Skip to main content

Atlanta deploys Bluetooth-based DMS to help improve travel times

The Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) in Georgia, USA, has activated six full-colour dynamic message signs (DMS) in the metropolitan Atlanta area in a bid to improve travel times and enable motorists to choose less-congested routes. The LED signs have been installed on Cobb Parkway, South Marietta Parkway, Roswell Road and Spring Road to provide travel time information for common destinations and indicate the congestion level related to specific routes in real time. Travel times on I-75 and C
May 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) in Georgia, USA, has activated six full-colour dynamic message signs (DMS) in the metropolitan Atlanta area in a bid to improve travel times and enable motorists to choose less-congested routes.


The LED signs have been installed on Cobb Parkway, South Marietta Parkway, Roswell Road and Spring Road to provide travel time information for common destinations and indicate the congestion level related to specific routes in real time.

Travel times on I-75 and Cobb Parkway appear in digits that are green, yellow or red, depending on the average speed of the roadway. Green digits indicate near free-flow speeds, yellow digits indicate moderate speeds and red digits indicate slow conditions. Public service announcements as well as information related to incidents, construction and special events also will appear on the signs.

The travel time messages use real-time data collected by a recently expanded travel time system, which now covers many major arterials within Cobb County and freeways in the Atlanta metro area. The data comes from detectors that collect anonymous electronic addresses from motorists’ 1835 Bluetooth and wi-fi-enabled mobile devices.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK drivers get real time traffic information boost
    August 9, 2012
    The UK Highways Agency is trialling a system to add commercially available traffic data to its existing sources to monitor how well traffic is flowing on England's motorways and strategic roads. Similar data sources are already used by satellite navigation devices, smartphones, and applications like Google maps. Better real-time data will allow agency staff to respond more quickly to incidents and identify delays and communicate them to drivers so they can take alternative routes if necessary.
  • Road user charging – change the name to change public perceptions
    February 2, 2012
    Jack Opiola explores the oft-underestimated effect that a charging scheme's name can have on public acceptability and ultimate success. The Bard of Avon wrote: "What's in a name?" For transport, especially Road User Charging, that is an especially relevant question.
  • Traffic alert app from Pennsylvania company launches in UK
    August 6, 2012
    Motorists using major highways in England can now access real-time, personalised traffic and roadway travel information on their smartphones by downloading a free app developed by Philadelphia-based Information Logistics. The Hands-Free Traffic Talker England (HFT England) app audibly broadcasts information about a motorist's specific travel route, freeing the user from the distractions of touching the phone, reading messages, or listening to irrelevant traffic alerts.
  • Traffic alert app from Pennsylvania company launches in UK
    August 6, 2012
    Motorists using major highways in England can now access real-time, personalised traffic and roadway travel information on their smartphones by downloading a free app developed by Philadelphia-based Information Logistics. The Hands-Free Traffic Talker England (HFT England) app audibly broadcasts information about a motorist's specific travel route, freeing the user from the distractions of touching the phone, reading messages, or listening to irrelevant traffic alerts.