Cross-cutting Issues

The rapid development of wireless communication and information technologies has
increased the research interests in VANET. But there is little research on application of
VANET in public transportation systems, such as taxi systems. In this paper, we use the
packet delivery fraction and average end-to-end delay as the criteria to evaluate the VANET
performance in taxi systems. After briefly introduce the vehicles mobility model and the
simulation platform based on network simulator 2, we emphasize the combination of vehicle
mobility generation and vehicular networks simulation. We implement some scenarios on
partial Manhattan map with discussing the influence of different packet sending rate, max
connectivity number and the number of vehicles. Through the performance analysis, we
discuss the feasibility of VANET in taxi systems and give some suggestions for implementing
it.

Authors: Wei Lu, Lee Han, Christopher Cherry

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) authority provides a variety of transit services throughout Hillsborough County, FL (Tampa Bay).  These services include local fixed route and express buses, paratransit, vanpools, and in-town trolleys.  HART plans to expand their transit services by 2012 to include Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).  The first phase of their BRT program (called MetroRapid) is currently under final design and will include transit signal priority (TSP).  TSP is a means to give transit vehicles an extended green or reduced red at signalized intersections under certain pre-defined conditions (e.g., late arriving buses only). This allows for reduced but more reliable travel times and improved schedule adherence.  HART is preparing for the operation of TSP by performing a pilot project and has selected Kittelson & Associates, Inc. as their lead consultant for this project.   This paper presents a summary of the pilot project.

Authors: Cad Braud, P.E., PTOE

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

NYC ITS infrastructure modernization project is the largest scale and most cost effective worldwide. It entails upgrading thousands of City traffic signal controllers, deploying a citywide cellular based wireless communication network and upgrading of the central transportation systems to handle applications such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and adaptive traffic control. All systems comply with US national ITS standards. This modernization affects million of NYC multimodal travelers daily - reducing delays, vehicles emission and improving the environmental quality of life. The federally funded project brings NYC to the current state of the art in transportation technologies.

Author: Mohamad Talas, PhD, PE., PTOE.

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

The Crosstown Connector is a limited-access toll road under construction that is slated to
connect the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway and Interstate 4 corridors, near
downtown Tampa, Florida. With a price tag of approximately $389.5 Million, this will be one
of the largest public works projects in Tampa, within the Florida Department of
Transportation’s (FDOT) District 7 region. When completed, the highway will not only
connect the two corridors but also be able to transport people and cargo to and from the Port
of Tampa and downtown Tampa. The first phase of the project, ITS planning, included tasks
such as stakeholder outreach, ITS project architecture development, compliance to the
regional architecture per the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Rule 940,
subsystem identification, communication and electrical systems, and conceptual location of
devices and communication infrastructure in a graphical plot, all summarized as part of a
feasibility study (1). Once the study was completed, ITS design activities were initiated.
During the years 2006 through 2009, several ITS design milestones along with all project
disciplines were completed including roadway, lighting/electrical, signing and marking,
structures and geotechnical. The project is currently in construction with the completion date
likely in the year 2013.

Author: Ron Pati, P.E.

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida

In 1995, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) initiated the Traffic Incident
Management Enhancement (TIME) Program to improve the safety and efficiency of the
freeway system in Wisconsin, and to emphasize the importance of incident management in
overall system operations. Not only did the TIME Program quickly become the institutional
and operational complement to the state’s ITS deployment and infrastructure, it also became
the basis for on-going and emerging initiatives involving Work Zone Safety and Mobility and
Emergency Transportation Operations (ETO). The early success of TIME led to WisDOT
and the Program receiving an ITS America “Best-Of” award back in 2002. Over the past
fifteen years, TIME has matured into an on-going, sustained, statewide incident management
program and has further evolved into serving as a foundation for dealing with a wide range of
emergencies and situations such as traffic incidents, work zones, planned special events, and
severe weather.

Authors: Steven J. Cyra, PE, PTOE, John M. Corbin, PE, PTOE, Anne I. Reshadi, PE

Presented at the 18th World Congress on ITS, October 2011, Orlando, Florida