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Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability (2011)

Chapter: Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 7 - Case Studies: Multiagency Operations." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14510.
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C H A P T E R 7 Case Studies: Multiagency OperationsImprovements to travel time reliability, particularly in large urban areas, often rely on the integration and coordination of multiple agencies in order to achieve a common goal. This sec- tion presents two case studies that were considered because of the focus they place on multiagency integration. Often it is the institutional issues in a project, rather than the technical issues, that are the most challenging. These challenges only grow larger when multiple agencies are involved. The case study that is presented for AZTech examines the process used for multi- ple agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area to view and exchange real-time traffic data from adjacent jurisdictions. The case study for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) examines the multiagency approach to the develop- ment of corridor signal timing plans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Arizona: AZTech Regional Archived Data Server AZTech was established in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the fed- erally funded Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiatives in 1996 (1). There are several aspects to the AZTech program that are focused on improving travel time reliability in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From the state perspective, Arizona DOT operates a robust freeway management system that supports operations during recurring and nonrecurring congestion, including real-time detection, traveler information, incident management and response strategies, and planned event man- agement. Coordinated and effective arterial operations are also a significant part of the region’s transportation operations and management strategy. Many local agencies within the Phoenix metropolitan area operate independent traffic signal management systems; many also use CCTV cameras and DMS and operate web-based traveler information systems. Agencies within the AZTech partnership include Arizona DOT, Maricopa County DOT, the Maricopa Association of Governments, Valley Metro/Regional Public Transportation61Authority, several cities, and state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies. One unique element to the AZTech program is the use of a regional database to support real-time information sharing among partner agencies. Agencies in the region determined it would not be financially feasible, nor would it be a viable option from an information technology security standpoint, to implement individual connections between agencies to share transportation data. A Regional Archived Data Server (RADS) was established to archive data generated by local and state agency transportation management systems. Initially, the RADS was intended to serve as a regional data archive, and to provide a repository for regional data that would be populated by local systems. Agencies in the region also could retrieve archived data from the server to support planning and analy- sis activities. The RADS has since evolved into a data engine that is supporting real-time information exchanges among agencies for transportation network operations data. As the region moves toward more center-to-center information- sharing strategies, the RADS has become a critical part of the overall approach. It has been developed through collaboration of local, county, and state agencies and continues to evolve and expand as new data sources and systems are deployed in the Phoenix metropolitan area. As part of the development of this case study, an interview was conducted with Faisal Saleem, the Maricopa County DOT ITS program manager. He leads many of the operations initia- tives within AZTech on behalf of Maricopa County. Description The AZTech RADS was selected as a case study to demonstrate how various agency processes and operations functions are enhanced through the ability to view and exchange real-time data from adjacent jurisdictions. This helps to support both recurring and nonrecurring congestion management on arte- rials and promotes a more coordinated operations approach

62among state and local agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Of key importance is the interface that has been estab- lished by Phoenix Fire, which is a central dispatch for more than 20 fire and EMS response agencies (including cities other than Phoenix) in the metropolitan area (2). Arterial incident information had long been a significant data gap, and with the interface from the Phoenix Fire computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, information about arterial incidents that have the potential to significantly affect transportation network operations are made available to the local TMCs in the region and to the state and county traffic management/operations centers. Background of Agency Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT are the two primary partner agencies for the RADS development, operations, and maintenance. Maricopa County is one of 14 counties in Ari- zona and includes the Phoenix metropolitan area. Maricopa has operated a TMC for more than 10 years and also operates traffic signals, DMS, and CCTV cameras on county-owned facilities. In addition to its own infrastructure, Maricopa County DOT often partners with local cities to address cross- jurisdictional traffic operations and incident management issues. These partnerships have collaboratively planned, deployed, and operated systems among multiple jurisdictions. Maricopa County DOT initiated the development of the RADS database, and Arizona DOT is a key partner in operating, maintaining, and enhancing the capabilities of that system. Arizona DOT is responsible for operating and managing state- owned transportation facilities, which includes urban area freeways and rural interstate and highway corridors. Within the Phoenix metropolitan