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Intertraffic - From parking and enforcement to signage and vehicle detection |
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From parking and enforcement to signage and vehicle detection, the traffic industry continues to be a fine breeding ground for innovation, as highlighted by the 86 products proposed for the industry’s much-coveted Intertraffic Innovation Award, to be announced at Intertraffic Amsterdam, March 23-26, 2010
Traffic management
Traffic congestion appears to have slightly loosened its grip in the past year, a direct result of the poor state of the global economy. The improvement is a false dawn however. As soon as the financial situation picks up, the jams are fully expected to return – most likely with a vengeance. As a consequence, major concerns remain about the impact of traffic on society as a whole but especially its adverse impact on pollution, particularly in the wake of the seemingly failed COP15 UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
Congestion continues to cost economies dearly. According to the 2009 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute, the overall cost of congestion in the USA, for instance, reached US$87.2 billion in 2007 (the last year for which figures are available) – that’s US$750 per traveller. The report also revealed that almost 2.8 billion gallons of fuel were wasted in the wake of this delay (three weeks of fuel for every traveller), while 4.2 billion hours of time was lost sitting in jam after jam.
The Texas Transportation Institute advises that traffic practitioners should focus on getting the most use out of the existing transportation network, with roadway capacity added only where it is needed most. Attempts to change commuter patterns are advised, whether through carpooling or more flexible working hours. More choices – through alternate routes, telecommuting and toll lanes – have the potential to provide faster and more reliable trips. Land development patterns, meanwhile, should be diversified, in doing so ensuring that walking, mass transit and cycling – the ‘greening’ of cities – become more practical, creating more liveable urban environments as a consequence. Finally, traffic professionals and travellers should have realistic expectations – traffic jams are quite simply a part of life in large urban areas.
Products listed for nomination in the Intertraffic Innovation Awards cover the full spectrum of advanced traffic management, from arterial, freeway and incident management to demand management strategies and traveller advisories. Detection technologies, whether based on loops or aboveground sensors, are prevalent also. In the past few years, there has been a trend toward probe technologies, making use of either GPS via vehicle sat-nav systems and even mobile phone (GSM) technology. On this subject, a nominated system hoping for some awards recognition is based around Bluetooth, which is available on the majority of phone handsets. As each cell phone contains a unique detectable address, accurate travel information can be guaranteed. In the future, such technologies have the potential to supersede today’s systems that are based on ALPR, video detection, embedded loops or vision-based systems, with cost and much larger penetration cited as overriding factors.
Price is central to the benefits of another potential award winner in the field of detection, based in this instance on magnetic technology. Able to collect variables such as vehicle presence, speed and classification, the reduced installation costs and minimal damage to the road are benefits known to be attractive to DOTs and Local Authorities. Meanwhile, a laser-based system from another supplier requires no disruption to the traffic flow whatsoever. A non-visible laser beam is directed across the traffic lanes at the road surface onto vehicle wheels and is able to detect not just which lane the vehicle occupies, but also its speed, classification and number of axles.
Such systems do not spell the end of embedded technologies however. With accurate and reliable data as the main characteristics, a new system from a supplier in the USA transfers collected data wirelessly without the need for cables between the sensor and the signal controller. This reduces installation costs substantially yet the system still offers the same quality of data that you would expect from a traditional loop. Another design provides a high-speed scanning loop detector for up to 16 loops, eight integrated camera triggers and enhanced sensitivity for detection of even powered two wheelers. Most impressively, it has a claimed MTBF of 40 years. A particularly novel sensor solution also hoping for some Intertraffic silverware is based on scanning radar technology – reportedly the first of its type in the world for such an application. This has been trialled successfully on the M42 Advanced Traffic Management project in the UK. With low power emissions, high range resolution, a 500m range over 360° and sophisticated tracking software, optimum performance is claimed reproducible at an affordable price.
The move toward wireless connectivity has been in motion for some considerable time, with authorities becoming increasingly unwilling to rip up roads for installation. Performance, too, has been improving, and is undoubtedly a prerequisite in all applications, notably enforcement at the intersection where accuracy is sacrosanct for prosecution purposes. Based on a series of algorithms, one of the products put before the Innovation Awards judging panel sets up a virtual detection zone that acts as loops or sensors, which can be easily edited or changed. Independent from the traffic signal or traffic controller, the solution does not need to be connected to the traffic light to know when a car runs a red – all that needs to be connected is a power supply and network cable.
