You too, can become a traffic trooper. If you see traffic trouble or breaking news, or have any questions about traffic, you can call the traffic center directly. Verizon Wireless customers can simply dial #750, all others can call 404-897-7358.
You know the names. Captain Herb Emory, Kim McCarthy, Doug Turnbull, Ashley Frasca, Judd Hickinbotham, Jay Black and Andrew Hammond. They are the WSB traffic team. Day after day, this well oiled machine helps you get to and from work on time. They are traffic reporters and they take their jobs very seriously. As talented as these individuals are, and as effective as they are as a team, it’s the people that you don’t really know that might have the biggest impact on traffic reporting in Atlanta.
I’m talking about the WSB traffic troopers. People just like you, who call the traffic center every day to report on traffic conditions, provide current trip times and alert us to new trouble on the roadways. They are plumbers, lawyers, insurance salesman, couriers and teachers and while you don’t know what they look like or sound like, they are the reason why you aren’t late to work most mornings.
For every Captain Herb, there is a traffic trooper Sponge Bob. For every Kim McCarthy, there is a traffic trooper Claire Bell. For every Doug Turnbull there is a traffic trooper Count Dacula.
Despite the increase in Department of Transportation cameras around town, despite the advantage of having Captain Herb in a helicopter over your commute, the power of the traffic troopers is perhaps the biggest asset there is when reporting on traffic.
Daily we here from listeners who see incidents on the roads. Quite often we hear about these problems before the police or the DOT. They are our eyes and ears all across metro Atlanta. From crashes and stalls to fires and high-speed chases, it truly is like having a traffic army patrolling the roads.
I’ve been at WSB for almost 17 years now, and some of our traffic troopers have been calling the traffic center for even longer than I’ve been there. I talk to these people everyday. More often than my family. More often than my closest friends.
We become part of each others lives. I know about every birth or death in the family, every high school graduation, every marriage and sadly every divorce. I know when and where the traffic troopers are going on vacation. If I don’t hear from one of them in the morning, I genuinely get concerned.
One of our longest and most loyal traffic troopers, is “The Package Man.” Package Man started calling the traffic center over a decade ago when he was working as a courier. As someone who drives all over town he proved to be an invaluable resource to the traffic team.
Last week, Package Man got married. I was honored to be invited and attend the wedding. The Traffic Troopers are like a combination of friends, family and co-workers. I couldn’t imagine doing my job without them.
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