area, Arizona DOT operates a freeway management system, which generates a substantial amount of real-time data that is used by the Arizona DOT Traffic Opera- tions Center to manage day-to-day network operations and respond to nonrecurring events, such as freeway incidents, road construction impacts, and planned special-event traffic. Process Development With the focus of the L01 research on nonrecurring congestion and its impacts on travel time reliability, this case study high- lights the role of the RADS in supporting regional traffic oper- ations and management strategies to respond to nontypical travel conditions on the region’s freeways and highways. A federal interoperability grant was awarded to the AZTech partnership, and Arizona DOT and Maricopa County DOT focused the grant funds on enhancements to information sharing between public safety and transportation management agencies in the region (2). Up-to-date and near-real-time infor- mation about incidents affecting arterials and freeways in thePhoenix metropolitan area represented a significant gap that needed to be addressed. Arizona DOT’s freeway management system uses an algorithm that can detect major slowdowns in freeway speeds where there are detectors; however, this does not provide any information about the nature of the incident or potential impacts. From an arterial operations standpoint, information about arterial incidents and impacts was not readily available, and each city had varying levels of coordi- nation between traffic operations staff and law enforcement and emergency response staff. There was a need to be able to capture data about incidents in a way that was automated and could provide broad coverage throughout the metro- politan area; many of the region’s key arterials traverse more than one jurisdiction, so it is likely that a major incident could potentially affect multiple traffic management agencies. More comprehensive information would also support enhanced traveler information to the public. In collaboration with Phoenix Fire, which dispatches for more than 20 fire and EMS agencies in the region, the AZTech partnership embarked on developing a concept of operations to transmit data from the Phoenix Fire CAD system to the Maricopa County TMC. Using national standards as a basis, a working group of the AZTech partnership identified specific requirements for what types of incident information would be valuable to support transportation operations and worked closely with Phoenix Fire to formalize these requirements and establish information exchange protocols. Data to be shared was mutually agreed on by AZTech partners and Phoenix Fire; Phoenix Fire agreed to provide a filtered data set from its CAD system so that information shared with transporta- tion agencies did not compromise any sensitive data gathered during the incident response and on-scene management (3). Through the requirements development process, several options were explored for how the CAD data would be shared. Factors such as firewall security (for Phoenix Fire, as well as for Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT), interface require- ments, modifications to both Phoenix Fire and agency systems to share and accept data, and overall cost requirements were all considered. Through this iterative process, it was agreed that a filtered data set from the Phoenix Fire CAD system would be pushed to the RADS database, where it would be stored and made available to users who are able to access RADS. This approach capitalized on the existing functionality of RADS and also minimized the development effort and modifica- tions that otherwise would have been required to support the data transfer. Detailed Process By establishing an automated connection between the Phoenix Fire CAD system and the RADS database, a significant amount of incident information is now made available to support

63transportation management and operations, response of trans- portation departments to incidents on freeways and arterials, as well as provide more accurate information for traveler infor- mation systems. Dispatchers at the Phoenix Fire Communications Center receive and initiate responses to 911 calls. Initial information is entered into the CAD system, which includes several fields. As the dispatcher receives more information about incident details and what types of units are being dispatched to respond (fire engines, fire ladder trucks, chief, ambulance), they update the CAD to reflect the current status, severity, and impacts of the incident. The automated feed from the CAD system filters certain data before sending the data set to the RADS database; this minimizes issues with regard to victim privacy, and it min- imizes any potential compromises to the response as a result of information about the incident being distributed. The RADS database has been configured to produce a data set suitable to transmit to other systems, as well as to be viewed by operators at TMCs to ascertain potential impacts to streetnetworks and initiate an appropriate response from the city and county crews, which could include maintenance support for incident cleanup or specialized response teams to support emergency traffic management near a major incident. The RADS receives updated information from the CAD system every minute, and information that is sent to TMCs or traveler information systems is updated accordingly. There could be multiple incidents active within the CAD system; the data set is automatically updated with all active incidents and any changes in status. Figure 7.1 shows a series of processes that result from agen- cies using data from the RADS database. Once transportation management centers are able to access the incident data from RADS, they can initiate a range of responses depending on the incident severity and location. Maricopa County DOT will also issue e-mail alerts for major incidents to subscribers, which primarily include agency staff, county-operated response teams, and the media. Data are also made available to other sys- tems that push incident details to Arizona’s 511 service andFigure 7.1. Detailed business process diagram of AZTech regional archived data server (incident data).

