NOVEMBER 2004 This newsletter is available online in an Adobe Acrobat Reader pdf file (304k). 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. ITS Canada Election for Board of Directors  ITS Canada Mission to the 11th World Congress in Nagoya, Japan  ITS Canada Welcomes New Members  TAC Training  Network of ITS National Associations  Regional Updates  Members in the News  InfraNet Now Available  Upcoming Events    ITS CANADA ELECTION FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS The current Board of Directors was elected in March 2003 for a two-year term. The next election will be held in February/March 2005, with results confirmed by a vote of the members at the Annual General Meeting in May 2005 in Quebec City. If you wish to be a part of the team that will influence and guide the future of ITS in Canada, please consider being a candidate for Chairman and/or Director in the upcoming election. Susan Spencer, Director of Intelligent Transportation Systems at Transport Canada, has agreed to act as Returning Officer for the election process. A call for nominations for Chairman and Directors is hereby initiated. The closing date for nominations will be Monday, January 31, 2005. Members in good standing are invited to mail or fax their nominations to Susan Spencer using the Nomination Forms available on ITS Canada’s website. In order to be valid, nominations must include the signatures of a nominator, a seconder, and the candidate, as well as a half-page biography of the candidate. Those with previous experience in ITS Canada’s activities are encouraged to include their contribution to the Society in their biography. The nominator, seconder, and candidate must not be representatives of the same Corporate or Sustaining Corporate member organization. Please note that the nominators, seconders, and candidates must be members in good standing, with membership fees fully paid on January 31, 2005. Nominations for Chairman require two nomination forms: one for Director, and a separate form indicating that the nomination is for Chairman. Society bylaws state that the candidate must be elected as a Director in order to be able to claim the Chairman’s position. Nomination forms and biographies should be mailed or faxed to: Ms. Susan Spencer, Director – Intelligent Transportation Systems Transport Canada, Surface Transportation Policy 330 Sparks Street, Place de Ville, Tower C, 27th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5 Fax: (613) 998-3987 The slate of candidates will be announced during February 2005, and ballots will be mailed out to qualified members at that time. More information about the voting process will be provided in ITS Canada’s upcoming newsletters. Should you have any questions regarding the status of your membership, please contact ITS Canada’s Secretariat via e-mail at askus@itscanada.ca. Full details regarding a Director’s role have been posted.   ITS CANADA MISSION TO THE 11TH WORLD CONGRESS IN NAGOYA, JAPAN Despite a typhoon that prompted a closure for one full day, the 11th World Congress on ITS was a successful event that included sessions, tours, social events, and excellent networking opportunities for the thousands of industry experts who participated. At the opening ceremonies, which featured a Japanese Taiko Drum exhibition and Japanese dancers, their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino helped to kick off the Congress. "ITS for Livable Society" was the event theme. ITS Canada was represented by Chairman Joseph Lam, who spoke at the opening plenary. The Nagoya event included four days of technical sessions along with an exhibition, which was also open to the public, and revolved around three main pillars: safety, sustainability and accessibility/comfort. Sessions included presentations on over 150 topics, with a total of over 700 speakers (including several Canadians from business, academic, and government agencies), all international experts who provided information on the latest ITS research and deployments. The exhibit area included a ‘smart town’, to allow participants to understand how ITS works, and demonstrating why ITS contributes to a more livable society. Also, a roadway was constructed to allow vehicle demonstrations. A theatre provided conceptual information on how vehicles and pedestrians will interact in the future. About 250 organizations participated in the exhibition, including private enterprise, universities, and ITS organizations. The Congress also included tours to the Linimo linear motorcar line (developed for the 2005 World Exposition), the Intelligent Multi-Mode Transport System, and the terminal building of Chubu Centrair International Airport. Outdoor technical tours were also run, including a DSRC/ETC demonstration, an information delivery service used for traffic information, local area and sightseeing information, parking areas, rest stops, and parking lots. ITS Canada and Transport Canada hosted a reception and dinner for 70 members and invited guests on Tuesday evening, October 19, 2004. The event was the highlight of the social program at the World Congress for the Canadian contingent, and provided an excellent opportunity to network with colleagues and potential partners from Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia. Chairman Joe Lam, Director William Johnson, and Madeleine Betts, on behalf of Transport Canada, warmly welcomed the guests, and set the tone for a very enjoyable and productive evening. In his official remarks, Joe Lam recognized the support of ITS Canada members and of Transport Canada in making the event possible. Transport Canada sponsored the ITS Canada dinner. Speaking for the department, Madeleine Betts said, "This was a wonderful opportunity for guests from around the world to discuss ITS issues. There were private sector specialists, senior public servants, and elected officials in attendance, all of whom share Canada’s interests in ITS and are eager to learn from our successes."    