Commercial Operations

Defining the possible approach to potential procurement and operation of road pricing systems is a big decision for Governments. At one end of the procurement ‘continuum’ is the option of fully specifying and competing, some or all, of the system design, implementation and operation. At the other end is the creation of an environment which allows for the potential of a fully market-provided road pricing service.  Between these two extremes are many options where a portion can be market-provided; but where there are elements which may have to be specified.  The UK Government is working with Local Authorities to bring forward local road pricing schemes. It is also testing the systems and technology that could make Time, Distance, Place (TDP) charging possible. This paper shows how the Department for Transport (DfT) has approached this issue with the emphasis on determining whether there are cost-effective, feasible, market capabilities to provide such a service. This is being done via the Demonstrations Project'. 

Department for Transport, London

Presented at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has contracted with the
University at Kentucky and General Dynamics to develop the CVO Safety System, an innovation
that increases commercial vehicle safety and fleet efficiency through the use of on-board
monitoring and reporting technology. This program has developed a brake stroke sensor to
monitor the status of pneumatic brakes and is integrated with automatic vehicle location and
vehicle network communication to help fleet managers assess the safety of their trucks while in
operation. Additionally, the CVO Safety System provides automated crash detection through use of the General Dynamics Crash Detection Algorithm (CDA). Since the CDA was based on
passenger car dynamics, the Algorithm must be modified for use with commercial vehicle
dynamics. The acceleration threshold levels must be set low enough to detect a crash and yet
high enough to prevent false alarms.

General Dynamics

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, April 26 - 28, 2004 San Antonio, Texas

The main objective for GNSS-based Electronic Fee Collection (EFC) systems is to obtain its
PVT with a certain level of quality, expressed in terms of accuracy, integrity, continuity and
availability. The ability to provide efficient toll collect is directly related with availability of
integrity at the On-Board Unit. Assuming EGNOS assures a service with a certain defined
quality, these systems should take advantage from such assurance.
The integrity of positioning refers to the assurance that the system works within specified
limits. These limits relate to the maximum error that the system can cope while continuing to
exhibit a correct behavior.

Skysoft Portugal

Presented at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

The  last  few  years  have  seen  the  emergence  of  many  new  technologies  that  can  potentially
have major impacts on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). One of these technologies is
a micro-electromechanical device called smartdust. A smartdust device (or a mote) is typically
composed  of  a  processing  unit,  some  memory,  and  a  radio  chip,  which  allows  it  to
communicate wirelessly  with other motes within  range. These motes  can  also be  augmented
with  additional  sensors  –  such  as  those  for  detecting  light,  temperature  and  acceleration  –
hence enhancing their features and making their application areas virtually limitless.

Newcastle University

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

Management of traffic in large, active, and congested areas can be assisted by a number of
technologies including adaptive traffic control systems, variable message signs (VMS),
efficient incident management, and closed circuit television (CCTV) systems.
Typically each of these technologies is managed using different systems, each with their own
separate operator interfaces. This leads to clutter on operator workstation screens in traffic
control centres, and makes viewing the overall status of the network as a whole difficult.
The Traffic Management Interface System, TMIS, developed by the Traffic Systems Branch
of the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) of NSW, Australia, is intended to provide a
platform that combines real time monitoring and control of the above technologies and others
into a uniform, spatially oriented view of the traffic network and allows traffic operators to
respond to events in the network.
This paper describes the TMIS philosophy, the systems it currently interfaces to, and the
services it provides to the traffic engineers and operators.

Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW

Presented at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York