Tim Bracken, wtop.com

You know how everyone loves best-of lists at the end of the year? Well, we can’t really do that here in the traffic center, unless it’s a worst-of list of crashes, disasters and Metro train malfunctions. That wouldn’t be a very fun list!

Instead, we’ll re-post some interesting traffic blog pieces that you may have missed. This one is always relevant: A good tutorial on relaying traffic tips, so you can help us get the info out quickly, help the next guy or gal and hopefully get everyone home safe. Enjoy!

Tips for traffic tipsters

Tips from WTOP listeners are a big part of our reports. During any given eight-hour shift, the three people in the studio could end up fielding something like 200 tip calls, so that studio phone is constantly ringing.

I’ve organized the types of calls we get, and why I love them all:

• The Regulars: Folks who have been calling forever. Their tips are succinct, they are friendly, and generally know how to describe what they’re seeing. What’s not to love about these people?
• The Confused Helpers: These folks are always sweet, but almost never say where they are. These calls typically start out with, “There’s an accident traffic is jammed,” followed by something like a gas station or a fast food joint (but no roadway, direction, area), so it takes a bit of back-and-forth to get all of the information. I love these people because they want to help.
• The Talky-Helpers: The helpful spirit is there, but these folks will talk for 20 to 30 seconds before saying where the incident has occurred. Talky-Helpers are also lovable because they’re just nice! And helpful.
• The Angry Yellers: This is a diverse group. Mostly a little bit difficult to extract information from, because the primary reason for them calling is to say something mean to the reporter, especially in the case of us not knowing an incident has occurred. Sometimes we end up with a good tip from a Yeller, and sometimes they calm down when they realize that they can help the next guy or gal by getting the info to us. I love these people, mostly because they teach me new and creative ways to curse.

OK, so how can we become more like the regulars? It’s pretty easy! Have you ever heard a police scanner? If so, you might have noticed how the information is communicated in a bare-bones fashion. You might hear something like, “Inner Loop at Route 7, accident, two cars in the right lane” in the first transmission. That’s what we need when we pick up the phone. That way, if our reporter is 10 seconds away from going on the air, they can get the essential details of the incident right away.

Here are some tips to remember the next time you call the tip line:

• Give the location first (Northbound 95 at Route 100, Outer Loop before Route 7, etc.)
• What happened? Accident, construction, flooding, debris, etc.
• What’s blocked? How many lanes? Or what gets by?
• It can also be helpful to know if authorities are at the incident, because they might decide to block more lanes when they get there.
• If you’re using a Verizon or AT&T cellphone, dial #1035. That gets you right to the traffic studio. If you call 877-222-1035, you’ll get an automated menu that gives you several options, including traffic tips.
• Try not to get mad at us. We’re suffering through the rush hour right along with you, and we really are trying to get timely information out there to help as many people as we can.

Give us a shout on Twitter at @wtoptraffic if you have tips or questions. Keep calling and tweeting.