Verify Overall System Functionality and Hardware Compatibility Prior to V2X Transit Signal Priority Deployment
Utah Transit Authority Expanded Roadside Unit Deployment to Facilitate Expanded Transit Signal Priority Capability for Route 850 in Provo and Utah County, Utah
Provo, Utah, United States
Utah Connected
Summary Information
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) was awarded a FY 2018 Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant for seven projects under its Utah Connected initiative, including Transit Signal Priority (TSP). TSP facilitates the movement of buses through traffic-signal controlled intersections with the objective of reducing travel time and travel time variability. For this project, UDOT expanded its use of TSP to Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Route 850 in Provo. The goal was to improve Route 850’s on-time performance (OTP) and total travel time.
The UDOT project team identified several lessons learned as a result of the TSP deployment.
- Verify overall system functionality and “test drive” the system prior to deployment. UDOT found that hardware compatibility issues, differences among controller brands, variation in intersection geometry (MAP) data, etc. all necessitated troubleshooting.
- Validate Map Data Message (MAP) data in the field, especially before and after construction and lane reconfiguration.
- Define roles and expectations internally and with project partners via specific contract language, defined deliverables, and agreed upon performance metrics.
- Document deployment best practices or create deployment guidebooks so all individuals engaged in the effort understand project requirements. UDOT encountered challenges coordinating with individuals unfamiliar with the agency’s previous TSP deployment efforts and best practices.