64web-based traveler information system (www.az511.gov). These systems are updated as new information or details are received from the CAD data feed. This figure also shows additional capabilities as a result of the RADS database. Arizona DOT is able to use RADS as the central data point to generate freeway travel times, which are then displayed on Phoenix metropolitan area DMS and also made available through www.az511.gov and through mobile devices. Traffic signal data is beginning to be stored on the RADS database, which allows agencies to share information about current traffic signal timing plans for better coordina- tion on cross-jurisdictional corridors. With the implementation of RADS and establishing auto- mated data feeds between data providers and end users (including TMCs, media, and traveler information systems), Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT were able to auto- mate several business processes, as well as provide for enhanced process integration as a result of having more comprehensive incident details on the region’s transportation network. Impor- tant business process integration points within this strategy include the following: • The collaborative operations of the RADS database repre- sent an important integration point, because they involve ongoing development, updating, and enhancements to the system that are derived from AZTech partner needs. Mari- copa County had the initial lead in developing and estab- lishing this regional database, which is now housed at the Arizona DOT traffic operations center and maintained by Arizona DOT technology staff. As enhancements are iden- tified and prioritized, partners collaborate on funding strate- gies, and have been able to apply a variety of funding sources (local, state, and federal) to the operations and enhance- ments of this regional data server. • Establishing the data transfer from the Phoenix Fire CAD system to RADS represents a very key integration of multi- ple agency processes. The centralized database provides for a secure means of sharing critical information with addi- tional public sector entities, as well as with private media and other subscribers. When TMCs have that data, they are able to initiate responses to incidents, which could include dis- patching their own crews for incident clearance, modifying traffic management plans and signal timing plans to respond to increased congestion near the incident scene, and updat- ing traveler information that is disseminated to the public. • Multiple data types are stored in the RADS database that is then used to support traffic management, incident man- agement and response, and traveler information alerts and notifications. Design for the interface to the Phoenix Fire CAD data feed to RADS was documented as part of an April 2006 publica- tion entitled Emergency Management System Center-to-Center Interface Module, Phoenix Fire Dispatch System Design (4). This document included a mapping for the CAD fields to Inter- national Traveler Information System (ITIS) codes that could then be supported by Arizona DOT and Maricopa County DOT systems. A formal MOU was established between Phoenix Fire and Maricopa County DOT to share CAD data from Fire with the RADS database. As part of this MOU, data sharing param- eters were outlined, including recognition by transportation agencies that they would be able to access a filtered data feed about arterial incidents, and recognition by Phoenix Fire that incident data provided to RADS would be shared with several external entities. Types of Agencies Involved Arizona DOT and Maricopa County DOT are the primary operating and maintaining agencies of the RADS database. Arizona DOT’s Transportation Technology Group houses the RADS database and provides the IT expertise (internal and through consultant support) to update and maintain RADS, as well as establish additional interfaces with external agency systems. These agencies are also among the primary users of the RADS data, including the incident data feed, as well as the stored freeway management system data. Phoenix Fire provides the data push of incident details to the RADS database. Operators at the Phoenix Fire Communica- tions Center are responsible for entering and updating incident information as more details emerge from 911 callers and from fire and EMS responders. With the development work com- pleted to establish the data feed, there is no impact on Phoenix Fire dispatcher operations to provide the data; an automated push is built into the system, which then populates the RADS database and makes that information available to outside entities to support a range of other operations and response processes. Through the AZTech partnership, several public sector agencies within the Phoenix metropolitan area have or plan to have direct access to RADS. Some agencies are working with Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT to establish direct interfaces to be able to share their signal timing data. This also involves vendors of their respective traffic signal systems to make the necessary modifications to support the data feed. As part of being an AZTech partner, each agency agrees that data shared with the central system will be used on a regional level to support enhanced operations and traveler information. Spe- cific data-sharing issues or needs are worked through on a case- by-case basis. Types of Nonrecurring Congestion Addressed The focus of this case study has been primarily on sharing inci- dent data to support transportation management operations

