VMS control cities

[Bruce]

Some urban areas use their freeway VMS to display travel times to certain areas during rush hour. Most of the time, they use major cities that would already be cited as control cities on BGS, but I know of one exception: on northbound Interstate 5 approaching SR 523 (exit 175), the VMS there uses Smokey Point (a community of barely 1,500 at the edge of the Seattle metro area) as a measuring point.

[doorknob60]

Portland uses interchanges. Like, US-26 eastbound will show time to OR-217 and I-405, then farther east it will show times to I-5 North and I-5 south (via I-405). US-26 westbound will show times to intersections like 185th and Brookwood Pkwy (these are after the Jct. with OR-217). I know most of the ones I've seen around Portland do this, and they're on a lot of the freeways, but these are the examples I could think of off the top of my head. To me, this is more useful than city names, because you know exactly where it's measuring to, and if you're commuting it's likely your destination will be through one of these intersections. Like, "185th Ave" is more useful than "Hillsboro" (which the border is at 185th, but downtown Hillsboro is many miles away from the freeway).

[iBallasticwolf2]

Portland uses interchanges. Like, US-26 eastbound will show time to OR-217 and I-405, then farther east it will show times to I-5 North and I-5 south (via I-405). US-26 westbound will show times to intersections like 185th and Brookwood Pkwy (these are after the Jct. with OR-217). I know most of the ones I've seen around Portland do this, and they're on a lot of the freeways, but these are the examples I could think of off the top of my head. To me, this is more useful than city names, because you know exactly where it's measuring to, and if you're commuting it's likely your destination will be through one of these intersections. Like, "185th Ave" is more useful than "Hillsboro".

Cincinnati does that too usually with freeways that have route numbers.

[roadman]

Rhode Island uses interchange names and state lines on their travel time CMS messages on I-95, but uses destinations (Newport and Naragansett) on the messages on Route 4.  Interesting that they don't display Newport and Naragansett on the I-95 CMS prior to Route 4, as I always felt that would be useful information for drivers.

MassDOT uses interchange names on their 'portable permanent" travel time CMS messages, but will be using a combination of routes and destinations on the 'hybrid' travel time signs they are presently installing statewide.

[Brandon]

We typically use interchanges, cross streets, or toll plazas around northern Illinois.
Examples include:
I-55, I-80, I-294, DeKalb Toll, Byrne (Circle) Interchange, Montrose, 93rd Street, etc.

[PHLBOS]

For PA highways (excluding the PA Turnpike), interchanges listing the route number are typically listed with travel times on VMS'.  For the PA Turnpike, just the exit number (& sometimes the interchange name where applicable) is listed.

[Greybear]

In the Dallas area, route numbers or major throughfares are used on VMS signs.

One example being, on I-30 WB at SH 205 in Rockwall, you can sometimes see:

Travel Time to
IH635
11-14 min

[jeffandnicole]

NJ's VMSs are generally more narrow than those used in other states, and thus uses a very abbreviated way of showing the destination points.  Destinations may look like this:

NJ38
EX47
29/195
US-1
ACX


(Used on I-295, you have Rt. 38 (Exit 40), Rt. 541 (Exit 47), Rts 29 & 195 (Exit 60), and Rt. 1 (Exit 67).  ACX is used for the Atlantic City Expressway, found on I-76)

The longest name I've seen on one line is DEL MEM BR, abbreviated to DEL BR on a sign further downstream.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

Connecticut usually does the next junction of a major route. It then lists the mile and time so it would look like this:

I-91
10 MI 13 MIN

[myosh_tino]

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we have a mish-mash of control points for travel time VMSes that include...

* Cities - Palo Alto, Novato, Vallejo, etc
* Colleges - San Jose State
* Airports - San Francisco Int'l, Oakland Int'l
* Downtowns - San Francisco (SF DWNTWN)
* Bridges - Bay Bridge, San Mateo Bridge, etc
* Highways - Rte 92, Hwy 4, etc
* Interchanges

Some of you may be thinking why did I separate highways from interchanges.  The reason is because of one single VMS on southbound I-680 north of Milpitas that shows the travel time to the southern US 101/CA-85 interchange in south San Jose which obviously, is NOT located on I-680.  AFAIK, this is the only instance of an off-route interchange being used as a travel time control point.  I also want to point out that the usage of off-route cities on travel time VMSes is quite common (i.e. Menlo Park travel time is shown on I-880 southbound in Union City).

