# Presentation: 656695

## Using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Technologies and Strategies to Better Manage Congestion

- Jeffrey F. Paniati
- Associate Administrator of Operations
- Acting Director, ITS Joint Program Office
- Federal Highway Administration

- Traffic Congestion: Issues and Options Symposium
- June 26, 2003

## Overview

- Traffic Congestion – How Do We Attack?
- Role of Transportation System Management and Operations
- Examples – What’s Possible using 21st Century Operations and 21st Century Technologies

## Traffic Congestion Causes

- _RECURRING:_
- Insufficient capacity
- Unrestrained demand
- Ineffective management of capacity (e.g. poor signal timing)

- _NON-RECURRING:_
- Incidents
- Work zones
- Weather events
- Special events
- Emergencies (e.g. hurricanes)

**Notes:**
Vehicle mile of travel grew at a greater rate than miles of roadway- Between 1980 and 2000, vehicle miles traveled increased by 80 percent, while highway lane miles only increased 2.4 percent during the same period.

## How is the congestion pie sliced?

- Total delay: about 5 billion hours per year

**Other recurring**

**Work Zones**

**Other non-recurring**
**e.g. special events**

**Poor signal timing**

**Weather**
**(snow, ice, fog)**

**Incidents **
**(crashes, disabled vehicles)**

**Notes:**
Congestion adds up to about 5 billion hours of delay.  

Highway congestion is not just a problem of recurring rush hour delay which accounts for roughly 40%. 

Non-recurring delay accounts for the rest.  
	-Incidents (crashes and disabled vehicles are 25%
	-Delays caused by work zones account for 10% and weather is 15%.

Poorly timed signals and special events are both 5%. 

## Making a Difference: Long-term Initiatives for Recurring Delay 

- Build Additional Mainline Capacity
- Remove Bottlenecks
- Travel Demand Management
- Use Technology to Better
- 	Manage Traffic

**Notes:**
But, we’re not giving up on recurring delay initiatives
We need to work smarter and utilize technology where needed
TMCs give us the capability to monitor and share near real-time system performance information with managers/operators, public safety organizations, media and general public.
We have the ability to provide travelers with real time information about traffic flow and alternative routes BEFORE they are stuck in traffic  
Simply retiming signals has proven to be very successful, e.g., decreasing delay ranging from 10-45% in some cities.  Coordinating the retiming of signals with neighboring jurisdictions can yield even greater benefits.

## Making a Difference: Short-term Initiatives for Non-Recurring Delay

- Making a Difference: Short-term Initiatives for Non-Recurring Delay

- Implement Traffic Incident Management
- 	Programs
- Implement Work Zone Mobility Strategies
- Manage Weather-related Events
- Manage Special Events
- Provide Timely Traveler
- 	 Information

**Notes:**
For non-recurring delay, we are focusing on:
Managing incidents and work zones better to improve mobility and safety.  FHWA will be working with States and/or regions to assess their incident management and work zone programs to help either raise the bar of an existing formal program or seed the development of a new one. 

O  We can proactively plan and implement initiatives around weather events, such as changing signal timing and other control measures

And we have the ability to give people on the road or on the bus or train the information they need to keep their trip within their control -- so that even though the trip is changing, they can reliably and predictably change plans

## Transportation System Management & OperationsImprove reliability, safety, and security through “21st Century Operations using 21st Century Technology”

- 21st Century Operations
- Proactive
- Customer view
- Regional system base
- 24/7
- Performance based
- Real-time information

- 21st Century Technology
- Advanced Signal Control
- Ramp metering
- Work Zone Management
- Traffic Incident Management
- Real-Time Transportation (traveler) Information
- Emergency/Evacuation Management
- Freight Management
- In Short,... ITS

**Notes:**
This is the overall theme and direction of FHWA to emphasize transportation system management and operations – improving reliability, safety and security through what we have called “ 21st century operations” using “21st century technology” (ITS)  We believe that to move in this direction, we need to establish TSM&O in Title23, identify and encourage the advancement of elements of a 21st century operating culture, and emphasize the need to measure the PERFORMANCE of the system and base transportation decision-making on the measured performance. This will result in outcomes:
Mitigate congestion
Improve freight production – cargo tonnage double, Gateway (LA/Long beach) expected to triple
Save lives (40,000 killed annually)
Enhance security (with DHS)
In addition to building, additional transportation system capacity, we must also manage and operate the capacity that already exists.

