UPDATE Volume 1, Number 4 Articles - Summer Quarter 1997

TRAVELER/DRIVER TRAFFIC INFORMATION - Halgren & Burrus

The provider’s and the user’s viewpoints

Provider- The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Traffic Management Center (TMC) is the freeway traffic data hub for the Twin Cities and adjacent suburbs. Over 3000 traffic sensors provide 24 hour a day traffic flow data primarily for automatic meter control of 450 freeway access ramps. During peak traffic periods, skilled TMC operators use 170+ closed circuit television cameras to observe traffic flow, zoom in on problem areas, then manage incidents with changeable message signs, ramp meter rate manual over-rides, highway helper truck dispatching, and communications with the Highway Patrol or other emergency service providers. This hub of data is an ideal source for traveler and driver information generation. Building upon the success of the KBEM 88.5 fm traffic broadcasts and the Paragon CATV connection, Mn/DOT is expanding traffic information distribution with the addition of a TMC staff member, a partnership hosted web site, and communications to in-vehicle devices.

The Twin Cities Traffic Net web site provides an area map with up to the minute congestion levels [average speeds derived from sensor data every 30 seconds] on 70% of the freeway system. Users made 151,000 accesses between April 1 and July 11 this year; www.traffic.connects.com. The Guidestar Trilogy project is testing and evaluating in-vehicle devices which provide drivers with real-time traffic information. This operational test project complements the web site congestion map with information on incidents, road construction, and ramp meter status, as well as personal paging then sends it over the air waves to in-vehicle test devices. 200 commercial drivers from twelve local companies and 100 private citizens have vehicle installed devices, they’ll provide feedback on how usefulness, timeliness and understandability of the information. - Gary Hallgren.

User - Often I travel from my West St. Paul home to Robbinsdale. Earlier this year I encountered unusually heavy morning traffic before reaching the I94/35W commons. I hadn't heard anything on my favorite radio station, so I switched to KBEM.... Just Jazz at the moment...., I had passed a Changeable Message Sign but hadn't paid attention because it said something about I-394, not on my planned route. TOO LATE. Traffic came to a stand still - I was in the left lane about a mile from the next exit. 30 minutes later I crept past the accident at the I-94 to I-394 entrance ramp.

This morning’s commute to Robbinsdale is different. I start by clicking onto the Twin Cities Traffic Net while checking e-mail. I zoom into the North West Quadrant and see that most of my planned route road segments are green (which means 50 mph+) while a few are yellow (meaning slower traffic) but, I expect some morning slow downs in those areas. My morning commute looks good. As I start my car, the Dynaguide test device [Trilogy receiver] activates showing me the Twin Cities map color coded like the web site. It also displays icons explaining slow traffic causes in congested areas. Today I notice construction icons on the Bloomington Strip, the road segments are red. My commute route still looks good. As I drive on I-94 near Snelling Avenue, my favorite radio station has said nothing about traffic, but my device now shows a red segment at the Lowry Tunnel. As I again glance at the device, I see the commons area roads turn yellow then an accident symbol Icon pops up. I read the accompanying text message to learn that a truck has blocked the tunnel’s middle lane. Again I check my device and see that traffic has all ready slowed to the Dartmouth bridge. Even though traffic looks clear ahead, I take the Hwy. 280-University Ave. exit remembering an alternate Washington Ave. route and am soon through Minneapolis on Hwy. 100 heading north. As I pass Golden Valley, I hear the radio traffic woman say.   "Traffic is backed up on I-94 due to an accident, avoid the area if possible". If only I could tell her that my Dynaguide shows that it is clear and traffic is returning to normal. - Max Burrus

ITS MINNESOTA LUNCHEON NETWORKING by Bill Gardner

Dr. Christine Johnson, Director of the US DOT's ITS Joint Programs Office, addressed over 80 attendees on June 18. Dr. Johnson discussed the status of the federal government's ITS program. Under NEXTEA, the administration has requested $250 million per year for ITS research and deployment. While this is a relatively small amount of the overall transportation budget, ITS funding is not a "done deal" in light of the drive for deficit reduction. The federal program is in transition from research and testing to an emphasis on integrated deployment. She also discussed how the upcoming widespread deployment of ITS presents an outstanding opportunity to develop a truly inter-modal transportation system. The flip side is that if done poorly, we will lock ourselves into inefficient infrastructure patterns for many years to come.

The next networking opportunity is September 3, 11:30 at the St. Paul Sheraton Midway. Doug Henrich, Sidewalk general manager from Microsoft Corporation is our featured speaker talking about information access and distribution via twincities.sidewalk.com. He says “Our research shows metro-area residents are working longer hours and paying the price in their social lives. At the end of a long workday or week, many residents find it challenging to sort through the array of entertainment options and get motivated to try new things. That’s why we designed Sidewalk to be a personalized online city guide. It’s like having a virtual team of entertainment advisers on the streets every day matching your tastes and interests with the best the Twin Cities has to offer.” A native Minnesotan and Microsoft veteran, Doug formerly published CD-ROM titles, developer magazines and online technical sites for Microsoft. He was also responsible for Microsoft's software evangelism efforts. He's a graduate of the University of Minnesota. - Bill Gardner

MINNESOTA HOSTS SUCCESSFUL ITI EXECUTIVE SCAN TOURS By Jim McCarthy

Six Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure (ITI) Executive Scanning Tours during the past year brought 160 visitors from fourteen states to overview the Minnesota Guidestar Program. The ITI tour program intent is to provide transportation agencies and their transportation arena partners with an ITS field exposure in order to help them develop their own ITS programs. The tours are organized by the FHWA Division and Region Offices and funded with FHWA ITS funds.

The touring delegations were from Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The groups have been a mixture of Academia, City Traffic Engineers, DOT Secretaries, Elected DOT Commissions, Mayors, MPO Staffs, State DOT Staff, State Legislators, and Transit Managers. Activities included Minnesota Guidestar Program project(s) status presentations, field reviews of ongoing ITS field operational tests in the Twin Cities, TMC visits, demonstrations at the University’s CTS/ITS Laboratory, and visits to various Minnesota Guidestar private partners’ facilities to view new products.

MANY SUCCESSES!First the Minnesota Tours demonstrated how to build an ITS Program, in particular the need to build a program of research, public agency involvement, and private partner support. Secondly the programs educated the visitors in a very interesting manner on the breadth of the ITS activity field. Lastly and most importantly the tours have stimulated a number of Agencies to move ahead in starting ITS programs, in deploying traffic management technologies, and in obtaining ITS initiative commitments from decision makers. In the words of Indiana Transportation Commissioner Stan Smith “If you were trying to sell me on ITS you did your job!” Thanks to all who supported these tours, James McCarthy - FHWA.