Cross-cutting Issues

This paper provides an overview of implementation activities for transit-oriented traffic signal priority operations in Columbus, Ohio. The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), City of Columbus, and Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) are moving forward with plans to introduce transit priority operations along major transit routes in the COTA service area. The agencies have worked together to develop an efficient transit priority scheme that begins with an implementation of 32 intersections along one major corridor (North High Street), and is expandable to cover most bus corridors in the City without extensive roadside or in-vehicle hardware investment.

The concept involves the use of continuous Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) monitoring for

COTA buses, connectivity of the AVL system with the City’s Metropolitan Traffic Control

System (MTCS), and the use of standardized communications between the MTCS and modern local traffic controllers. The concept reduces the need for extensive field hardware and communication, thus reducing complexity and cost, while permitting flexible signal operations and timing schemes to maximize efficiency of bus operations without unduly penalizing cross-street traffic.

Wilbur Smith Associates

Central Ohio Transit Authority

Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

Highly automated driving becomes more and more the new research challenge in the
automotive fields all over the world. A number of initiatives have already been tackling
issues related to this. This paper describes HAVEit, a new EC funded Integrated Project
under the 7th framework program, aiming at the realization of the long-term vision of highly
automated driving for intelligent transport. The project is the biggest initiative taken in this
area in Europe and will develop, validate and demonstrate important intermediate steps
towards highly automated driving. The results are expected to offer a high potential for
exploitation within a 3 to7 years time horizon after HAVEit project end. In the long term
these HAVEit results also form the ideal basis to integrate further generations of ADAS and
drive-train components that offer the next step of highly automated functionalities. HAVEit
will significantly contribute to higher traffic safety and efficiency for passenger cars, busses
and trucks, thereby strongly promoting safe and intelligent mobility of both people and
goods.

Continental Automotive GmbH System and Technology Automotive

Institute of Communication and Computer Systems

Volkswagen AG

Volvo Technology Corp.

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

In this paper we propose an algorithm for disseminating reports about real-time
traffic conditions in vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANET’s). Using this method, each vehicle
makes local decision on when to disseminate reports, how many to disseminate, and which
reports to disseminate. In order to deal with the bandwidth and memory constraints, reports
are prioritized in terms of their value, as reflected by supply and demand. We compare by
simulations the proposed algorithm with Grassroots, an existing VANET dissemination
algorithm. The results show that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms Grassroots.

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

University of Illinois at Chicago

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

This paper reviews traffic signal preemption and priority for emergency vehicles and transit buses respectively, with a focus on technology. Since the technologies traditionally associated with preemption and priority deal primarily with vehicle detection, detection technologies are examined first, in terms of their functionality, strengths, and limitations. Past deployments of these technologies are then reviewed in terms of results and lessons learned. Given the many stakeholders affected by preemption and priority, requirements become an important consideration; the paper attempts to match the detection technologies with requirements developed as part of a regional study in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

George Mason University

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

The City of Pasadena’s traffic management center currently monitors and operates over two

hundred and fifty signals throughout the City. The operation and maintenance of existing

traffic signals and traffic communication network is facilitated from the Traffic Management

Center (TMC) through use of three different traffic management systems: Series2000,

QuickNet Pro, and Siemens i2. The City is transitioning to newer traffic signal controllers,

standard traffic signal firmware, and a more centralized advanced traffic management system

(ATMS). The purpose of the conversion is to provide a more technologically advanced and

specialized traffic signal control means to address the most challenging traffic conditions.

This paper will describe the thorough process of converting the base timing parameters for

over one hundred and twenty signals to a new firmware, inputting and uploading the

converted firmware into the existing central system software (i2), preparing intersection

graphics, and re-allocating data channels of the existing links to accommodate the maximum

number of controllers per channel. The paper will also describe the limitations brought on by

this transition, and the difficulty of deploying and implementing new firmware and software

using older communication infrastructure.

Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.

Traffic Management Center, City of Pasadena

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