DECEMBER 2003
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YAHOO! COME TO ALBERTA IN MAY!
Bringing People and Transportation Technology Together Safely:
Telematics, Human Factors and Safety
Calgary – May 9 to 11, 2004
Reported by the Calgary Local Arrangements Committee
The venue for the next ITS Canada Annual Conference is the Hyatt Regency in the heart of downtown Calgary. Hyatt Regency Calgary is incorporated into the redevelopment of the entire city block that includes the new Telus Convention Centre and the restoration of several heritage buildings. The hotel’s architecture includes features that are characteristic of the adjacent heritage buildings, with sandstone, signature roof profiles, historic window patterns and other rich exterior features. This downtown location sits at the intersection of Centre Street and the Historic Stephen Avenue Walk, and within walking distance of the city’s attractions.
The technical program is shaping up to provide members with a mix of research, planning, and deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems. Our conference theme, "Bringing People and Transportation Technology Together Safely", is the genesis of an exciting technical program. Our "Call for Speakers" has been published, so we encourage those of you who have interesting ITS projects to join us in Calgary to present them.
In addition to technical sessions, we are exploring several opportunities for technical tours including a national Rail Control Center, full sized driving simulator, and the Transit Control Center. As in the past, these tours will be provided on Sunday prior to the Annual General Meeting.
The conference will be supplemented with an exhibition that will provide you with information on the latest technology and expertise in the ITS industry. For more information on speaking, exhibiting or sponsoring, please visit the conference page or contact ITS Canada at via e-mail at askus@itscanada.ca.
ITS CANADA MISSION TO THE 10TH WORLD CONGRESS
By all accounts, the mission to the 10th World Congress held November 16 to 20, 2003, in Madrid, Spain, was a resounding success. ITS Canada was represented by Chairman Joseph Lam, and several members participated in the exhibition booth which achieved its objective of presenting a uniform Canadian look. Mission participants were very pleased with the well coordinated, custom design, and visitors to the booth provided many positive comments on the professional appearance of the booth. On Monday, after the opening of the main exhibition, Alain Dudoit, Canada’s Ambassador to Spain who is based in Madrid hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open ITS Canada’s booth, along with special guest The Honourable Sammy Vellu, Minister of Public Works of Malaysia, and ITS Canada’s Chairman Joseph Lam.
"The ITS World Congress was a successful event for IRD," reported Greg Walls of International Road Dynamics, "and we have made important new contacts and generated sales opportunities as a result of the show. Our participation in the ITS Canada booth was valuable because it enabled us to have a more professional looking booth at similar or lesser cost than had we done it on our own, and of course the interaction with other ITS members was also appreciated. I think the booth was well done and should be considered again for other major events."
"Applanix Corporation was pleased to be part of the newly designed ITS Canada booth at Madrid," reported Rob McCuaig, Manager of Business Development Land Products of Applanix. "Whether it be Sydney, Australia, Chicago, U.S.A., or Madrid, Spain, the interest in and challenges of ITS continue to grow. Applanix had the opportunity to reconnect or meet with more than 60 knowledgeable and/or interested delegates at the conference. The work of Colin Rayman, Robert Bruce and the contribution of Joe Lam contributed to a well received Canadian exhibit."
With more than 6,000 in attendance, there was good representation from around the world, and this was evident at ITS Canada’s reception held on Monday, November 17.
The reception venue was the Terraza del Restaurante Samarkanda at Atocha Station, one of Madrid’s two main train stations. Located in the southern area of Madrid not far from the city centre, this restored old railway station was built in 1892 for the Rothschilds who controlled the development of the railways at that time.
Made of steel and glass, the building has been stylishly converted into tropical gardens under glass with its elegant first-floor restaurant, where the event was held. The station provides long-haul service to the eastern and southern areas of Spain, as well as a high-speed train that goes to Andalusia.
"The reception was well attended, as seen in the photo above, and provided excellent networking value," reported Colin Rayman, ITS Canada’s General Manager. "Those new to the World Congress appreciated the opportunity to meet with fellow Canadians as well as other delegates from around the world." ITS Canada maintained our reputation for good hospitality, and provided an excellent venue to meet new contacts and enhance existing relationships.
Official hosts of ITS Canada’s reception were Ambassador Alain Dudoit, Susan Spencer, Director of Transport Canada’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Office, and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.
