511: Everything You Need to Know for a Smooth Ride

By Commissioner Jeff Koons

It’s no fun being stuck in traffic, and I am always happy to pass along any tips or information that may help you avoid it. South Florida 511 has some new interactive voice features to make commuting a lot easier. For example, after you dial 511, all you have to say is the road and location you are interested in, such as “I-95 Palm Beach.” There is no need to wait for the 511 Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to prompt you.

For roads with unique names such as Military Trail or Southern Boulevard, you don’t have to include the county name. It will automatically prompt to that particular roadway. As soon as the 511 phone connection is made, even during the system’s welcoming speech, all you have to do is say the road or highway you want to know about.

The same information can be found at the Web site, www.511southflorida.com, where you can create a specific route, view any traffic problems that may affect travel, observe traffic conditions from live cameras, and set up your own custom traffic alerts.

IVR Shortcuts

Note:  For major north-south routes, “1” is used after the route number to indicate that all or part of the roadway is in Palm Beach County. If the roadway is located exclusively in Palm Beach County (e.g. Blue Heron Boulevard) the “1” is not needed, and you do not have to say “Palm Beach.” For a list of routes in the interactive voice system, visit www.511southflorida.com and click on “511 FAQ.”

To move through the system faster, it is okay to interrupt (barge-in) the system. Once you know what questions will be asked, you can answer as soon as the system starts to ask. You do not need to wait for the system to finish asking the question before responding.

You can also use the following command tools:
To get help, just say “help.”
To go back to main menu at any time, just say “main menu.”
To go to the next accident report, say “next.”
To hear a report again, say “repeat.”
To end the call, say “good-bye.”

I hope you will take advantage of this excellent traffic information system. Best of all, it’s free! As always, I welcome your comments and questions, so please feel free to contact me or my staff at 355-2202.