Joseph Lam, Chairman of ITS Canada, welcomes participants to the hospitality event held in Nagoya ITS Canada Member Scott Godfrey also participated in the mission. "Despite the typhoon, the 11th World Congress on ITS, Nagoya, was a success for Econolite. The attendance from the industry and the general public was good. Business contacts were established with delegates from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as from the Pacific Rim and Eastern European countries. We also had the opportunity to attend the ITS Canada reception, which was superb, a wonderful evening hosted by knowledgeable and enjoyable people. At that reception, we had the opportunity to meet leaders in the development and deployment of ITS solutions in Canada and from around the globe. It was very beneficial to exchange ITS ideas and discuss the future of ITS in Canada and around the world. Econolite was glad to be part of it, and was proud of the efforts of the ITS Canada team." A few of the participants in ITS Canada’s Hospitality Reception L–R: Rosemary and Ralph Jones (Transport Canada), Sandra Sultana (MTQ), May Lam, Madeleine Betts (Transport Canada), Naoko Manabe, Ron Lake (Galdos), Joseph Lam (ITS Canada), Bill Johnson (ITS Canada) ITS Canada has organized and co-hosted a social event at World Congresses each year since the 6th World Congress in Toronto (1999), a valuable means of outreach to partners and friends in other ITS societies. The event raises the profile of Canada among many delegates to the World Congress, and is a successful means of projecting member interests to a very targeted audience.   ITS CANADA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS The following new Corporate members joined ITS Canada during October: ATC ADI Limited Bolo Incorporated Digiplan Pelmorex RGS Consulting International Inc. Town of Oakville ("The Corporation of the Town of Oakville") Trapeze Group   TAC TRAINING TAC offers an exciting line-up of training courses for transportation professionals. Register today for TAC classroom and online courses. Topics include: In-service Road Safety Reviews – Dec. 7 (St. John’s) Roundabouts – Jan. 13, 2005 (Winnipeg) For information, visit www.tac-atc.ca/english/educationandtraining/course-calendar.cfm.   NETWORK OF ITS NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS The Network of National ITS Associations was officially launched in October. The network aims at diffusing and exchanging information on ITS throughout Europe. The following organisations are Founding Members of the Network: TTS Italia     ITS France ITS Belgium (Telematics Cluster) ITS Greece ITS Czech Republic ITS Munich ITS Denmark ITS Hungary ITS Finland ITS Norway ITS Netherlands (Connekt) ITS Sweden ITS Romania ITS Switzerland ITS United Kingdom ITS&S Czech Republic For further information, www.itsnetwork.org.   REGIONAL UPDATES New Brunswick From ITS in New Brunswick Newsletter Federal/Provincial Agreement to Implement Road Weather Information Systems in NB. On September 1, 2004, at a ceremony in Fredericton, Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, along with Paul Robichaud, New Brunswick Minister of Transportation, announced the signing of two contribution agreements between the Government of Canada and the Province of New Brunswick for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in the province. Under the first contribution agreement, $429,100 of federal funding has been allocated for the installation of Road Weather Information Systems along the National Highway System in New Brunswick. Up to 14 weather stations will be constructed to measure atmospheric and pavement temperatures. The data will help provincial authorities to make informed decisions on whether road treatment is necessary, the best time to apply de-icing chemicals to the road, and how much to use. This will lead to improved driving conditions and enhanced safety for travellers. The goal of this system will be to establish a cross-Canada integrated network of information systems for road maintenance crews. The Department of Transportation is presently reviewing the consultant’s report for the RWIS site selection, and will be drafting the RFP for implementation shortly. The Department will also enter into a data-sharing agreement with Environment Canada. National Rural ITS Research Program Launched with UNB. Under the second contribution agreement announced with Transport Canada, the Province of New Brunswick has established a partnership with the University of New Brunswick’s Transportation Group that will lead to the creation of a National Research Program for Rural ITS. Initially, there are five projects at a total cost of $613,900, with Transport Canada providing $291,400. The Province and the university will partner on these projects with stakeholders, including Maritime Road Development Corporation, International