REPORTS FROM THE 10TH WORLD CONGRESS
As part of ITS Canada’s Awareness Building Program, travel subsidies were provided for three Canadian public sector individuals employed by organizations which are Corporate Members of ITS Canada. Below are reports from recipients.
Reported by Jemay Zheng, TransLink, Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority
The 10th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems in Madrid, Spain, brought together the international ITS community to share ideas and new developments. By most measures, the Congress was a great success.
As a paying delegate as well as staff working in the ITS Canada booth a few hours every day, I had opportunities to talk with many European and international delegates, and to meet the leaders and innovators from the ITS world. Members participating in our booth included Applanix, Delcan, EIS, and IBI, IRD, along with Transport Canada and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. During the Congress, our booth attracted significant interest from visitors, and all participants showed great interest in Canadian technologies. At the ITS Canada reception night, I was able to extend our hospitality to the people that I met at the trade show, and to talk in a relaxed atmosphere. Thanks to ITS Canada for providing such a valuable opportunity to network with colleagues in the ITS community! I enjoyed visiting other ITS booths in the exhibit hall, having an interesting peek at existing deployments as well as a look into technologies that we will have in the near future. It is evident that many aspects and systems of ITS have moved beyond the vision and the research stages, and more and more useful and useable products are reaching the market.
Other than the exhibition, the Congress covered a vast array of technical subjects. My two areas of primary focus are related to electronic tolling and multi-model traffic control and management. As you are aware, TransLink is currently assessing a number of ITS applications, such as electronic tolling and smart cards, for future use. It was interesting to see that some impressive multi-stakeholder, multi-application smart cards had been tested and implemented in Europe, which is moving from compatibility toward interoperability.
Also, there appeared to be increasing interest in GPS-based toll systems because of the low cost of road infrastructure. Further, the ITS convergence of computing capability and wireless communications seemed to result in the development of the vehicle as a mobile "information portal" with access to multi-media functions for travel and tourism data, as well as business functions, including e-mail and Internet.
The Strategic Planning Department of TransLink is responsible for the management and administration of activities related to the planning, development and funding of the major road network in the Greater Vancouver Area. We participate in various transportation studies and projects to identify future transportation network requirements, conduct studies to analyse strategic policy issues, identify transportation priorities, and research the application of new technologies for the regional multi-modal transportation system. To monitor the performance of the regional transportation system, we are responsible for establishing key performance indicators, developing ongoing data collection programs, and co-ordinating the data gathering activities. All these require us to constantly seek the opportunity to apply the latest technology and management techniques that would optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of our current transportation system. I believe that my experience at this Congress, as well as the contacts I have made, will ultimately assist TransLink as we move forward to analyze future ITS options.
During the Congress, I had opportunities to talk in Chinese to a number of Chinese delegates. I feel the attitude in China is very positive towards ITS and the potential is enormous. With over 157 cities that have a population greater than 1 million and with the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, there will be lots of transportation projects for years to come. I wish to use my knowledge, my years of working experience in transportation engineering and my great efforts to make them happen. Again, thanks to ITS Canada for its financial contribution in relation to my attendance to this Congress. It is valuable both professionally and personally.
Reported By Lisa Maasland, City of Toronto
Lisa Maasland at ITS Canada’s Booth at the WC
ITS Canada’s goals in offering the travel subsidy to public servants were certainly achieved by myself during my attendance at the 10th ITS World Congress in Madrid. It was indeed a learning experience to see the variety of ITS systems available and in use internationally. My awareness of the benefits and importance of ITS was broadened as I realized that some of the technologies are becoming standard practice for traffic control within large urban areas.
As a Senior Systems Engineer at the Toronto Traffic Management Centre, I am mainly concerned with the day-to-day computer system issues we face with our traffic signal control systems, traffic database applications, and corridor traffic control system (RESCU). I don’t as a rule come in contact with the wide variety of ITS systems on the market today. Tours around the exhibit hall impressed upon me how much development is going on in this field of engineering and technology.
I had the opportunity to present the City of Toronto’s Red Light Camera System in a Special Session entitled "ITS and Automated Violation Enforcement" moderated by ITS America. I was part of a panel of five speakers which included Miguel d’Escoto (Chicago Commissioner of Transportation), John Horsley (Executive Director, American Association of State Highways Officials), and representatives from The Netherlands and Britain. It was a new and invigorating experience for me to speak with such a distinguished group of people.
