MARCH 2006
This
newsletter is available online in an Adobe Acrobat Reader
PDF
file (450k). You can view it using the Reader plugin for your browser and/or download it for viewing offline. Free Reader software is available at the Adobe
Systems Incorporated Website.
BC MINISTER OF TRANSPORTATION TO SPEAK AT ITS CANADA’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
ITS Canada is pleased to announce that British Columbia’s Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Kevin Falcon, is confirmed to speak at ITS Canada’s Annual Conference, to be held June 4 to 6, 2006, in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler hotel.
The theme of the Conference is "Achieving ITS Excellence ... 2010 and Beyond". The preliminary program is now available, and will provide delegates with the latest information regarding intelligent transportation systems in Canada. A significant number of international speakers will be featured. Exhibitors demonstrating the most recent advancements in ITS technology will complement conference sessions. The exhibition begins Sunday evening and runs concurrently with conference sessions on Monday and Tuesday.
Delegates will be officially welcomed to Whistler at a cocktail reception to be held Sunday evening following ITS Canada’s Annual General Meeting. Other social events include a golf tournament on Sunday morning, a banquet on Monday evening, and a companions’ program that includes lunch at the peak of Whistler Mountain, a bicycle tour of Whistler Valley and/or the village, and a village stroll, visiting art galleries and shops. Anyone with a yen to see Whistler’s breathtaking scenery will enjoy these exceptional events.
Don't miss this opportunity to hear about what's new in the areas of research, planning and deployment of intelligent transportation systems while enjoying the beauty of British Columbia’s mountains.
Early registration discounts end April 4.
Visit www.itscanada.ca/whistler2006 for full details.
NEW TRANSIT SERVICES IN HALIFAX
By Brian Taylor, Halifax Regional Municipality
If you think that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) requires huge infrastructure investment, dedicated busways and major street construction, you may want to look at Halifax Regional Municipality’s new MetroLink BRT service. The project, funded partly through Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Showcase Program, is an example of how BRT can be introduced in medium-sized cities and integrated into mixed traffic using ITS methods, avoiding major infrastructure investment.
Halifax Regional Municipality’s Metro Transit introduced bus rapid transit along two corridors into the downtown. Utilizing bus queue-jump lanes, exclusive right-turn lanes, transit signal priority, priority control systems and bridge transponder devices, along with limited modification to bus approach lanes, buses are given priority travel through 20 intersections on the two BRT routes.
Bus queue jump lanes allow a bus to bypass a queue of vehicles at an intersection and receive a transit-only signal, placing the bus ahead of the vehicle traffic through the intersection. The bus-only signal is a white bar placed above the red light and is activated in advance of the green light by a bus in the queue jump lane.
MetroLink uses the 3M Opticom priority control system that is activated by equipment on the bus that signals the traffic signal and extends a green light or shortens a red light in advance of an intersection.
Both MetroLink routes cross the two bridges into downtown. Using the Halifax Dartmouth Bridge Commission’s MacPass transponder, buses are able to travel through any toll lane on either bridge without stopping. Crossings are billed to Halifax Regional Municipality at the end of each month.
Brian Taylor enjoys a ride on a Metro Transit vehicle in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Travel and schedule information is provided by new plasma screens at the two new terminals and signposts at the BRT stops through the AVL "GoTime" system. As well, all route, schedule and other information on the service is available on the Metro Transit website.
Using BRT characteristics such as ITS systems, park-and-ride lots, limited stops, strong branding and added value to customers, Metro Transit has offered residents a fast, high-quality, comfortable travel option.
Additional information on Metro Transit’s MetroLink project can be found on the Halifax Regional Municipality website at www.halifax.ca.
ITS CANADA WELCOMES NEW MEMBER
- CORPORATE
- City of Kingston
SMALL COMPANY PILOT PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS CANADA
Precarn Incorporated is a national, member-owned industrial consortium supporting the development of intelligent systems technologies through its extensive network of corporations, research institutes and government partners. Precarn funds, coordinates and promotes collaborative research conducted by industry, university and government researchers.
In February 2006, Precarn Incorporated announced that it will provide $2 million in funding to support the research and development efforts of small businesses across Canada.
Under the newly created Precarn Small Company Pilot Program, funds will be awarded to Canadian companies of five to 50 employees with revenues between $500,000 and $10 million, and will be used to support projects in the area of robotics and intelligent systems. Larger companies that fall outside of these guidelines are not eligible to apply.
"We’re launching the program in response to demand from smaller companies for a program to support smaller projects where the application process is faster and less resource-intensive," said Paul Johnston, President and CEO of Precarn. "With smaller companies making up the bulk of Canadian businesses, it is our hope that this extra financial support will translate into increased commercialization of these technologies by Canadian companies," he said.
To encourage participation from smaller firms, Precarn’s application and review process has been simplified, said Johnston, including reducing the length for proposals, reducing the period to contract award, and placing a focus on projects attractive to smaller firms.
Precarn expects to approve four to seven projects for funding through the Precarn Small Company Pilot Program, depending on project size.