65and response to incident conditions on roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area. When transportation management agen- cies have accurate and updated information about incidents affecting their road network, they can better respond to inci- dent traffic conditions by modifying traffic signal timing plans or dispatching crews to support incident clearance or detour routing. Minimizing the impacts of incident-related conges- tion provides mobility and safety benefits. From a recurring-congestion standpoint, RADS also sup- ports more coordinated agency operations for day-to-day travel conditions. Having access to neighboring jurisdictions’ traffic signal timing plans can support better cross-jurisdictional signal timing and coordination without compromising each agency’s control of its signal management systems. This was an important parameter discussed and agreed on by AZTech partners. Improved information for traveler information systems also supports both nonrecurring and recurring congestion man- agement. Arizona DOT implemented a travel time program that uses RADS to calculate freeway travel times (using real- time data stored in RADS from the freeway management sys- tem) to display on urban area DMS during morning and evening peak travel hours. Performance Measures Maricopa County DOT tracks the number of incidents input to RADS from the Phoenix Fire CAD on a monthly basis. Inci- dent inputs to RADS from this data feed average between 2,500 and 3,000 per month. The Maricopa County DOT has a broader performance monitoring program that also tracks the number of responses of its incident management crews and the number of incident e-mail alerts distributed to its mailing list, both of which are dependent on incident information received from the Phoenix Fire CAD data feed. Data are used to support faster mobilization and response of the Maricopa County REACT arterial incident-response teams. The RADS serves as the region’s data archive and is a key component of various performance-monitoring efforts through Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT. Arizona DOT tracks detector congestion data and travel times to be able to view mobility trends for urban freeways. Arizona also mon- itors its 511 phone and website activity, and RADS is a key data source for those traveler information systems. Arizona DOT estimates that there are 400 incident messages more per month broadcast on 511 and www.az511.gov with the addition of the Phoenix Fire data feed. Benefits Maricopa County DOT and Arizona DOT have indicated that the data links and information exchanges enabled throughRADS provide for significantly more operations and traveler information data than was previously collected. In particular, the incident data feed from Phoenix Fire has addressed a sig- nificant data gap by providing arterial incident data that sup- ports internal operations at the TMC, as well as external traveler information functions. In particular, Maricopa County DOT relies on incident data from Phoenix Fire to support faster mobilization and dispatch of their incident response teams. More reliable information is provided to the traveler through established AZTech traveler information systems, including travel times on DMS, 511, web and media alerts, and mobile applications. RADS data also is included as part of the data set that is available to other private entities who aggregate data from available public sector systems and other data sources and then disseminate traveler information through a variety of technology applications. The ability to expand RADS to include data beyond serving as a freeway detector data archive has been a direct result of the collaborative forum of the AZTech partnership. The open plat- form as a key requirement of RADS allows it to support multi- ple data formats, and does not require agencies to make drastic changes to their individual policies. Data that the agency selects are sent to RADS rather than to agencies having to establish physical connections directly to another agency, which could require significant development work and could be prohibitive because of agency information technology policies. Integrating signal timing data into RADS and making these available to participating agencies allows agencies to share sig- nal timing plan information without compromising network security, firewalls, or allowing operational control of signals by another entity. Agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area operate various traffic control and management systems, and direct interfaces between agencies to share these data are not feasible nor are they an option that agencies are interested in exploring. RADS provides a neutral, centralized platform where agencies can access data. Lessons Learned RADS was able to successfully transition from a single agency data archive to serve as a regional archive for freeway, arterial, and incident data largely because of the strong partnerships between state, county, and city AZTech partners. The impor- tance of pilot deployments also has been an important sepa- rator for AZTech programs. The benefits of how advanced systems can support a range of strategies need to be shared with agency staff and with regional decision makers. System-to-system interfaces are often a roadblock for effec- tive interagency data exchanges. Some AZTech partners were not supportive of a peer-to-peer system for exchanging real- time data because their respective internal IT and network security policies would not be able to implement the desired

66functionality. To address this, RADS was established as a neu- tral data repository, and allowed for agencies to share data without compromising individual networks and firewalls. This was an important issue for agencies to be able to communicate to their internal divisions about the security requirements that were being addressed. Because partners were brought together to discuss requirements and concerns from each agency’s per- spective, they were able to address these requirements and concerns during the concept of operations development, which ultimately became part of the AZTech partner agree- ment. From there, requirements were developed to address operational, functional, and security issues. Enabling agencies to interface with RADS would also require modifications to their existing systems, which required agencies to coordinate with their respective system vendors to complete the interface to RADS. Representatives from National ITS Standards Committees were involved to ensure adherence to national standards. Dur- ing the requirements development process, it was revealed that the current standards did not achieve a level of messaging secu- rity that was needed by the AZTech partners. Not only did the protocol developed for the RADS center-to-center informa- tion exchanges incorporate updated security requirements for web services security, but the effort for the RADS center-to- center project also provided input to the update of the NTCIP 2306 standard (Web Services Center-to-Center Communica- tions Standard) (5). Analysis and Research Observations The institutional framework established by the AZTech part- nership has been the key contributor to implementing systems such as the RADS and to advancing and elevating multiagency