I enjoyed working in the ITS Canada booth as an ITS Canada representative. The many conversations with the Canadian exhibitors in the ITS Canada booth have broadened my appreciation for the challenges faced by Canadian companies in both national and international markets. As a direct result of these interactions, one of these companies is going to modify their software to make their product compatible to Toronto’s environment.
As well, upon my return to Toronto, I visited the University of Toronto’s ITS Centre. Within a week, Dave Ashton, City of Toronto’s Waterloo co-op student, and University of Toronto students had successfully created the software and hardware links needed to obtain real-time data from Toronto’s RESCU system. I hope the students who study our data will be able to make some valuable contributions to improving Toronto’s traffic flow issues.
My thanks to ITS Canada for awarding me with the travel subsidy to attend the 10th World ITS Congress in Madrid. The additional efforts by William Johnson and Paul Frigon made it possible for me to use the travel subsidy.
Reported by Mario Ouellet, Meteorological Service of Canada
At the opening session on Monday, it was reported that there are about 40,000 road fatalities per year in Europe with 1.3B€ in damage, and the goal of EU is to reduce road accidents by 50% by 2010. The business case is not always present to justify active systems like an electronic stability program even though studies have demonstrated that ESP reduces accidents by 15 to 20%. An enormous amount is invested into R&D and the return on investment is not always favourable. For now, people will choose leather seats and cruise control over sophisticated safety systems, because they are expensive and do not appear indispensable.
Many of the American presentations referred to legal and IP issues, the rights of citizens, and their aversion to being monitored. By contrast, most presentations from European and Asian countries talked about ways in which ITS technology can make their roads safer. In the United States, 43,000 deaths per year occur (almost the same proportion as for the EU) with three million injured and an annual cost of $200 billion U.S. The goal is to go from 1.5 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled to 1.0 by 2008, with key collaboration in the transportation sector, automotive industry, and public/private sector.
In 1999, 300 separate information numbers existed in the U.S. for traveler information which are being replaced with the implementation of 511, now deployed in 14 states and available to 45,000 people. The UK has a similar telephone program using 2222, with each call costing about 1 or 1.5€ for the user. In the area of driver distraction, as of December 2003, it will be illegal to use mobile phone in the UK without a hands free system.
In Spain, with a population of 40 million and 4.5 million vehicles, and with 50 million tourists per year (25% of all cars), the goal is to reduce casualties by 15% in 3 years. Speed, alcohol, drugs, and driver distraction remain leading causes of accidents, and these must be addressed. In the Netherlands, automatic systems are 99.75% effective at reading plates of speeders. When captured by a camera, a "finger print" of each car is made. At the next camera, the finger prints are matched, speed calculated, and tickets are delivered to speeders within three days.
Car manufacturers in Europe are developing "infotainment" systems, with the market forecasted to grow from $2 billion in 2002 to $9 billion in 2010. The trend is to cluster equipment around one screen and the steering wheel. Advanced driver assistance includes adaptive cruise control, collision warning, lane departure, parking aids and electrical emergency braking. One issue: since electronics can sometimes handle situations much better than a human can, how will the human react?
Holland is now using second-generation equipment for road weather information. The main goals are quality of life and freight transport. Road surface conditions are measured by conductivity; the station also measures temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and wind. DYNO (Dynamic Road Lighting), considered an ITS application, functions at 20% power (dimmed) under normal weather conditions. Under adverse conditions (like thick fog), the system goes up to 100%.
At the closing ceremonies, it was noted that the industry has not come as far in 10 years as we had hoped for. With 40,000 people killed in Europe each year, this is equal one large aircraft crash per day, or one September 11th tragedy every two months. We shouldn’t be complacent, but customers are not yet willing to buy into the technology.
Comments from Mission Participants
"Speaking on behalf of the Canadian ATLANTIC network," said William Johnson, an ITS Canada Director and Coordinator, Canadian ATLANTIC Network, "I am very pleased with the outcome of our participation in the 10th ITS World Congress in Madrid. It was a very good opportunity to meet and interact with colleagues and partners from other countries who are also involved in the international ATLANTIC network. The Congress provided us with a means to present our activities and findings to a global audience at well attended sessions. We were also able to meet with our partners on the margins of the Congress to discuss plans to continue our cooperative ITS research and development activities. As a participant in the ITS Canada booth, we had profile in the exhibition hall and the accompanying literature. All things considered, the Congress was a very worthwhile investment of our time and effort. Thanks are due to ITS Canada for organizing and leading a very successful mission to the 10th World Congress."
