Transportation Authorities (Draft)
Related Needs
Stakeholders expressed a number of needs related to the delivery of coordinated traffic management and traveller information throughout the Corridor:
- Improve network-wide traffic monitoring and event management by transportation agencies, with a particular emphasis on expanding capabilities to the arterial road network in the vicinity of intermodal terminals, and intercity freeway corridors;
- Employ data sharing and incident response coordination among transportation operators, including road authorities and intermodal terminal operators to mitigate impacts of planned and un-planned events; and
- Employ data sharing and delivery mechanisms to facilitate consolidated comprehensive traveller information, to fulfill the commercial travel information needs as defined for Commercial Vehicle Operations.
Current Environment
The Current Environment illustrates how each transportation authority focuses on managing traffic on their own infrastructure and operations, with minimal coordination and data sharing with other agencies:
- Many municipal agencies operate Central Traffic Signal Control systems, but for the most part these operate autonomously based on intersection traffic data;
- There are a limited number of municipal agencies that actively track and manage planned and unplanned traffic events (e.g. provide traveller information via Variable Message Signs, websites and/or other broadcast means);
- The majority of municipal agencies have limited access to real-time traffic flow data and/or CCTV surveillance on their roadway network – primarily at signalized intersections;
- Although signal timing plans may be implemented in the vicinity of intermodal terminals, municipal agencies typically do not actively coordinate schedules with terminal operators;
- Provincial transportation agencies collect traffic data and have CCTV coverage on major highways in urban areas, but limited real-time surveillance of rural areas; and
- There is limited electronic data sharing among transportation agencies, and therefore municipalities may not become aware of major traffic events on major corridor highways until traffic diverts to the local streets – at which time they may implement diversion signal timing plans.
Smart Corridor
The Smart Corridor should take advantage of standard Centre-to-Centre protocols, and Data Exchange Network servers, to automatically exchange electronic data relating to traffic conditions and planned and unplanned traffic events, including:
- Establishment of a peer-to-peer network for sharing traffic operations and traveller information data;
- Active information sharing and coordinated responses through the establishment of a peer-to-peer network for sharing traffic operations and traveller information data;
- Consolidated Traveller Information Services portal for comprehensive region-wide traveller information;
- Greater network surveillance by transportation agencies, through CCTV deployments and acquisition of network traffic data (e.g. through a data service);
- Implementation of active Traffic Event Management by municipal transportation agencies, either through stand alone systems or through enhancement Central Traffic Signal Control systems. This will allow for municipalities to better manage traffic (e.g. through signal timings and VMS) and improve traveller information dissemination; and
- Application of demand predictive logic to implement proactive traffic management strategies based upon scheduled arrivals at terminals for ships and rail.
The above approach allows agencies to not only better manage traffic events on their own networks and provide associated traveller information, but also allows them to proactively respond to traffic events outside their jurisdiction that may impact traffic on their road network and/or customers of their traveller information services. Additionally, the data will be shared with key users of the transportation network, including Intermodal Terminal Operators and Emergency Services, to allow these organizations to make informed routing and mode decisions.