ALBERTA
By Donna Lee, Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation
As reported in this newsletter previously, construction of Alberta's Road Weather Information System (RWIS) was launched in April 2005. Twenty-five stations were successfully installed and operating during the 2005/06 winter season. The next phase is to build another thirty stations for 2006/07. Transport Canada is contributing $652,000 to the first phase of this ten-year multi-million dollar project as part of the national RWIS initiative.
Under the Canada-Alberta contribution agreement for ITS General Deployments, Alberta has equipped another 160+ private contractor snowplows with Automated Vehicle Location Systems (AVLS) and will begin rolling out a custom-built automated billing system in October 2006 that will take the outsourced maintenance work to another level of efficiency.
Another project that is being cost-shared with Transport Canada under the ITS General Deployments agreement is the commercial vehicle electronic pre-clearance system using Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology. Alberta will deploy AVI technology at twelve vehicle inspection stations for commercial vehicle pre-clearance, six of which will be cost-shared with Transport Canada.
The project will enable electronic bypass of low-risk commercial vehicles using vehicle-mounted transponders and AVI readers. This ITS solution will enhance the efficiency and productivity of commercial vehicle operations, and allow the refocus of government resources on higher-risk vehicles. Construction will commence in spring 2006 and is expected to be completed by late summer 2006.
Demonstrating the diversity of ITS activities and with funding support from Transport Canada's ITS Research and Development (R&D) program, Alberta has initiated two ITS R&D projects with the University of Calgary. One project is entitled Optimal Deployment Strategy for Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) Utilization.
The objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of safety messages on DMS and whether strategies can be modified to enhance the messages' impact on drivers. Speed and driver behaviours are being monitored to measure the effects.
The other R&D project is entitled Optimal Deployment Strategy for Intersection Safety Cameras. While there are currently no intersection safety (“red light”) cameras on provincial highways, there may be potential of using such ITS technologies to enhance intersection safety. The University of Calgary works with the Edmonton Police Service to develop an optimal strategy (duration and location) to rotate the limited, expensive resource of 28 cameras around 60 camera-ready locations. The research team will determine from collision statistics and driver behaviours whether the strategy will have a lasting beneficial influence while maximizing the use of a limited resource.
The two R&D projects are funded by three partners: 50 percent from Transport Canada, 25 percent from Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation, and 25 percent from the Centre for Transportation Engineering and Planning (C-TEP). The final reports for both R&D projects are expected to be completed by mid-April 2006.
Alberta is also in discussion with Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation to jointly build a prototype of a remote control weigh station at an existing unattended weigh scale near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The project is to use existing and proven technologies such as video cameras, message sign boards and high-speed Internet to remotely monitor and operate unattended vehicle inspection stations from a distant office. The pilot project is a proof of concept for an efficient and less costly alternative for operating weigh stations. Construction of the prototype is scheduled to start in spring 2006.
ALBERTA
By Ryan Vanderputten, City of Calgary
The City of Calgary has been extremely active in implementing many projects outlined in their ITS Strategic Plan. Some of the recent project highlights are as follows.
Highway Advisory Radio (HAR)
As part of Calgary’s traveller information initiative, the City launched its first Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) system in April 2006. Initially proposed to inform motorists of localized construction information for a large three-year construction project, the system has the ability to cover almost 25 percent of Calgary’s broadcast area. Information such as real-time construction delays, lane closures, collisions and other incidents can now be provided to motorists while in their vehicle. This supplements the existing system currently available on the web (www.calgary.ca/trafficinfo). A formal evaluation study will be undertaken later in the year.
Intelligent Work Zone
As part of the Glenmore Trail Corridor Project, an Intelligent Work Zone system has been deployed to monitor traffic conditions within the construction zone and to disseminate information as required to the public via dynamic message signs. The project uses video-based traffic data collection and is coordinated through the Traffic Management Centre.
Transit Trip Planning
In March 2006, Calgary Transit launched its new online transit trip planning tool (http://tripplanning.calgarytransit.com). Customers can enter where they wish to go and where they will be leaving from and receive up to five itineraries on how to travel there by Calgary Transit bus or CTrain. Also included in the itineraries will be the schedule times of when to leave, the time they will arrive at their destination and any transfer connections they will need to make, as well as the duration of their trip. Along with trip planning information, customers can find the closest bus stops to where they live, work or play and route schedules that will provide times for a single stop, the main time points or all stops along the route.
ePayment
Recently formed as a subcommittee to the ITS Coordination Committee, the ePayment Working Group’s purpose is to ensure communication between various departmental ePayment projects and efforts, and to investigate and make recommendations for a corporate-wide ePayment strategy. One current project underway is testing the use of cell phones (text messaging) for transit fares.
ITS Strategic Plan Update
The City’s ITS Strategic Plan was approved by City Council in September 2003. To ensure that ITS investments are appropriate for the stakeholders’ needs, an update to the Strategic Plan will be undertaken in 2006. The objective of the update is to confirm stakeholder needs and refine the deployment program (projects prioritization, organizational structure and cost estimates).
