The Ontario Government for the People introduced a new feature to the Ontario 511 website. Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek has announced that the new feature called “Track My Plow” will help those commuting through major cities and on highways during the winter.
Jeff Yurek introducing “Track My Plow”
Courtesy: LFPress
The new feature allows Ontario drivers to see where snow plows and salt trucks are on city streets and highways so that they can plan their day around avoiding the winter maintenance vehicles.
The Ontario 511 website gets an average of 12 million views a year and Yurek says that he expects the amount of views to incline with the new feature. Before the end of 2018, the site will also provide drivers with Waze publicly reported incidents, traffic jams and weather hazards.
“We are going to continue to update Track My Plow each year so that Ontario drivers have the best information and the best technology at their access,” adds Yurek.
With more than 1, 1000 pieces of winter maintenance equipment on provincial highways to help fight winter storms, drivers are reminded to give working snowplows plenty of room.
“Remember to slow down and drive according to weather and road conditions. Please be patient, stay well back and never pass a working snow plow,” says Yurek.
Information can be accessed through the website 511on.ca, the Twitter feed @511Ontario or by calling 511. Website users can also set up an account to have alerts sent by text messages to their cellphones.
The website utilizes 549 highway cameras, weather forecasts, radar and reports by field staff.
Yurek also suggests that a first aid kit, blankets, and a charged cell phone should be in the vehicle at all times during the winter.
Courtesy: NJ.com
