Traffic Management Centers and Incident Management Systems

2013 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium – August 15, 2013 – 10:00AM – 12:00PM

Cameron Kergaye, PhD, PE, PMPDirector of ResearchUtah Department of Transportation

TMC Objectives and Challenges

• Respond to incidents• Manage traffic and mitigate congestion• Expand functionalities and service areas• Maintain dedicated staff with specialized skills and training• Replace outdated technologies

Traffic Management Center

• New $50M facility in 2001• Modeled after Georgia DOT’s facility

• State of Art for Winter Olympics• Advanced ITS technology• Fiber optic communication• Incident management services• On site meteorologist• 911 dispatch

UDOT’s TMC Challenges• Components and Software

• Centralized signal software• Video wall (rear projection)

• Procedures• Security• Dispatch• Media

• New Director• Expectations

Possible ‘Solutions’

• Update software• Install new components• Buy state of the art devices• Introduce new procedures• Use more efficient practices• Add additional services

Which do you choose?

Delcan Hard Shoulder Running Incident Certifications Advertising 511 vs Apps HOT Lanes Fiber vs 4G I2 Replacement TELVENT Ramp Metering Operator Retention Reversible Lanes PEMs Weather Triggers UPS ITS Lifecycle CENTRACS ScanWeb RISC Access vs Security OpenTMS MIST Video Wall Equipment Signal Coordination Variable Speed Limits TranSuite Contract Employment Fog Control Media Outlets Data Storage GIS Mapping Inter-Agency Coordination Dispatch Services Toll Collection…

Research Approach

• Survey the states and visit select TMCs• Visit new TMCs• Meet recently updated TMCs• Discuss software: custom vs off-the-shelf• Investigate new services• Learn from others’ achievements (or

mistakes)

TMC Study Phases• Web-based survey

• 22 questions covering 9 subject areas• 85 Recipients• 54 Responding

• Field visits• Eastern States

• Minnesota – Pennsylvania – Ohio – Virginia• Western States

• California - Missouri

1- Control Room Operations

• Control room services software• Video• Variable message signs• Highway advisory radio• Traffic signals• Incidents or special events

1- Control Room Operations

• Video Walls• Most used a common display system• More than half have upgraded since opening TMC

• Computer Aided Dispatch• Two-thirds of agencies received this data from 911

dispatch centers

2- Operational Issues

• Hard shoulder running• Variable speed limits for weather conditions• Variable speed limits for speed harmonization• Reversible lanes on arterials• Reversible lanes on the interstate• Ramp meters for on-ramps• Ramp meters for system-to-system connections

3- Incident Management

• Reductions in incident clearance times• More than half use performance measure or quick-

response towing programs. • Slightly less than half establish and track performance. • About a quarter encourage collaboration and

investigate crash sites.

4- Travel Information System

• Social media for traveller information• Over half use Twitter• Slightly less than half use Facebook or

other• Social media policies

• Over half use a policy specifically for this• One third or less do not have a social

media policy or use a department-wide policy

5- Institutional Collaboration

• External Partnerships• Media • Law enforcement• Medical or emergency responders• Other transportation authorities

6- Maintenance of Existing System

• Tracking repair time for failures in ATMS equipment

• Equally divided between tracking and not tracking

7- Emergency Preparedness

• Training requirements• Management• Traffic signal engineer• Traffic signal analyst/technician• ITS engineer• Traffic signal maintenance technician• Electronic specialist• TMC operator• Public relations coordinator

8- Inclement Weather Operations

• Use of weather or road condition sensors• 511 messages• Variable speed limits• Snow plow operations• Signal timing plans• Icy bridge signs• High wind warning signs*

8- Inclement Weather Operations

• Weather information sources• Nearly all used a national weather service (NOAA)• Over half used a local news forecaster and/or internet

based weather information provider.• One third used a TMC staff forecaster or contract

employee/service.

9- TMC Policies

• Most use performance measures• Traffic performance• Incident management

• Performance measure reporting• Most generate an internal report (formal or informal)• One fifth generate an informal external report• Two generate a formal external report

Field Responses

• 4 day scan in June• St. Paul, MN• Pittsburgh, PN• Columbus, OH• Fairfax Co, VA

• 3 day scan in July• Sacramento, CA• Oakland, CA• Kansas City, MO

Minnesota TMC

• Considering a citizen reporting program for winter road conditions

• Ramp metering policy• maximum wait time of 4 minutes for on-ramps and 2

minutes for system-to-system ramps• currently volume-based, may switch to density-based

• At least two traffic controller manufacturers compete (for pricing)

Pennsylvania TMC

• Value of systems engineer background• Replaces bulb filaments in projectors• Uses a visual classification system for winter road

conditions• 511 system to be replaced by mobile phone apps • Uses a fully-automated weather response system to

provide early stage storm warnings

Ohio TMC

• Combines ITS and signal maintenance• ITS and signal devices

• 5-year warranty• 10-year replacement plan

• Dispatchers run 24-hr blogs during storms to interact with maintenance crews

• Snow plow drivers interpret weather data• UPS at every signalized intersection

Virginia TMC

• Co-location of VDOT, law enforcement and fire dispatch• All control operators and supervisors are contracted• ITS maintenance contracted out• IM truck outfitted with 4g mobile cameras• Single vendor manages access to video streaming and

traffic data feeds

CalTrans TMCs

• Wind speed of 25 mph as trigger• May allow media companies to replace VMSs with full-

matrix signs• Supports both 511 system and web applications• Hard-shoulder running implemented on arterial streets• DELCAN platform for system-wide adaptive ramp metering

Kansas City TMC

• Does not archive video• Operates hard-shoulder running for buses during peak

hours• Provides brochures to the public

• Ramp Metering• Operation Green Light• Incident Management

Conclusions for UDOT

• Employment of a systems engineer• Minimization of controller compatibility issues• Preference for web/apps over telephone systems• Development of a ramp metering policy• Enhancements to control room – natural light• Certification of traffic signal technicians.