When I first read about the TrafficGauge, they were only testing it in the Seattle area, and I longed for a southern California version. I guess the testing went well, because an LA/OC version is now available!

The device itself is $80 – I’d say that’s a fair price. But the cool factor ends there. They expect you to pay a monthly subscription fee ($7) to use it!

What the crap! Seven bucks? No thank you! I will turn on the radio and find out what I need to know for free. AM radio does the traffic every 10 minutes, and Sirius does it every 4.

Or better yet, I’ll check the traffic map at SigAlert.com before I leave.

Do they think people are idiots? CalTrans’ traffic reporting system is 100% automated and all the work is done by sensors in the road. There is no reason they should have to charge a monthly fee for these things. Setting up and maintaining one or two antennas to send a signal to these things could (and should) be entirely subsidized by the mark-up on the devices themselves.

Honestly, seeing someone trying to charge money for this makes me want to hurt someone.