The first round of requests for proposal (RFPs) were issued in February and, based on the success of the pilot program, will become a regular aspect of Precarn’s funding cycle. A copy of the Request for Proposals is available on the Precarn website at www.precarn.ca.
"We are excited about the possibilities this program brings to the table," said Johnston, noting that Precarn anticipates eventually receiving dozens of proposals from Canadian small businesses annually.
- Deadline for Concept Document Submissions: March 20, 2006
- Deadline for Full Proposal Submissions: May 1, 2006
- Maximum Project contribution from Precarn: $500,000 or 50% of total costs
Approval for projects will take place at the Board of Directors meeting in June 2006.
For further information contact:
Derek Best
Director, Precarn Research Programs
80 Aberdeen Street, Suite 400
Ottawa, ON K1S 4R5
(613) 727-9507 ext. 232
1-866-727-9634
ITS CANADA’S ONLINE PHOTO LIBRARY
Thanks to the generous support of members, ITS Canada's photo library now includes a large number of images. If you haven't visited in a while, you might be interested in viewing the library. Your password will be required to access images, which are presented in "thumbnail view" using low resolution.
As a member you can use any image, but you must first request permission from the owner. If the owner grants permission, a better quality image will be provided. Visit the library online at www.itscanada.ca/english/photolibrary.htm.
MEMBER DUES INCREASES
As
reported in the October 2004 and February 2005 issues
of the newsletter, ITS Canada’s Board of Directors
approved the following membership dues fee increases:
Effective April 1, 2006
Corporate Membership: $500
Individual Membership: $100
Fee increases help defray increasing administrative costs and allow the Society to continue to provide and improve member services. The return on member investment is a better functioning ITS industry in Canada. Intangible benefits associated with membership include investing in the industry and supporting the intellectual infrastructure of a Society that promotes leading-edge technology and embraces new approaches.
The Board of Directors and the staff at ITS Canada are grateful for continuing member support, and we pledge our commitment to continue to provide members with valuable services.
511 IN THE UNITED STATES
The 511 Deployment Coalition is planning a National 511 Conference on July 17 to 19, 2006, in San Diego, California. The Conference theme is 511…Where Travel Starts.
The usage statistics for 511 telephone services in the U.S. in January 2006, as reported to the 511 Deployment Coalition, are as follows:
2,002,821 Total Calls
- Over 47 million calls nationwide since inception
- Third consecutive month with over 2 million calls; 17 consecutive months with over 1 million calls
- 511 was available to over 93 million Americans (32 percent)
- Systems deployed for one year saw a 19.5 percent decrease in January 2006 call volumes compared to January 2005
- Peak usage was experienced due to holiday travel and weather conditions
- The Sacramento and Washington State services set monthly call volume records
- North Carolina received its 1 millionth call and Southeast Florida received its 7 millionth call
- January saw the three-year anniversary of the services launched in Montana and Vermont and the two-year anniversary for Kansas.
ITS OPPORTUNITIES IN HONG KONG
International Trade Canada has provided the following information regarding ITS projects in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2010. Sharing this information through ITS Canada’s newsletter provides members with a clear picture about market potential in Hong Kong. For more information, please contact:
Endy Chung
Trade Commissioner
Consulate General of Canada
Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 2847 7419
Fax : (852) 2847 7441
E-mail : endy.chung@international.gc.ca
- Design, Supply and Implementation of Area Traffic Control Centre for Tun Mun and Yuen Long
Budget : C$27million
Schedule : tender in progress
- Design and Implementation of Transport Information System
Budget : C$7.5 million
Schedule : tender in progress
- Design, Supply and Replacement of Traffic Control and Surveillance System in the Cross Harbour Tunnel
Budget : C$20 million
Schedule : tender in progress
- Design, Supply and Implementation of Phase II of Journey Time Indication System
Budget : > C$30 million
Schedule : Q2/Q3 of 2006
- Replacement of Field Equipment of the Toll Collection Systems in:
1. the Tseung Kwan O Tunnel
2. Shing Mun Tunnels and
3. Lion Roack Tunnels
Total budget for 3 projects : > C$10 million
Schedule : Q1/Q2 2007
- Zhuhai Hong Kong Macao Bridge Project, associated link roads, tunnel and supporting infrastructures – Planning in progress
Estimated costs < C$8.5 billion
Scheduled for completion on or before 2010
- Central Kowloon Route, South East Kowloon and Tseung Kwan O bypass – Planning in progress
- Area Traffic Control Centre for Tseung Kwan O – Feasibility study in progress
- Electronic Road Pricing System – Feasibility study in progress.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND ITS IN THE NETHERLANDS
By Frans Middelham, Ministry of Transport, Transport Research Centre (AVV), The Netherlands
Over the past 25 years, traffic management systems (TMS) have been introduced on motorways in The Netherlands to improve the transportation system by making it more effective, more efficient and safer. The transportation system is reaching the limits of its existing capacity due to the increasing demand caused by changes in activities, increasing prosperity and economic growth.
