Effect of Mass Messaging on Traffic During Crises
During most crises, one primary concern that arises is the effect that it may have on traffic. Traffic is a fundamental part of any inhabited area, especially urban, metropolitan areas. Ensuring that its flow is uninterrupted is essential, as daily life for many relies upon traffic being appropriately managed. There are a myriad variety of events that have the potential to cause disruptions to the flow of traffic, events like natural disasters, fires, extreme weather, or severe accidents. When these incidents occur, they can create significant amounts of disruption to traffic, which brings the potential for further damage to occur.
When a crisis occurs in or around an area where traffic is, it is likely to cause significant disruption. A disaster may be a direct obstruction to the flow of traffic, like a storm that blows down trees along a major highway. It may also cause indirect harm, like an emergency causing emergency responders to close off roads in the area. At other times, traffic may impede the effectiveness of a response to an emergency. Many locales have “rush hours,” where the amount of traffic present on roads is extremely high, causing traffic jams that hinder movement. Should an emergency that requires a response by emergency responders take place, their ability to deliver aid can be hampered. They may need to take detours around traffic, to say nothing of the chance that emergency vehicles could be stuck in a sudden traffic jam and be unable to exit due to high congestion.
Aside from their effect on emergency response, traffic issues also cause significant disruptions to daily life. People who are unaffected by a disaster near them will have their activities disrupted by shifts in traffic. When a crisis occurs, the word often spreads sporadically, with a unified notification system not typically being in place. Citizens obtain information about a disaster from various sources, such as their friends and family, or through sources like news media, especially radio, if they are already on the road. The effect of this is that the response of drivers to a disaster will not be unified, some drivers will reroute to avoid traffic blockages, while others may attempt to proceed, as usual, not having heard the news. The lack of a unified notification system can exacerbate the effects of a disaster on traffic, as uninformed drivers will seek to enter affected areas. In contrast, drivers who are informed may attempt to go through less travelled routes, potentially causing congestion along small or local roads if they do so in large numbers.
Attempting to improve traffic conditions following a disaster has long been a priority for many local governments. In 2018, researchers conducted a study that found that the most reliable way that traffic-related organizations were to provide timely notifications of traffic crises and to monitor them continuously. Many traffic management organizations and local governments have measures in place to monitor events that can affect traffic, but not all possess a reliable method of providing timely notifications. One potential solution is the use of an effective mass-messaging platform, such as TexTalk. TexTalk is a platform that provides users with the ability to communicate with a large number of people and groups through channels such as emails, fax, and crucially for emergencies, voice and text messages. Providing timely notifications relies upon the ability to communicate with a large number of people in as short a time as possible, something that the TexTalk platform does well. If a traffic control organization uses TexTalk for crisis alerts, then they will be able to inform drivers about what routes they should take, not just which routes to avoid. Doing so will prevent congestion in less frequented areas and allow daily life to go on with less interference.
Ensuring the proper flow of traffic is always an essential task, but particularly when disasters occur that have the potential to hinder it. Traffic control organizations, as well as local and city governments, stand to benefit from the implementation of mass messaging in response to crises. Attempting to contact drivers while they are on the road indeed comes with its share of risks, but not informing them of ongoing disasters has the potential to cause more harm, as accidents around areas where there is a current crisis. Using the TexTalk platform can allow for an unprecedented level of communication during a crisis and lessen the harm that occurs.
References:
Behzad Basirat Sh, Doagooyan D, Shiran Gh, Amiri M. The Traffic-Related Readiness of Organizations for Preventing Crisis and Traffic Damages in Metropolitan Areas. Health in Emergencies and Disasters Quarterly. 2018; 3(3):151-158. https://doi.org/10.29252/NRIP.HDQ.3.3.151