Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question that isn't answered here? Contact us and we'll do our best to answer it.


Contact Us
Cameras along the roadways are used for monitoring traffic and incidents or controlling the operations of traffic signals. Houston TranStar does not record video or save images from these cameras.
Offering live video over the Internet from our 1000+ cameras would require tremendous technical resources and diminish the level of service we are able to provide from the rest of our systems. Each media outlet has a single video feed from our system and can typically provide streaming video from only a single camera at a time.
Traffic signals are controlled by different agencies in the region depending upon the jurisdiction and roadway they are located on. Most signals within the Houston city limits are operated by the City of Houston while most signals in unincorporated areas of Harris County are operated by Harris County. The Texas Department of Transportation also operates a large number of signals in the region. These agencies can be contacted regarding signal problems at the following locations. A map of the many of the region's signals and their associated contacts is located here .
With the exception of camera snapshots, all of the traffic information shown on the website is updated every minute. Camera snapshots are updated approximately every three minutes.
To display speed and travel time information, our system requires that we install traffic sensor equipment along roadways. Roadways with the most traffic are selected for sensor installation first. Programs are currently underway to begin providing this information on major streets in the Houston region.
Houston TranStar offers some of its traffic information via RSS feeds which are available here. You are welcome to use the data in the feeds without obtaining permission as long as you follow the usage guidelines in the disclaimer. If you want to request additional access or data, you can contact us here.
Houston TranStar is composed of a number of agencies, each with their own employment opportunities. Links to each agency's employment information are listed below.

Houston TranStar uses several technologies to estimate the speeds and travel times found on the website. Read about them here.

The speed and travel time data on the map is collected by roadside sensors. Typically an outage on the map is caused by an interruption in the power source or communications network that the roadside sensors use. Outages are usually resolved fairly quickly but can last longer, particularly in cases where construction is involved.