boxes on I-81 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 108 and 158 in Schuylkill and Luzerne counties, but they were removed in 2004 (http://www.wnep.com/wnep-callboxescomingoffi-81-1779032,0,2041834.story). I-80 had call boxes between the I-180/PA 147 cloverleaf eastward to Stroudsburg in the late 60s.
The Turnpike System is the only place where there are call boxes, and even then they are beginning to fall by the wayside. Turnpike 576 and the Brownsville-to-Uniontown section of Turnpike 43 do not have them.
They seem redundant now that most people have cell phones.
If you don't have one, chances are one of your many fellow motorists will. If you are not on a busy enough road to have lots of other motorists, chances are the road wouldn't have had call boxes anyway.
You can alert your fellow motorists that you are in trouble by placing a big yellow "SEND HELP" sign in the window of your vehicle. :-D
I do not grieve for the once ubiquitous call box, it was once needed but now it is not, it clears up the side of the road incase a accident were to happen, i would not want to hit a call box on the side of the interstate.
Quote from: Steve on September 05, 2011, 03:14:11 AM
Quote from: Beeper1 on September 04, 2011, 10:06:16 PM
I-87 in the Adirondacks still has them. In fact those were all refurbished/replaced a couple years ago.
Because there's no cell service up there. I noticed out West that I didn't have that problem on any Interstate corridor, so presumably the only place left for call boxes is within mountainous areas.
Noticed signs in English and French on I-87 stating there was limited cell service for 60-something miles when I drove the Adirondack Northway last Friday, but even with:
- Crappy AT&T coverage, and
- Crappy iPhone reception
that I had decent service the whole way.
The Atlantic City Expwy. in New Jersey still has them every mile. I drove it this week. The SJTA says on their website that they still get an average of 2 calls a day on them, even in the cell-phone era, so they're keeping them.
Even in this day and age, not everyone has a cell phone. As the economy crumbles, more people who are willing to have had to switch to pre-paid/no-contract phones because the plans are usually a better deal...until they realize that it comes at the expense of coverage, which is often nowhere near as good as you get with contract-based service because with the pre-paid services, you usually cannot roam. This is true with Boost Mobile as well as Virgin Mobile, which both limit you to Sprint's home network. Coverage out of significant metro areas or away from major highways (even ON major highways, if you're far enough into the boonies) is horrible.