Cell phones will monitor traffic
The system will monitor 5,500 miles of roads in Missouri.
Published Dec. 9, 2005
Talking on your cell phone while driving might not be as frowned upon now that state officials have figured out a way to use it to their advantage.
Starting in February, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission will grant the Department of Transportation access to a system that uses cell phone signals to monitor the speed and flow of traffic on highways throughout the state.
In a news release, MoDOT said 5,500 miles of roads in Missouri would be monitored by the system that will be put in place by the National Engineering Technology Corporation.
The collected information will be posted on a Web site where drivers can monitor the average speeds on highways and see where there are traffic problems, according to the news release. The information also will be posted on message boards along highways in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas, as well as along interstates 44 and 70 statewide.
Dennie Pendergrass, chief engineer of operations for the City of Columbia Public Works traffic division, said the city has no system for monitoring traffic, and he was unable to speculate on whether the city would be able to use this new system.
Steve McDonald, an area manager for NET, said the system monitors how fast signals from a cell phone travel between towers. A cell phone is constantly sending signals to these towers, so as the signals move from one tower to the next, the system can determine the average speed and travel time of the car in which that the cell phone is traveling.
In addition to allowing drivers to view information about major roads and highways, MoDOT also expects to be able to use the system to find where highways are chronically congested in order to improve those sections of road.
"Using the new data to identify frequently congested areas, planners and engineers will be able to put funds where they're needed most," the release stated.
MoDOT representatives said the system would help the department save money. The system will cost $6.2 million over two years, less than a sixth of what current traffic monitoring methods cost.
McDonald said the company has tried to address any privacy concerns that could be raised with the system. Although he said non-disclosure agreements prevented him from revealing which carriers were participating in the system, McDonald said it is the cell phone company itself that blocks the system from being able to retrieve the name and phone number associated with the monitored phone.
"We do not capture any private information on the cell phone," McDonald said. "There is nothing tied to it like a name, phone number or anything."
Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said he didn't know how the state could use a cell phone signal to monitor traffic without picking up personal information about the consumer.
"That doesn't make sense," Rotenberg said. "I think this violates the privacy right of customer. It's not the state's information to use. I don't think the state has the right to take this information for their own purposes."
He also expressed concern about the state taking this information with out the consent of the cell phone user.
"I don't see how they can collect the information without the permission of the customer," Rotenberg said. "It's about the permission of the consumer, not the cell phone company."