collaboration for traffic management and incident response in the Phoenix metro area. Involving important partner agen- cies in concept development—including state, county, and local agencies and law enforcement/public safety—has led to stronger awareness of the potential system capabilities, as well as buy-in at strategic points in the development process. The structure does not prescribe specific technologies or strategies that work well for some partners but not all; rather, it allows for collaborative decision making and provides for adjustments that are needed for specific requests or needs. To date, not all agencies in the AZTech partnership have been able to participate in some of the information-sharing aspects of the regional operations strategy, largely because of the different levels of maturity of the individual agency sys- tems. In some cases, minimal modifications are required for agency systems to interface with the centralized AZTech sys- tems (such as the RADS); for others, more extensive develop- ment is needed. The region includes several growing cities, sonot all agencies are at the same level of system implementa- tion, which also limits some agencies’ accessibility to RADS. Having some successful early adopters has helped to demon- strate the benefits that the RADS and center-to-center con- cepts can achieve. Incremental build-out of system functionality has allowed for increasingly greater focus toward broader system improve- ments, such as corridor travel time reliability, multiagency incident response and management, and provision of more comprehensive and accurate traveler information through the public and private sector systems. California: San Pablo Avenue Signal Retiming Project The San Pablo Avenue Corridor is one of three main arterial corridors identified as part of the SMART Corridor Program. Retiming on the corridor was funded through the Metropoli- tan Transportation Commission (MTC) Regional Signal Tim- ing Program (RSTP). This corridor was selected as a case study based on the multiple-agency support of the program and its successful integration across several jurisdictions along the cor- ridor. The RSTP has been in place for more than 15 years and provides funding for local agencies to develop and implement timing plans with the help of RSTP consultants under contract with MTC. The SMART Corridor Program is a regional ini- tiative to assemble stakeholders from several local agencies to focus on improving congestion along three major arterial cor- ridors. The Alameda County Congestion Management Associ- ation (ACCMA) is closely involved with the SMART Corridor Program and led the application effort to retime the San Pablo Avenue Corridor using the RSTP as a funding mechanism. At the time of this publication, the RSTP program was ending at MTC and was to be replaced by the Program for Arterial Sys- tem Synchronization (PASS). PASS functions in a similar man- ner to the RSTP by providing technical and financial assistance to local agencies to support signal timing and arterial corridor operations (6). Representatives from MTC and their consultant firm were contacted to discuss project specifics and to better understand the process and procedures in place with the SMART Corridor Program and the RSTP. Jeff Georgevich and Vamsi Tabjulu were contacted from MTC. Georgevich was involved with the development of the original RSTP and has been involved throughout the program. Tabjulu has recently taken the responsibility of overseeing the RSTP. Brian Sowers, from MTC’s consultant team, has been involved with the RSTP since its inception and was responsible for developing the signal tim- ing plans on the San Pablo Avenue Corridor project. These three representatives provided firsthand knowledge about both San Pablo Avenue Corridor programs.

67Description The San Pablo Avenue Corridor case study focuses on a multi- agency approach to the development of a corridor signal tim- ing plan. The corridor runs through multiple jurisdictions, includes traffic signals on municipal and Caltrans roadways, and required coordination across 13 different agencies. The development of the signal timing plan was funded by the MTC RSTP and was led by ACCMA. The corridor also included transit signal priority for the Alameda Contra Costa Transit District and AC Transit. The corridor consists of 13 mi of San Pablo Avenue from 17th Street in the city of Oakland to Highway 4 in the city of Hercules. A portion of the corridor is signed State Route 123 and is main- tained by Caltrans. The other portions of the corridor traverse through 10 local-agency jurisdictions. Three of the agencies have Caltrans-maintained signals, and three have Contra Costa County–maintained signals. Caltrans and Contra Costa County also maintain signals under their respective jurisdictions. Other agencies involved include ACCMA and the West Contra Costa County Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC). Background of Agency MTC was created by the state legislature in 1970 to provide transportation planning for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. MTC is three agencies in one with a shared mission: to keep the Bay Area moving. MTC, along with Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) and Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE), is directed by a 19-member policy board. The RSTP developed by the Highway and Arterial Operations (HAO) section of MTC supports the efforts to improve the operations, safety, and management of the Bay Area’s arterial network. Through the RSTP, MTC provides support to hire, fund, and manage performance monitoring on behalf of the local agencies. Through the application process, MTC encour- ages multiagency coordination for consistency among neigh- boring jurisdictions. MTC’s primary goal through the RSTP is to optimize signal coordination through effective partnerships between multiple entities. MTC oversees the program and can act as a facilitator when needed, but primarily uses the exper- tise of consultants to address technical issues, develop, imple- ment and fine-tune the new timing plans. There are approximately 100 counties and cities within the MTC jurisdiction. Twelve jurisdictions have populations of more than 100,000, while approximately 37 of the jurisdictions have populations fewer than 25,000. Approximately two-thirds of the agencies have participated in the RSTP to gain funding for signal timing