Is radio/tv traffic info really necesary?

I've asked this question before.

It's been years since I've had to concern myself with traffic on the way to work in the morning. I started doing morning radio shows in the early 1980's and continued in that slot for a decade. So my "morning drive" into the "daily job" happened at around 4AM; not a lot of other commuters on the road then.

I always resented having to annually budget $35-50k for providing traffic news in Richmond/VA from a fixed-wing aircraft that basically provided my reporter free flying lessons and just said the same thing, day in and day out, about where the "jams" were.

Move my so-called career forward a few years to STL and the only thing that's changed is the cost. If you drive the same routes daily, you already know when and where the slowdowns will occur. With the exceptions of accidents and disasters, not much changes day-to-day on the highways.

I have a bunch of friends who make their living from syndicated traffic, news and sports services and I certainly would never deny them their due.

But here's my latest experience:

A couple weeks ago, Mrs. A called while she was on the morning road to deliver some stuff to a pal in St. Charles when she hit a slowdown on I-70 West just past the I-270 turnoff. She had scanned the radio dials and heard nothing. I called up either GatewayGuide or MetroTraffic online (don't remember which) for her, found the issue and told her she'd be on her way in a jiffy...it was a work slow-down.

Radio couldn't provide the answer. Of course, not everyone has a navigator available by phone. I guess one of those satellite navigators could have handled the situation, but not everyone has one of those, either.

Now I hear that there are changes in STL's Metro Traffic: KMOX has apparently grounded John Larabee and Rodger Brand. In their place, you'll hear former Metro STL Bureau Chief Jill Enders, who'll be simply reading traffic reports from somewhere, from a studio. I'm told that Ms. Enders can be difficult to deal with.

I've always like John Larabee, from the time I first met him catching a smoke outside Y98. John completely recreated himself after being tossed under the Karen Carroll bus as a pilot of great skill and a traffic reporter of reknown. Maybe he's ready to put all this broadcast bulls**t behind him and retire.

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