SASKATCHEWAN
By Ted Stobbs, Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation
The Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation is working together with the City of Regina and SGI to install Variable Message Board Signs along Regina's Ring-Road/Highway 1. These signs will be used to warn motorists of hazardous situations and provide general information.
The Department's Northern Region has installed three ADDCO Brick signs on Highway 2 north of Prince Albert, Highway 55 east of Prince Albert, and Highway 3 west of Prince Albert for the purposes of communicating road condition information such as road closures due to northern forest fires, flooding/washouts, as well as extreme weather conditions such as wind/snow/ice. Prince Albert considers itself as the gateway to Northern Saskatchewan. It is a gateway to northern tourism such as hunting, fishing and northern lakes; it is also a transportation hub for forestry and mining.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation has implemented a network of thermistors to assist in decisions on when spring weight restrictions should be placed on the thin membrane highway network. There are 16 thermistor sites located strategically in different geographic and climatic areas across the province. The thermistors are placed under the surface to a depth of two metres. The sensors are placed at various increments, from 60 cm apart at the bottom to 5 cm apart near the surface. As the temperature profile changes in the spring and frost leaves the grade, decision makers will implement spring weight restrictions to reduce the thaw-related damage to non-structural roads, with consideration for minimizing the cost and inconvenience to industry.
The City of Regina is continuing work on a multi-year traffic signal upgrade. The upgrade work includes the replacement of the City’s old traffic controllers and cabinets with NEMA TS2 Type 1 NTCIP-compliant units. Additionally, the City is replacing an old central software system with a new central server, including software and hardware. The new controllers, cabinets and software will increase the reliability of the system and afford the City the opportunity to re-time the entire signal corridor to be more reflective of current traffic trends.
To complement the new system, the City is also upgrading the communications system to the traffic controllers to a user-owned system. The City is using existing City-owned copper cabling in the downtown core area and is investigating the use of wireless devices for the remainder of the traffic controllers.
Stage II of the overall upgrade is the installation of significant numbers of non-intrusive detection devices to aid in making the traffic system more responsive and more efficient. Approximately 85 percent of the City's intersections will make use of either video or microwave detection. Due to the installation of vehicle detection, the City is also adding pedestrian push buttons at the majority of intersections to provide pedestrians with a way to let the controller know they are there. With the use of detection, the City anticipates a more adaptive system that will allow more flexibility than in a fixed time system.
The final piece of the overall system upgrade is the addition of optical fire pre-emption devices along many of the key corridors throughout the City. Fire pre-emption is a welcome addition and more convenient to add because of the new control equipment. The bulk of the work is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.
Virtual Weigh-In-Motion
The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with International Road Dynamics (IRD) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), has been awarded cost-shared funding from Transport Canada under the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Research and Development Plan, part of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP). The contribution agreement will allow the City of Saskatoon to install two Virtual Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) Systems in the City and enable further research and development on the application and use of the systems.
A Virtual WIM System is a tool to monitor vehicle weights and dimensions at full highway speeds. The system captures an image of those vehicles that are overweight for further inspection, allowing compliant vehicles to proceed uninterrupted.
The data collected from the system can be incorporated into asset management and truck route optimization programs to protect investment in the city’s road infrastructure.
The new systems will enable further enhancement of the video technology to include license plate readers and create customized reporting. The project will also allow continued research by evaluating the relationship between enforcement strategy, effort and effectiveness in an urban environment. These systems are a unique approach to monitoring commercial vehicle weights in an urban environment, and Saskatoon is becoming a showcase for such technology.
The total cost of the project is $452,000; Transport Canada's share is $226,000.
MANITOBA
By Ed Pacholok, City of Winnipeg
The City of Winnipeg is continuing in the process of implementing its traffic signal management system (TSMS). The system has been operating on a number of traffic control signals. Together with this system, the City is using wireless technology to communicate between traffic signals and the TSMS. The city is testing the implementation of video and radar vehicle detection equipment as an alternative to loop detection technology.
Traffic signals assets and information (e.g., traffic signal timing plans, controller type, maintenance schedule, etc.) continue to be converted to an information management system based on a GIS-T platform. Once completed, this data will be linked and analyzed, together with other traffic-related data such as collisions and traffic volumes.
ONTARIO
By Tom AppaRao, Region of Peel
The Peel Region Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) was developed last year, which included a recommendation on ITS in its Implementation Section. Also, Regional Council adopted the Regional Official Plan Amendment 16, representing a major update of transportation policies. ROPA 16 includes policies that promote the use of ITS.
LRTP and ROPA 16 documents are available at http://peelregion.ca/planning/transportation/LRTP/index.htm
By Doug MacKay, Region of Durham
The Region of Durham recently completed an ITS Strategic Plan for the purpose of setting the direction, pace and priorities of ITS investments in the Region. The deployment plan reflects an aggressive but achievable plan over a 10 year period, in a co-ordinated and focused manner. Initially, ITS elements were deployed in a random fashion, without the benefit of planning or integration. From this point forward, the Region is well positioned to continue deploying ITS projects, taking advantage of the availability of both public and alternate funding.