The special feature of another enforcement system up for an award is the integration of two lenses enclosed in one camera housing. As a consequence, the camera is perfectly suited for deployment in instances where the contradicting objectives of high dynamic range and broad spectrum resolution is required – for example, in traffic monitoring when a driver needs to be identified across four lanes of traffic, yet the vehicle license plate must remain legible and not washed out, as can be the case with a powerful flash unit.
Ultimately, this new decade looks set to be an exciting one for advanced traffic management, really emphasizing the ‘intelligence’ in intelligent transport systems. As funding will remain a hot topic, attention will increasingly veer back to time, distance and place charging. If it ever comes to fruition, the Netherlands’ own proposed nationwide road charging scheme, Anders Betalen voor Mobiliteit, will utilize GNSS technology, so the traffic management world will watch on with interest. If proved successful, many other countries could follow suit in employing satellite-based tolling. ITS is also proving integral to cities’ plans to reduce pollution, and one of the projects before the judging panel shows how traditionally employed enforcement technologies can demonstrate green credentials with a little bit of intelligent thinking. Based on ALPR software, the objective of a scheme currently in operation in Amsterdam is to remove highly polluting trucks from the city centre. Hit rates and accuracy are apparently above expectations. And on the subject of ALPR, a promising new system from an established supplier in the field adds a solar power source to the mix, meaning it can be installed in virtually any location, no matter how remote.
Parking
The parking industry represents massive business globally, generating annual revenues in North America alone in excess of US$20-US$25 billion. But despite such rich pickings, the sector is sometimes accused of being a bit lackadaisical when it comes to utilizing the best that technology has to offer, which is particularly counterproductive since there is a wealth of innovation that can alleviate parking’s impact on urban and city congestion. More intelligent parking revenue control methods, automated parking infrastructure and advanced payment facilities can potentially lift revenues and efficiencies to a whole new level.
In some countries, one of the keys to solving the urban road transport conundrum is to first address the parking issue. Urban areas, especially those in the UK, are filled with people searching for parking availability. Now reaching saturation point – with car park queues overflowing onto surrounding roads – the need for car park owners, operators and designers to get cars off the roads and into bays as quickly and smoothly as possible is acute. An often-cited critique of city centre parking management is the lack of information regarding multi-storey car park space availability, while there is seemingly even less integration concerning the capacity of on-street parking space. Integration in this sense would seem to be a future priority.
Drivers need available locations, regulations and tariffs as well as a purchasing capability, all of which needs to be available in real-time. Moreover, this needs to automatically reflect permits held by both vehicle and driver, so delivery via cell phone, satellite navigation systems and text-to-voice and automatic speech recognition are ideal methods for delivery of such information. Drivers shouldn’t be expected to peruse multiple sources, nor should they care from whom they purchase their parking; they care most about where that parking availability is, and how much it will cost. Systems that support the driver should accommodate this and provide seamless integration. By utilizing smart ideas, parking professionals can differentiate themselves from their competition, in doing so providing clients with new and convenient services that they both appreciate and demand.
The above requirements – and more – are aptly highlighted in the solutions and concepts nominated for recognition in the Intertraffic Innovation Awards. Ticketless systems would appear to dominate proceedings for this 2010 ceremony, driven in part by environmental concerns, as new forms of physical and virtual methods of payment become available. One system in particular enables users to modernize unattended payment operations, increase the service offering, and control profit, while simultaneously saving time and giving users more freedom to attend to other tasks. Another paperless system is built around the centralized control of vehicle license plates, which reduces pollution by minimizing the time taken to park. The addition of solar power, bicycle sharing and electric vehicle charging stations would confirm it to be the “truly green solution” that its developers have billed it as. Such solutions do not signal that the end of the ticket is nigh though. Acknowledging that the adoption of paperless systems on a more widespread basis is a slow process, a further nominee has instigated a scheme to ensure tickets are manufactured from materials originating from legitimate sources, in doing so guaranteeing a sustainable and well-managed supply chain.
Reducing the negative impact of transport on the environment is central to the thinking of many of the Intertraffic Innovation Award nominees, from more efficient LED lighting for parking guidance systems (claimed to be 60% more efficient than traditional lighting solutions) to EV charging stations actually integrated within the car park facility itself. In respect of the latter, a further novel concept hoping for some form of accolade involves drivers actually purchasing parking as well as the capability to charge their EVs during the parking session.
Covering the gamut of parking management, other noteworthy solutions up for recognition by the panel of Intertraffic Innovation Award judges include solutions for enforcement, detection and inventory. When looked at as a whole, such exciting ideas pinpoint where the industry seems to be heading. In the future, gates and tickets will no longer be required, while payment stations and cashier booths could become symbols of a bygone era.
