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March 07, 2005

Chicago ready for traffic reforms

A nice overview article in the Chicago Tribune on using technology to improve traffic flow.
Besides covering the smart traffic lights in LA, the article talks about the six minute rule in Houston.

The idea behind Houston's six-minute response rule for tow-truck drivers. Since Jan. 1 motorists are no longer allowed to change flat tires or let overheated engines cool off on highway shoulders. Workers monitoring traffic via closed-circuit cameras dispatch tow trucks to clear the accidents or disabled vehicles within minutes. The trucks, assigned to roam specific areas, often arrive before police.

Each minute a disabled vehicle is on the highway results in four minutes of worsening traffic backups, White said. Despite a booming automobile-centered population, commuting times have been reduced as much as 20 percent in Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, officials said.

More than 360 traffic-surveillance cameras, panning more than 90 percent of the lanes on area highways, send continuous images to Houston TranStar, a high-tech operations center filled with rows of computer consoles and plasma TV screens that display accidents and traffic knots.

The 9-year-old TranStar facility and traffic equipment deployed on the roads, including about 150 electronic changeable-message signs to alert motorists about problems ahead, cost $24 million annually to operate, said TranStar spokesman Artee Jones. But he said the benefits delivered to motorists total $168 million a year in quicker commutes, less fuel consumed and cleaner air.

"In the past, 10 or 15 tow trucks would rush along the shoulder to be first to an accident scene, creating an even more dangerous situation," she said. "And there was terrible price-gouging. Today, each tow-truck company is assigned to patrol a segment of the freeway, and the pricing is regulated."

The tow and the service to replace the flat with a spare tire from Farrington's trunk were paid for by the City of Houston under a new program called Safe Clear. It costs the city $50 per tow to the nearest highway exit or within 1 mile. Beyond that, motorists are on the hook for towing fees of $75 and up.

Besides Houston, the article also covers possible solutions for addressing Chicago's traffic issues:

THE PROBLEM
Extra hours spent per traveler in traffic annually, during peak times, 2002: 56 hours
Note: Peak travel times are 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Examples of traffic-management innovations used in Los Angeles and Houston
- Roadside cameras
Generally placed at intervals along a freeway to identify incidents.

- Bus dispatch
An onboard computer communicates with a traffic-monitoring system and sends data such as the bus' location, number of passengers and fare collection.

- Flow signals
Located on entrance ramps of freeways to provide a consistent flow of entering vehicles.

- Traffic sensors
Collect traffic information such as traffic times and speeds.

- High occupancy vehicle lanes
Designated lanes for vehicles traveling during peak periods with multiple passengers.

- Smart stoplights
Computer-based traffic signals that monitor conditions

- Motorist assistance/vehicle removal
Provide assistance such as changing a flat tire, jump-starting a vehicle, providing fuel to disabled motorists and moving stalled or disabled vehicles that disrupt traffic flow.

Posted by rshah at March 7, 2005 09:12 AM

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