The Ministry of Transport is creating additional infrastructure at many locations prone to congestion, without ignoring the issues of the environment and quality of life. Furthermore, it is implementing measures to ensure that existing roads and railways can be used more efficiently. Private parties and industry are encouraged to demonstrate their solutions, and have done so in pilots for cell phone data, lane departure warning, and door-to-door information for travellers and road users.
TMS is seen as an integral part of ITS. The different ITS-tools are grouped according to their effect either on mode choice, route choice or traffic conditions, as depicted in the figure below. A distinction is made between tools for traffic management and for demand management. Tools for demand management particularly influence the demand itself, as well as the travel mode. These instruments are particularly important, with a view to reducing the negative impact of traffic on the environment. Tools for traffic management control the remaining traffic as effectively and as safely as possible.
The ITS control scheme
The figure demonstrates that road users are ‘negotiating’ the horizontal axle. Users deciding on a trip to be made must determine their means of travel. Pre-trip and on-trip choices then have to be made with respect to routes and the driving task, such as lane choice, following distance, etc. On the vertical axle are the road managers and information providers, either forcing the road users to obey the signs and signals and/or trying to influence the road users’ behaviour and direction.
During the period 1980 to 2005, a large number of measures were introduced in The Netherlands. Examples include:
| Motorway Control and Signalling |
997 km |
| Route Information Panels |
123 pcs |
| Ramp Metering |
46 pcs |
| Tidal Flow Lane |
12 km |
| Truck Lanes |
12 km |
| Plus lanes (small left lane) |
20 km |
| Rush Hour Lanes (use hard shoulder) |
135 km |
Five Traffic Management Centres are operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A test centre in Delft is responsible for standardization of equipment and the training of TMC operators, in close cooperation with Delft University and ITS Netherlands. The test centre will be the venue for the 11th IFAC Symposium on Control in Transportation Systems, to be held from August 29 to 31, 2006. For more information: www.rws-avv.nl/ifac-cts2006.
Test and training centre in Delft
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 2nd Abu Dhabi International Road Exhibition & Conference (ROADEX 2006)
March 12 to 15, 2006 – Abu Dhabi, UAE
www.roadex-uae.com
- 4th Annual GTA Transportation Summit
March 21 and 22, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
www.strategyinstitute.com
- Goods, Ports, Borders and Corridors Workshop
March 27/28, 2006 – Vancouver, BC
www.itscanada.ca/vancouver2006
- Intertraffic Amsterdam
April 4 to 7, 2006 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.intertraffic.com
- AQTR’s 41st Annual Congress
April 9 to 11, 2006 – Quebec City, Quebec
www.aqtr.qc.ca
- Public Meeting on the Benefits of Advanced Crash Avoidance Systems
April 20 to 21, 2006 – Ypsilanti, Michigan
www.itsa.org/capm.html
- ITS America’s 2006 Annual Meeting and Expo
May 7 to 9, 2006 – Philadelphia, PA
www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html
- Traffic and Road Safety Third International Congress and Exhibition
May 17 to 19, 2006 – Ankara, Turkey
www.trodsa.org
- CUTA 2006 Annual Conference
May 27 to 31, 2006 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
www.cutaactu.on.ca
- ITS Canada’s Annual Conference
June 4 to 6, 2006 – Whistler, B.C.
www.itscanada.ca/whistler2006
- ITS New York Thirteenth Annual Meeting and Technology Exhibition
June 8 and 9, 2006 – Saratoga Springs, NY
www.its-ny.org/whatsnew.html
- International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Associations Spring Technology Workshop
June 11 to 13, 2006 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
www.ibtta.org
- Canadian Telecom Summit
June 12 to 14, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
www.telecomsummit.com
- 8TH ASIA-PACIFIC ITS FORUM 2006
July 10 to 14, 2006 / Hong Kong, China
www.itshk.org
- National Rural ITS Conference 2006
August 13 to 16, 2006 / Big Sky, Montana
www.2006nrits.org
- 11th IFAC Symposium on Control in Transportations Systems
August 29 to 31, 2006 – Delft, The Netherlands
www.rws-avv.nl/ifac-cts2006
- 9th International Level Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention Syposium
September 10 to 14, 2006 – Montreal, Quebec
www.levelcrossing2006.com
- 9th Annual International IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Conference
September 17 to 20, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
www.itsc2006.org
- XIV Pan-American Conference of Traffic and Transportation Engineering
September 20-23, 2006 – Canary Islands, Spain
www.panam06.com (in Spanish)
- World Roads Conference
September 27 to 29, 2006 – Singapore
www.worldroads2006.com
- 13th World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Tranport Systems and Services
October 8 to 12, 2006
www.itsworldcongress.com
- CUTA 2006 Fall Conference and Trans-Expo
November 4 to 8, 2006 – Toronto, Ontario
Trans-Expo – November 7
www.cutaactu.on.ca
- Pan-American ITS Congress and Exhibition
November 15 to 17, 2006 – Santiago, Chile
Newsletter
published by ITS Canada.
Submissions
or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.
|