plans. Several of the agencies are smaller organizations with little or no engineering staff or resour- ces. Several of the agencies have implemented emergency vehi- cle preemption and transit priority technologies. The MTC coverage area includes 24 transit agencies, eight of which are considered major players in the regional transportation system. The East Bay SMART Corridor Program includes three major arterial corridors in the eastern portion of the San Fran- cisco Bay area with various stakeholders, including ACCMA. ACCMA was established in 1995 and has been heavily involved with the San Pablo Avenue Corridor Retiming project. The relationships established through CMA have made the process of defining and implementing multiagency transportation proj- ects more efficient and effective for all participants involved. Process Development The SMART Corridor Program identified San Pablo Avenue as a key corridor with the need for a revised signal timing plan. ACCMA successfully applied for the RSTP funds to revise the San Pablo Avenue signal timing plan. As part of the RSTP, MTC advertises a call for projects from the local agencies in late summer to fall. Each of the local agen- cies coordinates and submits applications to the RSTP. To promote multiagency coordination, applications with multi- ple jurisdictions receive higher recognition. The application also requires data such as crash rates and integration with tran- sit. Based on previous evaluations and information submitted from the applying agencies, MTC also strives to pair the most effective applicant and consultant partnership. Once selected, the applying agency also can declare consultants with whom they prefer or prefer not to work. The corridor is selected and a consultant is assigned; the consultant then takes the lead in the development of the sig- nal timing plan. The first step is a kickoff meeting with all the participating agencies. MTC remains involved only to the level needed for success of the project. If necessary, MTC can serve as a facilitator between the consultant and the applicant group or between local agencies participating in the retiming. MTC maintains a 2-year contract with all the consultants. All the firms receive the same total dollar amount of work during the first year of the contract; however, during the second year, the selection is based on past reviews and the preference of the local agencies. In some cases, MTC will hire a second consultant to review the project if the local agency does not have an engineer on staff, such as with a smaller agency. MTC is often more involved in these projects than those reviewed by the local agency. The consultant will work with each of the participating agencies through the development of the signal timing plans. Since the agencies follow various standards and guidelines for timing plans, MTC generally does not comment on the specifics of the timing plans. MTC believes that the primary responsibility for the operation of streets and roads and the retiming of traffic signals on arterials resides with the agency

68that owns them. Once the timing plans are developed, the consultant will continue to work with each of the agencies on the implementation of the plans. With more experienced con- sultants, the relationships and trust between the consultants and local agencies are well established. This trust is key when moving into the implementation phase of a project. Typically, the projects will last approximately 12 months but can extend longer. Projects also can be divided into groups for more com- plex projects involving a large number of signals and multiple agencies. Detailed Process and Integration Points Figure 7.2 shows the process used by MTC for corridor signal retiming. The SMART Corridor Program (SCP) is conducted through regularly scheduled meetings focused on developingFigure 7.2. Detailed business process diagram of MTC corridor signal retiming.and implementing projects that improve the major arterials identified in Phase I. The San Pablo Avenue project followed this established process. The consultant organizes and conducts a kickoff meeting with all participating agencies. At the kickoff meeting, data col- lection, schedule, deliverables, and budget are discussed. All the specific project details are discussed using the RSTP program guidelines as the baseline. The consultant completes an in- depth analysis of the existing conditions on the project corri- dor. The development of the new signal timing plan begins after grouping the signals into logical segments. The consultant also coordinates with transit agencies that operate on the cor- ridor for transit signal priority, if included in the project. The consultant develops recommendations for the revised signal timing plans and submits the timing plans to the project team for comments.

69Agencies located along each segment review the signal tim- ing plans and provide comments to the consultant. If necessary, MTC facilitates discussions between the consultant and partic- ipating agencies. The consultant coordinates with each of the agencies to resolve comments and revise the recommendations. Once the signal timing plans are complete, the consultant works with each agency to implement the timing plans. A final report is prepared including the recommendations, the implementation process, and measured improvements on the corridor. The final report is submitted to MTC, which compiles the benefit-cost analysis from all completed projects into an annual report. The annual report is then submitted to the Operations Committee of MTC and FHWA. Several key integration points were identified in the MTC corridor signal retiming process, including the following: • The SMART Corridor Program is the first integration point that fed into the success of the corridor timing project. The strong relationships developed through these regu- larly scheduled meetings paved the way for successful part- nerships and well-developed timing plans for the San Pablo Avenue corridor that passes through various jurisdictions. • The consultant submits the signal timing plans to each of the local agencies involved. If needed, MTC can facilitate com- ments on the signal timing plans. This integration between the consultant and every one of the local agencies further improves the final plan. • The consultant coordinates directly with each agency to implement the final signal timing plans. The close coor- dination