When I was a kid, my mom used to always

When I was a kid, my mom used to always listen to local traffic reports on the radio. They always struck me as less than useless. Every once in awhile, of course, my mother would learn about a slowdown in time. Usually, however, the only thing that the local traffic hazards did was to stress her out before she reached the slowdown. Although they were updated every 10 minutes, they always seemed to be too late. Needless to say, I didn't adopt this particular habit when I grew up. I saw no need at all for traffic radio.

Now I am definitely no Luddite. I use local maps online to find my way from here to there, check the weather on the Internet every day, and don't go to restaurants unless I can read their websites first. Nonetheless, for some reason I didn't think to look at local conditions on the web until recently. I guess I wasn't aware of local traffic cams and how much they have changed things. It isn't that the technology has gotten that much better, but that the interface has improved tremendously. The problem with local traffic reports was that the news radio had to come up with one report that was useful to everyone. That limited just how useful it could be to any particular driver. It would tell you some minor details about the major roadways, but unless you knew your way around very well and could read between the lines, you would usually gain next to nothing from it.

Local web cams, however, are much more useful. Living in the Rose city, I can look at local Portland traffic anytime I want. Although not every intersection is covered, all of the major junctions are. I can plan out my route carefully, navigating around local construction hazards with an ease that I wouldn't have dreamed of only a few years ago. I don't have to wait for the 10 minute updates, and I don't have to listen for the the route I'm taking. I can find it and look at it online in less time than it takes to listen to the traffic report.

Nonetheless, all of this local traffic information can definitely give you a false sense of security. When some new obstacle gets in my way, it always startles me. Before I knew about the traffic locally, I was ready for anything. Now, I expect the world to be more orderly and predictable. Still, it is a small sacrifice for all of that extra information!