Road Dynamics, and New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Ltd. Federal funding will be provided under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP), a $600 million program to improve highway infrastructure across Canada. Part of the SHIP funding ($100 million) is for initiatives that better integrate the country’s transportation system. One of these is the ITS initiative, which includes applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management, and vehicle safety. Projects include a traveller information study, two railway safety projects, work zone speed control, and a commercial vehicle plan. Weigh-in-Motion: A Key Component of CVE. New Brunswick installed Canada’s first high-speed mainline weigh-in-motion system in 2002 at Long’s Creek near Fredericton and, two years later, the system is still going strong. The system is able to weigh commercial vehicles at highway speeds, and divert dimensionally non-compliant vehicles to the stationary weigh scales. In addition, the system collects data on every vehicle that crosses the WIM scale, providing an additional tool for analysis. The general consensus has been that using the system has been a positive experience and is an important tool in commercial vehicle enforcement, and further installations will be undertaken in the future, dependent on funding provisions. The system is currently undergoing an operational review, expected to be complete before the end of the calendar year. Initial estimates indicate a $600,000 annual savings as a result of reduced time delay for commercial carriers. The Status of ITS Development at Borders. New Brunswick Department of Transportation is part of the "Border Information Flow Architecture Working Group" (BIFAWG), which comprises Canadian and American federal and provincial/state transportation agencies that are involved in processes at or on the approach to the border. The group was established in February 2004 and, since then, New Brunswick has attended various meetings with the group. Currently, the group is working on defining the border processes for architecture development. The I-95 Corridor Coalition – New Brunswick DOT as an Associate Member. The I-95 Corridor Coalition is an alliance of transportation agencies, toll authorities, and related organizations, including law enforcement, from the State of Maine to the State of Florida, with an affiliate member in Canada (New Brunswick), that relies on the transportation connectivity provided by the I-95. The Coalition provides a forum for key decision and policy makers to address transportation management and operations issues of common interest. This volunteer, consensus-driven organization enables its state, local and regional member agencies to work together to improve transportation system performance far more than they could working individually. Many ITS projects depend on the sharing of information through several jurisdictions. New Brunswick’s involvement with the I-95 Coalition is a key step in developing the networks that will result in successful ITS deployments for such initiatives as traveller information and commercial vehicle operation plans. Traveller Information. As part of the National Research Program for Rural ITS, NB DOT has secured funding and has made initial preparations for a traveller information study for New Brunswick. The premise of the project is to determine what needs to be done in New Brunswick to consolidate traveller information. The first phase of the project should be completed by early 2005. Alberta By Ryan Vanderputten, City of Calgary Staffing Changes at City of Calgary’s ITS Office. Ryan Vanderputten has been selected to fill the role of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Specialist at The City of Calgary. Since the genesis of ITS strategies at the City, Ryan has been actively involved in ITS planning and deployment. His work has included participation in the development of the ITS Strategic Plan as a member of the Technical Review committee, and helping launch the City’s Advanced Traveller Information System pilot project with Alberta Transportation. Ryan is taking over for Doug Morgan, who vacated this position to work in the Transportation General Manager’s office. Ryan will continue to help the City implement ITS by aggressively promoting and co-ordinating all the ITS projects across the City. As the ITS Specialist, Ryan will monitor the implementation of the six key strategies of the Strategic Plan. Through an initial transition phase Doug and Ryan will work together to ensure a seamless transition. Ryan’s duties also include acting as a resource person to support ITS project implementation leaders and members of the ITS Co-ordination Committee, and on a number of critical city-wide planning and co-ordination activities. He will work on integration of management and operations issues in transportation planning and traffic operations Ryan will also contribute to other tasks in the department, including a variety of transportation planning analysis and documentation activities, working with planning and engineering consultants; and briefing elected officials and the general public, as required. So if you have questions about ITS in Calgary please contact Ryan by phone (403-268-5490) or by email (rvanderputten@calgary.ca), or visit the website at www.calgary.ca/transportation/its. City of Calgary ITS Co-ordination