ITS CANADA SIGNS MOU WITH ITS FRANCE
French Representatives Visit Ontario and Quebec
The French Embassy and the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) hosted 120 participants from France and Quebec in Montreal on November 27. Attendees represented a good balance of enterprise and government representatives, primarily from MTQ. Objectives of the attendees from France included networking with key industry players who will be issuing contracts. Both French and Canadian participants were keen to develop partnership opportunities. Bertrand Fournier presented opening remarks on behalf of Jean Couture, MTQ Assistant Deputy Minister for ITS development in Quebec. Richard Tremblay, Directeur général adjoint of the Ministère du Développement économique et régional, also presented. Georges Dobias, President of ITS France, made clear his interest in strategic planning, as MTQ is currently developing a strategic plan and France does not yet have one. On November 28, the French participated in a site tour of the Montreal Freeway Traffic Management Centre (Le centre de gestion autoroute de Montreal).
Several ITS Canada members also participated in the France-Ontario Exchange held December 1 and 2, 2003, in Toronto. The theme was "Innovative Transit and Transportation Technologies". The Minister Counsellor Economic and Commercial from the French Embassy, Jean-Charles Rouher, welcomed 116 participants from France and Canada to the event on the morning of December 1, followed by guest speakers Harinder Takhar, Ontario Minister of Transportation, and Dominique Bussereau, the French Minister for Transport and Sea. Eleven French companies and institutions participated in the event. Ontario participants included representatives from Transport Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, agencies such as the Canadian Urban Transit Association and ITS Canada, municipalities, engineering companies and manufacturers, consultants, and researchers.
Minister Takhar remarked that Ontario transportation faces tremendous pressures from growth and congestion, and that technology is the key to solutions.
Mr. Bussereau noted that the high participation of French companies in Canada, being the second largest investor and having 60,000 employees (many in transportation), denotes confidence in the Canadian economy and a mutual desire to strengthen trans-Atlantic bonds. Common goals include sustainable development, road safety and intelligent transportation development. Innovative transportation holds an essential place in growth and development of both economies, with public-private partnerships bringing together business and government. The Ministers signed a reciprocal licensing agreement, allowing residents moving between France and Ontario to officially exchange valid driver’s licences without having to take knowledge and road tests in their new jurisdiction.
In their speeches, both ministers referred to the Memorandum of Understanding being signed by ITS Canada and ITS France, and were on hand for the signing. Joseph Lam, Chairman of ITS Canada, and Georges Dobias, President of ITS France, signed the document which was then witnessed by Ministry of Transportation officials from both countries. The MOU will encourage relationships in areas where each country is a specialist, and will help to evolve new partnerships. Mr. Dobias noted that contactless fare collection via one million smart cards has been introduced in France, as well as an integrated system of electronic toll collection on all highways and online ticket purchase for inter-urban rail.
Following the signing of the MOU, the opening plenary included David Guscott, Deputy Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and Michael Roschlau, President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, who reviewed the current trends, issues and major projects in Ontario. Joe Lam and Georges Dobias spoke about intelligent transportation systems in Canada and France, reviewing trends, challenges and achievements. The opening plenary was then followed by breakout workshops. In the afternoon, fifty-five one-on-one business matching meetings were organized between Ontario and French companies. On December 2, our French visitors participated in two separate tours: the first touring TTC facilities, and the second visiting City of Toronto’s traffic management center and Highway 407.
“It was beneficial in both Montreal and Toronto for ITS Canada members to get to know French industry ITS representatives,” said Michael De Santis of Lynx Technologies and a Director with ITS Canada, who attended both sessions. “ITS France is keen to assist ITS Canada in organizing a similar mission to Paris next year, and Canada should not miss out on this important opportunity.”