Infrastructure and safety
Hastened by EU-initiated targets to reduce road deaths across Europe by 50% by 2020, there is an increasing focus on traffic safety – both in-car and at the roadside. Traditionally a strong category for innovation, entries for the 2010 Intertraffic Innovation Awards do not disappoint. And while products are highlighted that enhance safety for drivers, protecting vulnerable road users is clearly high on the agendum.
Almost half of the 1.3 million people who die in road traffic crashes are pedestrians, cyclists and riders of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) – a proportion that is substantially higher in the poorer economies of the world. Two innovative advances focusing on safety for pedestrians at the intersection have similar goals, but the technology employed in one could signal a change in detection in ITS in general. CMOS sensors are relatively new to intelligent transport systems and have the advantage of high frame rates and high resolution. They are also not susceptible to smear, so moving objects or shafts of sunlight do not pose a problem when capturing a useable image. In both of these new pedestrian detection developments, as well as safety, overall efficiency of pedestrian movement is an important factor, enhancing efficiency at the intersection for vehicle drivers also. Another innovation with pedestrians in mind provides audible alerts for those with poor eyesight – a segment of society that is sometimes forgotten when it comes to mobility. But with a growing older generation, perhaps more research and development should be invested into this particular demographic.
An abundance of passively safe street furniture will also be on display, and several products in the category are in the running for awards. Authorities now realise that deaths resulting from road users hitting, for instance, a heavy, steel unprotected signpost or concrete lighting column are quite simply unacceptable to society. But human beings make errors. When such errors do occur, the so-called Safe System approach maintains that it should not be ‘an error’ that kills you.
Passively safe signposts are now being regularly and increasingly used on road networks. More economical and safer than conventional lighting columns and sign posts with protective barriers, Local Authorities are also increasingly specifying passively safe products on their roads as the potential for reducing the casualty rate is apparent for all to see, despite the issues being more complex with walls, ditches, trees and other obstacles that are more difficult to tackle yet pose similar risks on minor roads.
The European standard EN 12767 specifies performance requirements and defines levels in passive safety terms, intended to reduce the severity of injury to the occupants of vehicles impacting with road equipment structures. Where the support structure is to be used in a multi-legged configuration, the European standard requires a test with a test vehicle against one of the legs of a multi-legged structure. For a sign support to meet the requirements of EN 12767, a minimum of two tests are required: a speed class test at 50km/h, 70km/h or 100km/h; and a low-speed test at 35km/h. During both tests, ASI and THIV values are assessed against the standard to ensure that occupant safety levels are maintained.
The safe and efficient flow of traffic through roadworks is an omnipresent concern for the transportation industry. According to the FHWA, in the USA alone in 2008 there were 720 fatalities in areas with roadworks, representing 2% of all roadway fatalities for the year. Over four out of every five roadworks fatalities were vehicle drivers. Additionally, there are over 40,000 injuries in such zones. Several products nominated for awards have an emphasis on reversing the trend. One in particular warns roadway workers and errant vehicle drivers simultaneously with an audible blast. Mountable onto barricades, cones, drums and delineators, its developers are adamant the 125dB horn blast will provide roadworkers with critical time to move out of harm’s way. Other systems, including a newly developed mobile steel barrier (that fulfils the requirements to EN 1317 for restraint) physically prevent the intrusion in the first place. A vertical and horizontal connection system between the barrier components allows quick and flexible installation around workzones, in doing so reducing logistics and installation efforts markedly.
Other nominated products tick highly important boxes by offering priceless safety benefits without a prohibitive price tag. The pressure on highway engineers to save money across their budgets is not new, but seemingly becomes more intense every year. Thermoplastic road markings, illuminated traffic signs and rumble strips are relatively simple but highly effective tools to save lives and reduce injury. In relation to the latter, one solution up for an Intertraffic Innovation Award, a temporarily installed rumble strip, is highly suited to roadworks where daily installation and removal are required. In relation to road markings, one nominated product sports special high-quality glass beads as the retro-reflective agent, which are claimed to offer high levels of continuous reflective performance, whether the road is wet or not. The main criteria for road markings continue to be long life and high performance, and enhanced performance during wet, dark nights when accident rates increase dramatically. With 50% of all accidents in the UK occurring during the night when it rains – even though these conditions only occur 10% of the time – the need for road markings with superior wet-night visibility is abundantly clear.
All of the abovementioned products are a mere handful of the launches expected to make the news when the doors open on this 20th Edition of Intertraffic Amsterdam. In reality, they don’t even begin to touch the surface of what will be on show from March 23-26, 2010. The best way to see what this global traffic infrastructure showcase has to offer is to come along and experience it for yourself. See you there!
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