Good Question: Can anyone access Department of Transportation traffic cameras?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This good question is about something we show you in our newscasts every day, our traffic cameras.

We’ve officially had our first couple of snowfalls of the season and we know more is coming. So, one viewer wrote to us asking about a tool we use to make sure you are prepared for your commute.

You’ve seen us use it during every morning newscast, our First Alert Camera Network. Those are cameras all around the region, including overlooking the Irondequoit Bridge and the West Side over 390.

We have more than 20 of them that you see on our air every day and there are more than 130 of them monitoring roadways across the area.

A viewer named David wanted to know: “can anyone pull up the traffic cameras that you use for your newscasts?”

Yes! The cameras that we use are accessible to the public. It’s a service provided by the New York State Department of Transportation. You might notice the 511 logo on your screen whenever a camera is used. That’s the state’s website where you can access the camera feeds from home.

The website allows you to filter by region, county, and roadways to see how your drive is looking before you leave the house.

It’s a good resource for us to share with you and for you to use at home if you want to check on your own morning commute, especially on days like today when we are seeing flakes flying.

If you have a good question, send it to us at goodquestion@whec.com