Lessons learned during the three month pilot project in Texas included the following:
Pavement friction sensors should target travel lanes instead of shoulder areas where wet pavement can persist…
The MMDI set in motion an aggressive schedule of ITS deployment in four regions: San Antonio, Phoenix, Seattle, and New York City metropolitan area (which included parts of three states, New York,…
Traveler information is becoming increasingly important as travelers expect reliable, up-to-the-minute information on traffic conditions that may affect their commutes. San Antonio wanted to add…
One of the key decisions that an ITS implementing agency faces is the optimal level of distribution for the telecommunications system, ranging from a fully centralized system to a fully distributed…
An examination of databases and a sampling of locations reveal at least 12 metropolitan areas that are providing travel time messages on DMS. But at least 25 other metropolitan areas are gathering…
When implementing a new traffic information Web site, the technical staff should consider the likelihood of high usage of the system.
Prepare traveler information Web sites to accommodate high volume…
Institutional issues will seldom cause an ITS project to come to a halt, but they can significantly impact the implementation and deployment through increased costs and delayed schedules. The…
Formalizing the incident management effort existing in many cities into an incident management program can make incident management a core agency activity at senior executive levels and demonstrate a…
The Regional Traffic Incident Management Programs: Implementation Guide aims to explain general steps to implementation (with an institutional, rather than technical, focus), and is based on…
While no single approach can be prescribed for all incident management efforts, a flexible framework based on experiences from successful incident management programs in the United States can be…
There is some form of incident management activity in most major and many mid-sized urban areas. Typically this involves each agency carrying out its own responsibilities, with primarily working-…
The key to a successful interoperable transportation system is to integrate ITS via a systems engineering approach into all stages of planning, designing and deployment of transportation projects at…
The value of the MDI operations lay in the data that is generated by the equipment and systems involved. Data policy issues that have been reviewed and tackled by the MDI partners include resolving…
While institutional and legal impediments do exist, many of the barriers to successful ITS deployments and operations can be overcome with a consistently developed policy that has considered these…
An inflexible agency culture and organizational structure may lead to problems. Agency personnel may not accept new technologies or develop new ways of doing business, such as modifying the…
There is a continuing concern in the private sector that state or federal laws will require firms participating in public-private ITS partnerships to surrender valuable rights in intellectual…
Maximize emergency resources and response by utilizing Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) capabilities.
Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems relay the positions of emergency vehicles to a central…
Use signal timing plans appropriately:
Under periods of significant diversion, San Antonio’s incident response signal timing system offers substantial benefits. However, when diversion is low,…
The integration of ITS often requires the cooperation, if not the merging, of organizations representing different operating philosophies, priorities, budgets, and constituents.
Challenge local…
The benefits of integrated ITS systems are mathematically greater than the sum of the benefits of the systems individually.
Integrated systems can reduce delays, improve safety, and enhance customer…
All tests evaluating user response have arrived at a uniform conclusion that travelers will act based upon information from a trusted and well understood system that provides information of value.…
Actively manage incidents to improve safety and efficiency.
In the deployments studied, safety improvements such as reductions in secondary incidents, total number of incidents, and incident response…
Benefits
During the variable speed limit pilot in Texas, two safety benefits were observed.
Total number of crashes overall was reduced.
At two of the three sites there was a reduction in the…
Most notably, the Primo BRT system features a transit signal priority (TSP) solution that uses "virtual" GPS-based detection zones- the first of its kind in the U.S. The virtual detection zones are…
MethodologyA before and after study of crash data was used to evaluate the safety of the D-CS algorithm. The results were based on data for a 5-year "before" period and a 2-year "after" period,…
Advanced Traveler Information Systems that provide both static and dynamic information on arterial roadway conditions offer benefits in customer satisfaction and improved efficiency. In surveys…
RESULTS
With a 25 percent increase in congestion and a 15 percent driver compliance rate, the simulation model indicated the warning system would yield positive benefits in terms of reducing total…
Improvements to elements of San Antonio’s traveler information system included the installation of In-Vehicle Navigation (IVN) devices in vehicles operated by public agencies in the San Antonio area…
Improvements to elements of San Antonio’s traveler information system included improvements to an Internet Web site. The Web site provided freeway traffic information including incident locations,…
FINDINGS
Review of video surveillance data collected throughout 1995 indicated an average reduction in response time of 20 percent. This result compared responses to incidents recorded in the months…
The evaluation report detailed benefits information regarding the implementation of an incident management program with traveler information and dynamic message signs (DMS) along a freeway corridor…
The evaluation report detailed benefits information regarding the implementation of an incident management program with traveler information and dynamic message signs (DMS) along a freeway corridor…
The evaluation report contained benefits information regarding the implementation of dynamic message signs (DMS) along a freeway corridor. Overall, focus group studies indicated that customers were…
Improvements to elements of San Antonio’s traveler information system included improvements to an Internet Web site. The Web site provided freeway traffic information including incident locations,…
Improvements to elements of San Antonio’s traveler information system included the installation of In-Vehicle Navigation (IVN) devices in vehicles operated by public agencies in the San Antonio area…
The evaluation report detailed benefits information regarding the implementation of an incident management program with dynamic message signs (DMS) along a freeway corridor and traffic signal timing…
FINDINGSReview of video surveillance data collected throughout 1995 indicated an average reduction in response time of 20 percent. This result compared responses to incidents recorded in the months…
FINDINGSSurvey results reported in the paper indicate improvements in driver confidence with the traveler information available to them after the implementation of TransGuide. Periodic surveys taken…
FINDINGSThe first phase of the TransGuide system includes dynamic message signs, lane control signs, loop detectors, video surveillance cameras, and a communication network covering the 26…
In 2014, acting on a ruling by the Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) a Variable Speed Limit (VSL) pilot program was implemented. The pilot…
In June 2012 USDOT finalized Version 3.0 of the Best Practices for Road Weather Management report. This report contains 27 case studies of systems in 22 states that improve roadway operations under…
In June 2012 USDOT finalized Version 3.0 of the Best Practices for Road Weather Management report. This report contains 27 case studies of systems in 22 states that improve roadway operations under…
In June 2012 USDOT finalized Version 3.0 of the Best Practices for Road Weather Management report. This report contains 27 case studies of systems in 22 states that improve roadway operations under…
As part of the San Antonio TransGuide Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI) program, in-vehicle navigation (IVN) units were deployed to enhance traveler information systems and improve…
The US DOT ITS Joint Program Office evaluated seven projects that implemented ITS at highway-rail crossings. Among the seven projects five functions were tested:
Second train warning
Four-…
The Advanced Warning for Railroad Delays (AWARD) project was implemented as part of the San Antonio, Texas, Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI). The project consisted of Doppler radar and…
The LifeLink project was deployed to provide improved emergency service in the San Antonio, Texas area. LifeLink is an advanced application of telemedicine. The system supports voice and video…
In San Antonio, Texas, an integrated freeway/incident management system was developed as part of a freeway expansion project. The project covered a 28.9-mile stretch of I-10, I-410, and US 281 in the…