A 21st century operations culture is characterized by Proactive approach, Customer view, Regional system base, 24/7, Performance based, Real-time information and using ITS to do things differently that could not have been done without technology

Contrast with current environment of Reactive approach, Public agency view, jurisdiction based, 8/5, output based, historical data

## Transportation System Management and Operations

- Application Areas
- Work Zone Management
- Traffic Incident Management
- Road Weather Management
- Enablers
- Dedicated Short Range Communication
- Transportation Management Centers
- Advanced Traveler Information

## Work Zone Management

- Strategies
- Reduce Number and Duration of Work Zones
- Improve Traffic Management in Work Zones
- Provide Travelers with Information and Options

**Notes:**
Work zones account for 10-15 percent of total delay (ORNL)

Work zone activity is significant - About 20 percent of the National Highway System (NHS) is under construction during the peak summer road work season and 7 percent in the winter.

Work zones cause delay - Work zones are estimated to account for nearly 24 percent of non-recurring delay.  Fifty percent of all highway congestion is attributed to non-recurring conditions, such as traffic incidents, weather and special events.  

The total number of highway work zones in the summer is estimated to be more than 6,400 with a corresponding loss of capacity of 6,157 lane miles.  Work zones in the winter are about one-half.

Motorists are growing more frustrated – The American public cited work zones as second only to poor traffic flow in causing dissatisfaction (2000 traveler survey).

 More work is being done on existing roads already carrying heavy traffic – The share of capital funds used for system preservation rose from 47.6 percent in 1997 to 52.0 percent in 2000.  
 Night work is increasing as agencies try to manage work zone delay - About one-third of work zones are active primarily at night, while 58 percent are active during daylight hours; and 9 percent are active for 18 or more hours per day.

Work zone mobility and safety are linked - As congestion builds in and approaching work zones, crash rates increase.
The most frequent type of crashes in work zones are rear-end crashes.
In 2001, 1,079 fatalities resulted from motor vehicle crashes in work zones.
In 2001, approximately 47,000 people were injured in work zone crashes.

## Work Zone Management

- Techniques
- Work Zone Self-Assessments
- Federal Rule Making on Work Zone Management
- Full Road Closures
- Variable Speed Limits in Work Zones

**Notes:**
Reducing work zone exposure
Using Variable Speed Limit devices to:
 Monitor and control traffic speed 
   through work zones on a real-time 
   basis to improve Flow rates
 Reduce queue lengths, and 
 Inform travelers of changing conditions 

## Traffic Incident Management

- Strategies
- Establish Response and Clearance Procedures and Policies
- Support Integrated Interagency Communications
- Institutionalize Traffic Incident Management

**Notes:**
According to ORNL Temporary Loss of Capacity study, Traffic Incidents (crashes/breakdowns) make up 25-30 percent of total delay.

B/C ratios between 3:1 and 10:1 are common for freeway service patrols.

TIM programs can also reduce secondary crashes – collisions in the stop-and-go traffic caused by the initial incident.

Proactive TIM programs show the traveling public that agencies are doing what they can to reduce travel time, delays and frustration associated with incidents -- Perception. 

## Traffic Incident Management

- Techniques
-   Self-Assessments
-  Integrated Incident
-   Management Systems
-  CAD-TMC Operational Test
-  Incident Management Coalition

**Notes:**
TIM SA results for 62 areas – three categories of assessment
Program and Institutional (38%) – most room for improvement, formalize the programs within the local agencies and regional jurisdictions with ConOps, MOUs, Ops procedures, etc.
On-scene Operations (58%) – Doing fairly well in this area, but still room for improvement in many areas
Communications and Technology (43%) – ITS and other technology applications can make a significant difference in the  integration of traffic incident management operations 

## Road Weather Management

- Strategies
- Develop accurate, real-time road weather information
- Develop operator control strategies to minimize weather impacts
- Develop traffic management for adverse weather conditions

## Road Weather Management

- Techniques
- NOAA/DOT Surface Weather Partnership
- Maintenance Decision Support System
- Traffic Management Strategies

## Dedicated Short Range Communications

-  Electronic Toll Collection – 75 Percent Toll Lanes with ETC
-  Managed Lanes
-  “WiFi Highway”

## Transportation Management Centers

- Facility Management
- Corridor Management
- Regional Management

## Advanced Traveler Information

- Variable Message Signs
- 511 – 14 percent National coverage, 17 Jurisdictions
- Dynamic Route Guidance

## Summary

- Addressing congestion requires a comprehensive approach
- Capacity, Demand Management, Operations
- 21st Century Operations using 21st Century Technology can make a difference
- For More Information:
- Operations Web Site: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov
- ITS Web Site:  http://www.its.dot.gov
- B/C Database:  http://benefitcost.its.dot.gov