Committee Charter. After the Co-ordination Committee discussed the ideas that were developed for the charter, these ideas were summarized in the Final Draft of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Co-ordination Committee Charter. The document was finalized and was taken to the ITS Executive Co-ordination Committee for ratification. ATIS in Calgary. On September 24, 2004, an Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) Workshop was held for City of Calgary staff. There were four presentations on Calgary’s ITS initiatives in this area, the ATIS background, and traveller information experiences from other municipalities. Rob Shirra from TransLink was the guest speaker, bringing the insight into their work for Vancouver’s Traveller Information Systems in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics. This workshop was held prior to the joined eight-month pilot project of the Province of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, and the City of Calgary’s Traveller Information System, to be deployed in January 2005. Video Detection System (VDS). Three intersections have been outfitted with VDS: Macleod Trail and 25th Avenue South, Macleod Trail and 162 Avenue South and Macleod Trail and 194th Avenue South. Traffic Management Centre Preliminary Design. The new Traffic Management Centre is to be built to support the City’s Traffic Signal Control System. The TMC will be a 24/7 operation centre, housing the roads dispatch operation as well as central control for the City’s signal system. It will be located in a new building and will also act as the nerve centre for Calgary’s new video monitoring system. The new location has been selected (the old Enmax building) in the City’s Manchester Campus. Two design/building proposals were received. The vendor selection and contract award is imminent, with completion expected in January 2005. Shawnessy Traffic Management System. The purpose of the system is to provide video traffic monitoring, automatic incident detection and motorist advisory via dynamic message signs in and around the area of interest. The system covers Macleod Trail between Canyon Meadows Drive and 162nd Avenue South. The vendor has been selected for this installation, and the contract has been awarded. Civil infrastructure was constructed in October 2004. The rest of the system is expected to be completed by January 2005. Transportation System Management (TSM) Program Deployment. This cutting-edge initiative will focus on the proactive optimization of Calgary’s Transportation system. Using a complete toolbox including ITS, this group will aggressively pursue the operational planning solutions. Formation of a new TSM group at The City of Calgary was approved in July 2004. Troy McLeod has been named Co-ordinator of the TSM group. Charter and work program development started in October 2004. Transit Opticom Deployment. The OPTICOM Priority System gives priority to Calgary Transit buses at 28 new intersections. This is an extension of the priority system that is used by the Calgary Fire Department. The system was installed to support the new Bus Rapid Transit Route on the Bow Trail/17 Avenue to the Country Hills Boulevard corridor, as well as transit buses on the Elbow Drive Corridor. All units are installed and operating. Transport Canada provided partial funding. Tactical Camera Deployment Program. A draft report has been completed identifying a list of potential locations for traffic monitoring cameras. Deployment is planned over the next five years. This process included consulting stakeholders such as Tri-Services, Traffic Signals Division, and Transportation Data. The process used a variety of criteria to prioritize locations. This information included traffic volumes, collision history, and "build-ability", among others. The outcome is a tactical deployment plan that outlines a program for deployment. Permanent Traffic Monitoring Station Deployment. A list of potential locations for Traffic Monitoring Stations will be developed for deployment over the next three years. The process will identify criteria needed to prioritize locations. The outcome will be a tactical deployment plan that would outline a program for deployment, including estimated costs. The plan would include the results of the current Traffic Monitoring Program to describe the specifications for deployment. British Columbia Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Rapid Transit. RAV Project Management Ltd. (RAVCO) have completed their evaluation of the best and final offers to implement the RAV Line, and have recommended SNC-Lavalin/Serco and their proposal for a fully automated, grade-separated transit system. RAVCO reports that SNC-Lavalin/Serco provided the lowest cost, best value proposal. The Richmond-Airport-Vancouver rapid transit line will link dense and growing residential, commercial, health, and educational centres, adding transit capacity equivalent to 10 road lanes. The line will be 19.5 kilometres long, and will connect with SkyTrain lines to the eastern part of the region, and with SeaBus to the North Shore. The proposal being recommended contains the essential elements prescribed by the funding agencies. It assumes significant risks that would otherwise be borne by the public sector, including construction cost overruns, tunnelling risks, on-time delivery, and operating performance; it offers greater value to taxpayers