The Region's Traffic Operations Centre (TOC) opened in 2005 to house not only the Traffic Control Centre, but also all field services, in one building. Regional forces are responsible for not only administrating various programs, but the design and maintenance of all traffic control signals in the Region.
Fleet vehicles, including pavement marking equipment, are operated from the TOC. Another unique feature of the TOC is that it houses one of the few municipally-owned sign manufacturing facilities in Ontario.
The Region of Durham is planning a number of major ITS initiatives. In 2006, we expect to significantly expand the municipally-owned underground infrastructure, including fibre optic communication media. Our significant data management program will also expand with an expected consolidation in 2006. Another major work area of significance is that to support emergency management, specifically with regard to the two nuclear generating stations in Durham.
ONTARIO
By Steve Erwin, Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Total Monitoring Station Study
Monitoring traffic and weather conditions for remote areas can be an expensive proposition – both for installing the equipment and for ongoing communications costs.
To address this, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, in partnership with the ENTERPRISE Group, Transport Canada and York Region, and with the services of Delcan, undertook an evaluation of the new digital PCS wireless 1xRTT technology in 2003-04. Based on the promising results of this evaluation, it was decided to couple this technology with solar power to evaluate their potential to support a Total Monitoring Station (TMS) to provide traffic and visibility information.
Highway 21 in Kincardine, Ontario, made an ideal location to evaluate the effectiveness of the station, since frequent poor visibility conditions caused by drifting snow occur on this section of the highway.
The study is demonstrating that wireless (1xRTT) combined with solar power is a flexible, portable, faster and economical alternative for deploying TMS stations. While additional development is needed to fully operationalize the technology and interpret the visibility monitors, it shows great promise. Further information on the study is available by contacting Henry.Wong@mto.gov.on.ca or at Tel 416-235-3850.
ITS Integration
Growth continues to place greater and greater strain on the transportation network in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton (GTAH), as it does in most major urban centres. The resulting congestion reduces quality of life and makes the economy less productive.
ITS plays a major role in current efforts to manage the movement of people and goods, with systems such as COMPASS and traffic signal control systems playing an important part in moving traffic effectively – but more can be done to make cross-boundary movements more efficient and to integrate different services such as transit, traffic, maintenance and emergency response.
Discussions are underway among the various governments in the GTAH to look at how ITS services can be better integrated, and to assess what the benefits might be. The study will be co-funded by Transport Canada, through the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
NEW BRUNSWICK
By Trevor Hanson, New Brunswick Department of Transportation
Weigh-in-Motion
The New Brunswick Department of Transportation completed the installation of two mainline pre-clearance weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems on the Trans Canada highway in the fall of 2005, bringing the total number of mainline systems in the province to three. The systems are located at Longs Creek (eastbound), Deerwood (westbound) and Salisbury (westbound), and operate in conjunction with the existing scale facilities at these locations. The Deerwood and Salisbury installations were co-funded by Transport Canada under the Intelligent Transportation Systems component of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
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Weigh-in-motion in New Brunswick
(photo courtesy of New Brunswick Department of Transportation)
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Update on Rural ITS Research
Work is progressing well on projects undertaken through the National Rural ITS Research Program. The National Rural ITS Research Program was established through a contribution agreement with Transport Canada and the Province of New Brunswick in September 2004, and includes a partnership with the University of New Brunswick's Transportation Group. Transport Canada's funding comes from the Intelligent Transportation Systems component of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
Projects that are complete or nearing completion include those in the area of work zone safety, traveller information and highway condition data collection. There are four ongoing projects, including two rail safety projects (one highway/rail intersection technology project and a switch safety project) and two commercial vehicle operation-related projects.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
By Doug Shea, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Transportation and Works
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, represented by the Department of Transportation and Works in partnership with Transport Canada, have completed the installation of 18 Road Weather Information System (RWIS) sites on the National Highway System within the province. The sites are presently operational. The province has a three-year agreement with AMEC Earth and Environmental to provide weather forecast services from the information gathered at these sites. Maintenance personnel throughout the province have access to the information and forecasts through Internet and voice communications in order to carry out winter maintenance activities on the provincial highway network.
An update to the Department of Transportation and Works – Transportation GIS (GIS-T) Implementation Plan has been completed. The updated plan has been submitted to Transport Canada for funding. Negotiations are presently ongoing, with an agreement anticipated soon.
Variable message signage is being investigated for the southwestern area of the island of Newfoundland, commonly known as “Wreckhouse”. This area is located approximately 20 kilometers west of Port aux Basques on a stretch of flat land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Range Mountains. Winds can range from 90 km/hour to over 200 km/hour in this area.
YUKON
By Wally Hidinger, Government of Yukon
The Yukon Government has five projects in the planning or delivery stages:
1. Remote Data Gathering
