Birmingham and the Jefferson/Shelby County area have air pollution worries significant enough that the federal government has threatened to withhold highway funding if pollutants such as ozone are not reduced. At the height of the summer, when temperatures can soar into the high 90s and even top 100 for a few days, a high pressure dome will often settle in over the Deep South. The air at ground level stays at ground level, trapped. Smog thickens and health alerts are broadcast. As part of an effort to reduce the problem, electronic traffic information signs have been erected in about a dozen locations on the interstate system around the Magic City. The theory is that real-time info on congestion will allow travellers to bypass long delays resulting from accidents and to publicize daily construction zone updates.
Early on in the program, however, a much less ambitious goal -- encouraging the use of seat belts -- seemed to be the focus. Or perhaps the DOT was out to increase literacy rates, as suggested in the Birminghamster. |