than if the same project was implemented solely by the public sector. In addition, RAVCO’s recommendation to the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority’s (GVTA) Board is to proceed with the RAV Line, including recommendations for reasonable scope changes and additional funding. RAVCO’s Best and Final Offer Stage Report and Recommendations Report indicates that the current estimated project cost by SNC-Lavalin/Serco is $1.899 billion. RAVCO recommends that agencies consider a combination of reasonable scope changes and local funding initiatives to proceed with the project at $1.76 billion. GVTA’s Board will be tabling this RAVCO recommendation at the December meeting for a decision on whether RAV has the green light to proceed or not. For more information, www.ravprapidtransit.com/en/news.php.   MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Delcan Corporation Wins "Action Plan for the Intelligent Border Crossing" After a competitive bidding process, Delcan has been selected by a joint Transport Canada-Ontario Ministry of Transport evaluation committee to research and develop ITS strategies for using technology to improve the flow of traffic and information at all international border crossings between Ontario and the United States. As part of the ‘Let’s Get Windsor-Essex Moving’ strategy announced on March 11, 2004, this initiative involves the use of ITS along roadways leading to all border crossings to help manage traffic flow. "The Governments of Canada and Ontario are committed to working together to make sure that solutions addressing border crossing issues are implemented quickly, efficiently and effectively," said Federal Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Joseph Volpe, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre. "Both governments believe that ITS has a critical role to play in meeting this objective." The consultant team will evaluate existing and emerging technologies to determine how they can best be used to keep drivers informed of traffic conditions and better manage traffic during busy periods at border crossings between Ontario and the United States. The study will identify not only long-term solutions, but also "early win" projects that can be implemented quickly to deal with the increasingly critical traffic conditions at our borders.   INFRANET NOW AVAILABLE A newsletter published by InfraGuide, Canada’s leader in innovations and best practices for sustainable municipal infrastructure, is now available online at www.infraguide.ca/newsletter/home_e.asp InfraGuide assists municipalities to meet new demands within a fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable framework, while preserving quality of life and contributing to safe and clean air, water and land.   UPCOMING EVENTS 2004 Road User Charging and Other Enforcement Applications in the UK and Overseas November 2, 2004 – London, UK www.its-uk.org.uk   CUTA Fall Conference & Trans-Expo 2004 November 6 to 10, 2004 – Montréal, Québec www.cutaactu.on.ca   ITS Canada Transit Workshop November 11, 2004 – Montréal, Quebec www.itscanada.ca/english/transit.htm   UTMC Conference 2004 November 15 and 16, 2004 – Manchester, UK www.utmc.gov.uk   Transit Signal Priority Workshop November 16, 2004 – Philadelphia, PA www.itsa.org/pt.html   III ITS Brasil Congress November 17 to 19, 2004 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Sixth Annual Workshop on Highway-Railway Grade Crossing Research November 22 to 23, 2004 – Montreal, Quebec Agenda now available www.tc.gc.ca/tdc/events/sixth.htm   ITS Canada Goods, Ports, Borders and Corridors Workshop December 1, 2004 – Halifax, NS Information exchange on current and planned products, systems, and projects that involve the corridors, ports, and borders www.itscanada.ca/halifax2004   Managing Travel for Planned Special Events December 1 to 3, 2004 – New Orleans, LA www.itsa.org/tsop.html   Saudi Traffic December 5 to 7, 2004 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.saudi-traffic.com   ITS in Ireland and the UK December 6 and 7, 2004 – Belfast, Ireland www.its-uk.org.uk 2005 2nd India Infrastructure Show (TIIS) February 9 to 12, 2005 – New Delhi, India www.ietfindia.com/2005/index.htm   City Tech International 2005 February 10 to 13, 2005 – Chennai, India www.zakgroup.com   40e Congrès annuel de l’AQTR April 10 to 12, 2005 – Laval, Quebec www.aqtr.qc.ca   Smart Moving 2005 / Traffex April 19 to 21, 2005 -Birmingham, England smartmoving@its-uk.org.uk   ITS Canada Annual Conference May 15-17, 2005 Quebec City www.itscanada.ca/quebec2005   ITS Hannover 2005 – 5th European Congress and Exhibition on ITS June 1 to 3, 2005 – Hannover, Germany www.itsineurope.com/hannover   15th IRF World Meeting June 14 to18, 2005 – Bangkok, Thailand www.irf2005.com   5th International Conference on ITS Telecommunications – "Telecommunications in a Futuristic Transport World" June 27 to 29, 2005 – Brest, France http://conferences.enst-bretagne.fr/itst2005   7th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition August 22 to 24, 2005 – New Delhi, India www.itsindia.org   12th World Congress on ITS November 6 to 10, 2005 – San Fransicso, U.S.A. Call for papers – deadline January 14, 2005 www.ntpshow.com/shows/itswc05   Gulf Traffic December 12 to 14, 2005 – Dubai, UAE www.gulftraffic.com Newsletter published by ITS Canada. Submissions or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.