ITS Canada/ITS France MOU Signing
Front row (L-R): P. Gratadour – Head of International Affairs for France,
Georges Dobias – President of ITS France, Joseph Lam – Chairman of ITS Canada,
and Bruce McCuaig, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
Looking on (back row): Harinder Takhar, Ontario Minister of Transportation,
and Dominique Bussereau, the French Minister for Transport and Sea
CHIEF ENGINEERS COUNCIL
An Important Part of TAC
The Chief Engineers’ Council (CEC) is one of the four Councils within the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC). The CEC provides a forum for information exchange amongst Canada’s leading transportation professionals. The Council is comprised of the chief engineers from the TAC member federal, provincial and territorial departments of transportation and from ten of Canada’s larger municipalities, along with appointed members from the private sector and other agencies. The agencies currently represented on the Council are the Canadian Construction Association, the National Research Council, the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers and ITS Canada.
The Council is responsible for the development, approval, and maintenance of national technical transportation guidelines and best practices for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of the road infrastructure in Canada, all in a cooperative and cost-effective manner. The vision of the CEC is to be a centre of excellence and to foster innovation, technology transfer, training, research and development, highway safety, risk management, environmental sustainability and efficiency in the provision, operation and maintenance of the transportation infrastructure. While the Council’s main focus is on roadway guidelines, it also addresses other modes on as-needed basis.
In conducting its work program, the CEC is supported by seven standing committees and one subcommittee. The size of the membership on the standing committees ranges from 25 to 55 active members. Meetings of the Council are open to any interested parties. The CEC members meet in person every spring and in the fall at the TAC conference. The CEC Executive also meet via regular teleconferences. One of the main roles of the CEC is to review all the project proposals and decide whether a project, as proposed by one of the CEC’s standing committees, should be pursued.
To find out more, contact ITS Canada’s CEC representative, Colin Rayman, at colin.rayman@itscanada.ca.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
In late November, Transport Canada awarded TransLink and the Greater Vancouver Regional District $8.8 million for a package of new sustainable transportation projects under the ministry’s Urban Transportation Showcase Program. The GVRD/TransLink proposal was created in partnership with the cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster, Richmond, Delta and Coquitlam, plus SFU Community Trust and Better Environmentally Sound Transportation. The Showcase package focuses on new programs that demonstrate innovation in promoting reductions in greenhouse gas and other emissions. Initiatives include Travel Smart, a marketing program targeted to households that have expressed an interest in trying transportation alternatives, a transit village concept which involves making improvements so that it is easier and safer to walk, cycle or take transit to rapid transit stations, a regional bicycle and pedestrian commuter path, a hybrid bus demonstration, a Main Street transit priority corridor, and a study to uncover ways to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of goods movement in the region while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ITS CANADA MEMBERS UPGRADING TO THE SUSTAINING CORPORATE LEVEL
ITS Canada would like to acknowledge with gratitude the following members who have upgraded to the Sustaining Corporate level:
Applanix Corporation
Regional Municipality of Peel
UPCOMING EVENTS
- APEC/ISO Meeting
January 26, 2004 – Los Angeles, CA
Malika.Ferguson@fta.dot.gov
- Secure Trade Project Workshop
"Enhancing Secure Trade and Efficiency in the APEC Region
with Intelligent ITS and Electronic Commerce Technologies"
January 27 and 28, 2004 – Los Angeles, CA
- ITS Safety and Security Conference
March 24 to 25, 2004 – Miami, Florida
www.cisr.gwu.edu
- 2nd Annual GTA Transportation Summit
March 25 to 26, 2004 – Toronto, Ontario
- Intertraffic Amsterdam 2004
March 30 to April 2, 2004 – Amsterdam
www.intertraffic.com
- 12th International Conference on Road Transport Information and Control
April 20 to 22, 2004 – London, UK
www.iee.org/oncomms/pn/auto/RTIC.cfm
- 2004 ITS America Annual Meeting
April 26 to 29, 2004 – San Antonio, Texas
www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html
- ITS Canada Annual Conference and General Meeting
May 9 to 11, 2004 – Calgary, Alberta
www.itscanada.ca/alberta2004
- TAC Annual Conference
Transportation Innovation – Accelerating the Pace
September 19 to 22, 2004 – Québec, Québec
www.tac-atc.ca
- SURF 2004 – The PIARC 5th International Symposium on
Pavement Surface Characteristics – Roads and Airfields
June 6 to 10, 2004 – Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto
- TRANSTEC 2004
September 1 to 5, 2004 – Athens, Greece
www.transtec.gr
- Upcoming World Congresses
Nagoya, Japan – October 18 to 22, 2004, www.itsworldcongress.org
San Francisco – November 6 to 10, 2005
Newsletter published by ITS Canada.
Submissions or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.
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