As all Long Islanders know, traffic can be unavoidable. Starting Tuesday, however, commuters will know exactly how long they'll have to sit in traffic on the Northern State Parkway.

The state Department of Transportation activated 12 Travel Time Signs on the Northern State Parkway Tuesday. Sensors along the parkway pick up vehicles' EZ Pass and calculate how long it will take to get from one point to another, the DOT said.

Some commuters expressed concern about the EZ Pass scanners, but the DOT did its best to quell those fears.

Subi Chakraborti, regional director of the New York State Department of Transportation, said personal information will be stored. Motorists speeding from one sign to another will not be ticketed, he said.

"Nobody will have access," Chakraborti said. "So people won't have to worry about their EZ Pass information getting to the government or anybody else."

If the project works out, the DOT plans on constructing Travel Time Signs on the Long Island Expressway and Southern State Parkway.