[5] Develop Intelligent Transportation Systems and Manage Traffic Incidents Effectively
The use
of highway, transit, toll/fare and communications technology improves the
safety, reliability and efficiency of the entire transportation system. Grouped together under the Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) umbrella, these technologies can help meet
congestion relief, air quality, and accessibility goals. Coordination of public safety agency efforts
will create a unified, effective system that responds to accidents and other
traffic tie-ups quickly on all major highways.
Expected Benefits
Intelligent Transportation Systems implementation relieves some
congestion and makes the existing transportation system more flexible. While increasing governmental costs of
transportation, other resource utilization is made more efficient. Implementation will help CDTC to maintain its
"Clean Air" status and provide support for the local economy.
Incident management is critical to reducing regional congestion
levels. Congestion is directly tied to
air quality, the cost of accidents, energy consumption, and user costs.
Implications
There are both budgetary and institutional implications of ITS
implementation. Budgetary investment
will depend upon the benefits that are perceived or proven from pilot uses of
new technology. The degree of benefit
is linked to the degree of implementation.
The use of some ITS technology has significant "human factor"
implications, often leading to changes in the way agencies do business.
Incident management programs are not capital-intensive -- but they do
require an ongoing source of operating funds to be effective in the
long-term. Work of the Incident
Management Subcommittee of the Expressway Management Task Force has also shown
that there is much to be gained by increased inter-agency communication.
Actions
1) Implement Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) on the priority network.
ITS America defines Intelligent
Transportation Systems as "(the application of) advanced and emerging
technologies in such fields as information processing, communications, control
and electronics to multimodal surface transportation needs."[1] Beyond
applying advanced technology to transportation management, ITS uses a system
approach to transportation management which interconnects and coordinates
various functions, services and emergency response and transportation
agencies. It is multimodal and
integrates public transit and demand management. ITS services such as electronic payment services allow for the
integration of electronic transit fare, parking and toll collection, and the
consideration of demand management through congestion pricing. In the Capital Region, transit technology is
an explicit and important component of the overall ITS strategy.
Intelligent
Transportation System (ITS) technology offers much promise in managing travel
demand and the operation of facilities in coming years. CDTC's five-year Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) includes a multi-year commitment to develop and implement an
Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) for the Capital District. Examples of already implemented ITS in the
Capital District include the New York State Thruway Authority Electronic Toll
Collection system (E-Z Pass) and the joint NYSDOT/State Police Transportation
Management Center.
One facet of the Capital Region's ITS initiative is advanced technology
for transit. Advanced technology
initially assists transit operations through real-time information on vehicle
location. This information can then be
combined with real-time highway condition information and made available to
customers. Fully-developed transit
technology in the Capital District will allow customers to use the telephone,
computer, cable TV or video displays within buildings or bus shelters to
determine bus routes, fares, schedules and travel times. They will also be able to find the expected
arrival of the next bus or to arrange for a STAR trip. Advanced communications technology will also
allow transit vehicles to serve as roving monitors of traffic conditions. Dispatchers will be able to alter STAR
schedules and routes (or in some cases other bus routes) to avoid major traffic
incidents. Real-time coordination of
human service agency transport will also be possible.
Further, new technologies will allow CDTA to build upon its electronic
fare collection system. In the future,
"smart" bus passes will allow bus travel to be largely cash-less,
operating in a manner similar to the Thruway Authority's E-Z PASS with
automatic debiting of accounts and automatic credit card billing. All of these advances will help make transit
use more convenient and reliable. They
are also necessary to keep pace with technological improvements that will be
provided to the auto driver that make auto travel more convenient and reliable.
The ITS initiative includes a major effort to coordinate signal timing on
major city and suburban arterials.
Transit-friendly application of that technology will include designing
the operation of the signal system to achieve multiple objectives. Rather than optimizing signal 
timing
for maximum traffic flow, signal system design can be developed that allows for
efficient traffic progression at travel speeds that are compatible with
pedestrian, bike and transit movements.
This may provide for a win/win outcome.[2] Even
modest improvements in basic signal timing will show important results.
The Capital District ITS Strategic Plan was prepared by the Expressway
Management Task Force, and strongly supported by the Goods Movement Task
Force. The Strategic Plan frames a
staged development of an expanded ATMS and other ITS services and functions on
a network which includes priority expressways and arterials and secondary
alternate arterials. Through
partnerships with the private sector and among public agencies, significant
strides in managing mobility can be made.
Continued emphasis on technological methods of addressing mobility
concerns could significantly reduce the need for physical system expansions.
2) Implement the Expressway Incident Management System Development Plan.
Incident management is the planned, coordinated process of detecting and
removing incidents to restore normal traffic operations as quickly as
possible. With an estimated 60 percent
of all expressway system delay caused by incidents -- ranging from vehicles
with flat tires on shoulders to major accidents -- quick detection and removal
are critical to maintaining traffic flows, particularly during peak travel
periods.
Expressway
incident management requires both human resources -- emergency response and
transportation professionals trained in the unique nature of dealing with
expressway incidents -- and the availability of those supplies and equipment
needed to properly manage incident scenes.
The region's incident removal capabilities will be enhanced through
improved interagency coordination and the provision of appropriate training and
equipment.
The input of the region's emergency response community was sought to
prioritize the important investment areas that will improve incident management
capabilities. Investments in five areas
are necessary:
1) interagency coordination
2) specialized training
3) provision (through "pre-spotting" along
the expressway system) of both ordinary and specialized incident management
supplies
4) advance planning for incident management, and
5) resolution of institutional issues.
The Expressway Incident Management
System Development Plan, drafted by the Expressway Management Task Force,
will guide development of regional expressway incident management capabilities.