during the implementation further develops the trust between the consultant and every one of the agencies involved. • At the conclusion of the signal timing plan implementation, a summary report of the process is required by MTC. MTC compiles all the final reports into an annual report docu- menting the impacts of the program on the arterials and regional network. At the conclusion of each signal timing project, the consult- ants submit a final report stating the various benefits achieved by the implementation of the project. These reports are assem- bled into a single RSTP annual report. The report includes information regarding which projects were completed. It cap- tures the improvements to travel times, fuel savings, and emis- sions reduction for the corridor and the region. The report captures the overall benefit-cost ratio of the implemented proj- ects. Past evaluations of the RSTP indicate a 35:1 benefit-cost ratio (7). Types of Agencies Involved The types of agencies involved with the San Pablo Avenue Corridor Signal Retiming case study included the regionalmetropolitan planning organizations (MPO), local agencies (cities, municipalities, and towns), Caltrans, consultants, emergency responders, and transit agencies. The San Pablo Avenue case study involved 13 of these various agencies. Three multiagency organizations also were involved with the project: ACCMA, the SMART Corridor Program, and the MTC RSTP. ACCMA took the lead through the application process with the RSTP. Through the relationships developed with the SMART Corridor Program, ACCMA was able to represent the interests of all the agencies involved with the identified section of San Pablo Avenue. ACCMA understood the appli- cation process and was able to provide relevant crash data, dis- play existing multiagency partnerships, and speak to other key requirements of the funding program. It was necessary to involve several local agencies with the San Pablo Avenue Corridor retiming project. The consultant took the lead in coordinating the interests of each agency during the development and implementation of the signal timing plan. Because all 13 mi of the corridor did not directly affect each agency, the consultant was able to segment the corridor into smaller sections and work closely with just the agencies affected by each segment. This minimized the time commitment from each agency and streamlined the review and implementation process for the whole corridor. Upon completion of the signal timing plans, each agency was required to implement the plans within its jurisdiction. The agencies’ involvement with the SMART Corridor Pro- gram and their review of the signal timing plans allowed them to trust the quality of the final plans. Moreover, the relation- ship established with the consultant during plan development formed a foundation of trust so the agency could feel comfort- able relying on the consultant during implementation. Types of Nonrecurring Congestion Addressed The San Pablo Corridor project was directly focused on addressing recurring congestion but has indirect impacts on several nonrecurring congestion types. The improved corri- dor timing plans will maximize the corridor capacity during normal operating procedures. Phase I of the SMART Cor- ridor Program focused on improving arterial mobility and safety; however, the current phase of the program is focused on interstates and will identify solutions for incident manage- ment strategies that use the complete transportation network. The relationships and improved signal timing plans on all the major arterials will improve the travel time reliability during those scenarios. In addition, the emergency vehicle preemption will mini- mize impacts on travel times during major incidents that require emergency management or first responders to easily access all segments of the corridor. The quicker these vehicles arrive at the scene of an incident, the quicker they can clear the incident and return traffic operations to normal.

70Finally, the use of transit signal priority improves the travel time reliability for the transit users along these corridors. Tran- sit signal priority only elongates the green phase when transit vehicles are behind schedule. Therefore, it will improve the timeliness of the bus arrivals for delayed vehicles and minimize the interruption to normal signal operations by only affecting the green phase. Performance Measures Several performance measures are used to determine the suc- cess of the RSTP and the improvements experienced on the San Pablo Avenue corridor. As mentioned, a final report for each project is required and provides several performance measures that demonstrate project success. Travel time improvements, fuel savings, emissions reductions, and an overall benefit-cost ratio are recorded for each project funded by the RSTP. These measures indicate how the public will judge the project and, indirectly, how the public will support similar projects in the future. The ultimate success of a project is directly related to the performance of the project team; therefore, how the team interacts and trusts each partner is important. As such, it is extremely important that the project team communicate and coordinate throughout the project. The method of selecting lead consultants based on the evaluation of their previous work has proven to be successful. This evaluation stage of the process is important for several reasons. From a technical standpoint, consultants who demonstrate minimal knowledge of signal timing can be excluded from future work. From a coordination standpoint, consultants who are difficult to work with also may not be engaged in future corridors. The ability of the agency to emphasize its preference for a particular consultant sets up each project for greater success and minimizes the cost to the program and users. Benefits The RSTP and SMART Corridor programs provide several benefits in addition to the 35:1 benefit-cost ratio previously stated. Several agencies with limited engineering staff have access to funds and proven consultants to assist in designing and implementing signal timing plans. The regional support also provides resources for applying for and managing the process. Some of the larger agencies actually use the RSTP as a consistent strategy for timing their arterials, thereby benefit- ing the region with improved throughput. In addition to providing the funding for the plan develop- ment, MTC