[Thing 342]

Hampton Roads generally uses landmarks such as the HRBT and the MMMBT on its VMS systems, leading to messages such as "HRBT / 11 MI 16 MIN", although recently they've started using interchanges as well, most frequently I-295, VA-199, VA-143, I-664, I-564, I-264, VA-168, and US-58.

[DTComposer]

I also want to point out that the usage of off-route cities on travel time VMSes is quite common (i.e. Menlo Park travel time is shown on I-880 southbound in Union City).

I was thinking of this one as well, and I'm assuming it's using Menlo Park as the opposite end of the Dumbarton Bridge for those on I-880 who need to take the bridge.

I feel like I've seen this once or twice before, and I'm wondering how common it is: the use of VMS to recommend one route over another depending on conditions.

For example, I could see a VMS on I-5 southbound in Santa Clarita, recommending travelers going to Orange County/San Diego to use I-5, I-405, I-210/CA-57, etc. to get through L.A. depending on traffic. Or one that recommends I-280 or US-101 to get between San Francisco and San Jose.

Is anyone aware of that sort of messaging?

[bzakharin]

NJ's VMSs are generally more narrow than those used in other states, and thus uses a very abbreviated way of showing the destination points.  Destinations may look like this:

NJ38
EX47
29/195
US-1
ACX


(Used on I-295, you have Rt. 38 (Exit 40), Rt. 541 (Exit 47), Rts 29 & 195 (Exit 60), and Rt. 1 (Exit 67).  ACX is used for the Atlantic City Expressway, found on I-76)

The longest name I've seen on one line is DEL MEM BR, abbreviated to DEL BR on a sign further downstream.

I've seen WALT (for Walt Whitman Bridge), and i think BEN (Ben Franklin Bridge) there too. That one is undecipherable unless you know the area.

Some of the newer signs in NJ are very nice. They list times to a destination (like New York or Atlantic City) via different roads and/or bridges, which actually helps you decide which way to go.

[Kacie Jane]

Some urban areas use their freeway VMS to display travel times to certain areas during rush hour. Most of the time, they use major cities that would already be cited as control cities on BGS, but I know of one exception: on northbound Interstate 5 approaching SR 523 (exit 175), the VMS there uses Smokey Point (a community of barely 1,500 at the edge of the Seattle metro area) as a measuring point.

My guess that the rationale is that Smokey Point is basically the edge of contiguous suburbia (Stanwood is definitely part of the metro area, and the farthest north you can catch a commuter bus directly to Seattle, but there's a bunch of empty farmland between Smokey Point and Stanwood), and it may be that Smokey Point is the end of the intelligent software that lets them calculate travel time.

[jeffandnicole]

NJ's VMSs are generally more narrow than those used in other states, and thus uses a very abbreviated way of showing the destination points.  Destinations may look like this:

NJ38
EX47
29/195
US-1
ACX


(Used on I-295, you have Rt. 38 (Exit 40), Rt. 541 (Exit 47), Rts 29 & 195 (Exit 60), and Rt. 1 (Exit 67).  ACX is used for the Atlantic City Expressway, found on I-76)

The longest name I've seen on one line is DEL MEM BR, abbreviated to DEL BR on a sign further downstream.

I've seen WALT (for Walt Whitman Bridge), and i think BEN (Ben Franklin Bridge) there too. That one is undecipherable unless you know the area.

Some of the newer signs in NJ are very nice. They list times to a destination (like New York or Atlantic City) via different roads and/or bridges, which actually helps you decide which way to go.

I think what you have seen are in the NYC area, which I haven't seen.  I guess they could show dual times for the car/truck lanes on the NJ Turnpike, although the only timed signs I've seen below Exit 6 don't provide this option.