Cross-cutting Issues

N11 (said as “N-one-one”) is a 3-digit series of numbers reserved for services as part of the North American Numbering Plan instituted by AT&T in 1947. In subsequent years, agencies such as the FCC (Federal Communications Corp) and Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) have stepped in to further define and in some cases mandate protocol in regions covering the U.S, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada. Most callers are familiar with 411 for directory assistance and 911 for emergency services. There are additional numbers assigned for services to connect callers with relevant departments, deliver information that has public safety benefits.

Author: Steve Chirokas

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

The camera-based system has great potential to reduce transit bus side crashes through decreasing or eliminating blind zones. There were no available field testing data in the literature
to demonstrate the potential of applying an innovative application of sideview cameras on transit buses to reduce side collisions. It was uncertain whether transit bus drivers could use the sideview cameras to drive and be satisfied by its performance. This paper closely explores the above-mentioned important questions and seeks to provide insights on transit drivers’ satisfaction on using the sideview cameras on their driving. This paper offers valuable findings for further development of advanced sideview cameras for future transit buses. In this study, a
comprehensive controlled driver test was designed, and conducted with a sample of bus drivers in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the sideview video system, and examine potential issues with its use on a regular basis. A well-designed driver survey and evaluation was performed before and after the test to capture the drivers’ change in opinion for the system, if any. This paper especially focuses on the analysis of the driver survey on using the system to obtain their feedback to further improve the system for future widespread deployments. The result of the controlled driving test from 28 bus drivers was positive on distance/depth perception and lane change maneuvers using sideview video systems. Most bus drivers who participated in the controlled driver test were satisfied with the sideview video system, and believed the system could be further improved for actual deployment in the future.

Authors: Pei-Sung Lin, Ph.D., P.E., PTOE, FITE, Achilleas Kourtellis, Ph.D., Chanyoung Lee, Ph.D., AICP, PTP

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

As traffic and road maintenance requirements increase, transportation agencies face great
challenges in developing effective work zone management plans which can efficiently
mitigate the negative impacts on traffic mobility and safety. To assist agencies in such
planning work, this paper develops a model for jointly optimizing the major components of a
work zone management plan, including the timing, duration, and configuration of lane
closures as well as selection of various traffic impact mitigation strategies, such as detour
plans. Because drivers’ diversion behavior may vary considerably under different
circumstances, the optimization model embeds three models for predicting time-varying
detour rates, including System Optimization Model (SO), User Equilibrium Model (UE), and
Logit-based Route Choice Model (RC). A heuristic optimization algorithm, named two-stage
modified population-based simulated annealing (2PBSA), is developed to search for a
near-optimal solution.
The application of this proposed methodology is demonstrated through a hypothetical
resurfacing project on a hypothetical maintenance project on the north bound I-95 freeway in
Maryland. Through the numerical experiments, we find that detour control, combined with
efficient lane closure tactics, has great potential to mitigate the traffic impact and reduce project cost. Its effectiveness significantly depends on the road users’ detour behavior as well as the physical and traffic characteristics of the mainline and alternative routes.

Authors: Ning Yang, Ph.D., Paul Schonfeld, Ph.D., P.E.

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

There are many challenges facing agencies interested in assessing mileage-based user fees as a revenue source.  Determining an appropriate fee structure and determining a mechanism by which to assess fees are some of the more significant issues.  The use of technology to assess mileage-based user fees (rather than assessment of fees via a manual odometer reading) makes it possible to introduce factors into the fee structure beyond fuel efficiency or vehicle type.  Factors can include location (e.g., inside versus outside a defined metropolitan area), time of day, and roadway type, among others.  Inclusion of factors such as these can support traffic management efforts such as congestion pricing but may also have unintended consequences on driver behavior and can negatively impact public acceptance.  Designing an appropriate fee structure requires consideration of what the State believes is equitable and what is perceived by the public to be equitable.  As additional factors are considered, it becomes even more critical to fully understand the public’s perceptions of equity.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation is conducting a pilot investigation, the Minnesota Road Fee Test, to test the use of an in-vehicle device to assess mileage-based user fees.  The test begins in September of 2011, and this paper reports on initial observations regarding technology and equity

Author: Jennifer A. Rephlo

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

The Connected Vehicle for Safety, Mobility and User Fee Project is an extensive demonstration project undertaken in parallel with other Connected Vehicle Programs.  MnDOT’s efforts include designing, building, and testing three new software applications that combine safety and mobility applications from the Connected Vehicle world with a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) application from the road user pricing world. The desire to mix Connected Vehicle and MBUF applications on a single commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) platform presents challenges to the architecture and design of the system as the functionality and needs of Connected Vehicle applications are different from the MBUF applications. This presentation will summarize the System Architecture/Design developed for this large field demonstration of MBUF.

Author: Matthew Burns

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