ITS Strategic Planning

Although intelligent transportation systems are no longer considered new technologies to most provinces and municipalities, incorporating them into the overall work program is relatively new when compared to core functions such as road construction and maintenance. Some agencies have mature ITS systems and a solid understanding of the various facets of the industry, and are therefore able to budget accordingly, while others may not yet fully understand ITS or are just realizing that some of their work does fall within the ITS user services, of which there are eight (as defined by the ITS Architecture for Canada):

1. Traveller Information
2. Traffic Management
3. Public Transport
4. Electronic Payment
5. Commercial Vehicle Operations
6. Emergency Management
7. Vehicle Safety and Control Systems
8. Information Warehousing

As more technology is deployed across the different aspects of transportation, it becomes important to develop strategies to guide the overall development. Benefits can be derived from harnessing the integration of technology and information. Even at the outset of technology development, transportation authorities can benefit from developing an ITS Strategic Plan.

An ITS Strategic Plan is a planning document that coordinates the efforts of the local road agency with the various other road users within a defined geographical area. The plan may go so far as to identify ITS elements as part of a jurisdiction’s annual transportation improvement program. Other plans may only provide a general concept and direction.

Many of the technologically mature municipalities and provinces in Canada have initiated ITS Strategic Plans:

Copies of ITS Strategic Plans available for viewing:

Province of British Columbia – view website or read the report (PDF)
Province of Alberta – read the report (PDF)
    – City of Calgary, Alberta – view website
    – City of Edmonton, Alberta – view website
Province of Saskatchewan – read the report (PDF)
Province of Ontario – view website or read the report (draft PDF)
Atlantic Region – view New Brunswick website, or read the report (PDF)

However, like many advanced concepts and programs, some agencies may be reluctant to embrace ITS or question the need for an ITS Strategic Plan. The goal of the Strategic Plan is to set the direction, pace, and priorities of transportation technology deployment. It is important to move away from planning ITS projects in isolation, and toward coordinated project implementation. This can be accomplished through the development of an integrated vision (the ITS Strategic Plan) for the transportation system. This strategic vision will guide the application of technology toward a fully integrated system that has maximized the use of information technology.

An ITS Strategic Plan is similar to a transportation master plan. During development, stakeholders are brought together to scope out the direction of the program and determine how best to manage the infrastructure. In almost all cases, the transportation authority requires the assistance of a consultant to assist in facilitating the number of stakeholder meetings required to draw out ideas, problems and opportunities. This is the first major component of the ITS Strategic Plan.

The second major task of the planning exercise is to define the logical and physical architectures, which represents the roadmap for how all the various ITS elements can be related and can work together in one major infrastructure without redundancy. The development process itself helps educate stakeholders on the complex set of relationships that are needed to create a robust transportation network.

There is a substantial cost associated with the development of an ITS Strategic Plan. For budget purposes the transportation authority, who is usually the lead agency and fronts the cost, should identify a minimum of $150,000 in their road program for this study. To complete the ITS Strategic Plan, a minimum of ten months is required.

While each individual ITS project can offer benefits of its own, the achievement of increased benefits is possible with integration across functional, modal or jurisdictional boundaries. An ITS strategic plan can help support such integration by identifying ITS initiatives that can be developed to support broader regional needs.

To assist transportation authorities in defining the scope of work, an RFP template has been created by Transport Canada. This template can be modified by the agency to reflect the specific needs of its geographical area.

Template Terms of Reference for ITS Strategic Planning (PDF)