also coordinates with local agencies on their needs. They can recommend either a.m., midday, or p.m. timing plans instead of a single, all-day plan. Because the commute patterns are different during various times of the day, retiming all threescenarios has better benefits compared with a single, all-day plan. These three scenarios also encourage coordination across jurisdictional boundaries, most importantly with signals man- aged by Caltrans at the freeway ramps. The largest impacts of the program are quantified at a regional level. Each of the corridors has shown increases in its capacity and travel time reliability, but assembling the regional benefits demonstrates the true impacts of the program. MTC has seen a 10% improvement in travel time for the region. From a regional view, the 10% improvement on travel time for a 60-min trip across the region for multiple vehicles is a greater impact than a 10% improvement for a single vehicle making a 10-min trip on one corridor. The 2004 annual report stated a 13% improvement in travel time and a 13% decrease in fuel consumption. The latest report shows an improvement of 10% in travel time and 10% increase in speed. These benefits take into account the 5-year life cycle of a signal timing project, with benefits accruing at 100% on the first day after implementation and gradually decreasing to an average of 90% of benefits for Year 1, 70% for Year 2, 50% for Year 3, 30% for Year 4, and 10% for Year 5. General methodology of the benefit-cost analy- sis, fuel consumption factors, and health costs of motor vehi- cle emissions are based on Caltrans’s Life-Cycle Benefit-Cost Analysis Model (8). Another benefit seen by MTC is an increase in the number of consultants with experience and expertise in signal timing. The consistent level of work generated in the region has increased the consultants’ familiarity with regional traffic pat- terns and they are able to create and implement more effective timing plans. This increase in players from the consultants’ aspect has provided a more competitive environment. Lessons Learned The region has faced several technological and institutional obstacles during the development and continued management of the RSTP and SMART Corridor program. All these difficul- ties can be linked to lack of effective communication. Effective communication fosters stronger relationships between organi- zations, which results in more efficient operations and project development. From a technical standpoint, effective commu- nication improves trust in the field equipment and expands the capabilities of the overall system. Consistent results expe- rienced from reliable communication between personnel to personnel; field equipment to field equipment; and personnel to field equipment has established a well-integrated regional timing plan. The most effective means of coordinating traffic signals at intersections within several different jurisdictions is the instal- lation of a GPS/time clock. The use of the time clock eliminates the need for interconnection between the signals. Despite the effectiveness gained by the installation of the time clock,

71however, interconnected communication between all the sig- nals could further improve coordination strategies on several of the corridors. At the time this report was prepared, an esti- mated 50% of the 7,500 signals were interconnected. The cost to expand communication would be approximately $10,000 per project. One recommendation is to develop a program that would fund the installation of interconnected equip- ment. Until those funds are made available, the region will continue to pursue the use of GPS/time clocks to manage cor- ridors within multiple jurisdictions. MTC is constantly under political restraints and cost limita- tions for all their programs. One MTC strategy (7) is to analyze the regional needs for projects that meet the needs for multiple programs, such as “Safe Routes to School” or transit (9). Fund- ing for each of the identified programs could be pooled to address regional needs and not just specific components. Single–agency-operated corridors affecting multiple agen- cies need to further develop institutional and technical work- ing environments. This coordination includes the involvement of transit agencies to improve the flow of transit vehicles on congested routes. Improved coordination also supports MTC’s goal of elevating transit and light rail to a higher priority in the region. Finally, if a region pursues the development of a program similar to the RSTP, it is important to develop clear guidelines on how to implement and manage the program. These guide- lines will build credibility for the program because all parties will see consistent treatment of similar scenarios. These guide- lines also will guide participants on how the program can sup- port their operations. Analysis and Research Observations The MTC RSTP helped provide assistance and expertise for retiming traffic signals. MTC has retained a large pool of con- sultants for the signal timing projects. Because of the larger pool of candidate consultants, MTC is able to benefit from greater levels of expertise in the region and lower costs, whichare a result of increased competition. The retiming projects have successfully reduced travel times, fuel consumption, and emissions, which has created a positive overall benefit-cost ratio for the region. The local agencies are provided with opportunities for funding and engineering expertise that would not have been possible otherwise. With the approval of their project, MTC may hire additional consultants to help smaller communities with review of the signal plans. The project team typically has great communication between each other and clear goals for each project. References 1. Swart, N. National Vision and ITS in Maricopa County. IMSA Jour- nal, May/June 2005, pp. 64–66. 2. AZTech. Data Exchange with Public Safety. www.aztech.org/ trafmgmt/data_exc.htm. Accessed July 20, 2010. 3. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. AZTech™ Transportation and Pub- lic Safety Center-to-Center Needs Assessment and Concept of Opera- tions: Final Report. Maricopa County Department of Transportation, Phoenix, Ariz., 2005. 4. OZ Engineering. Emergency Management System Center-to-Center Interface Module, Phoenix Fire Dispatch System Design, rev. 1.0. Maricopa County Department of Transportation, Phoenix, Ariz., 2006. 5. Research and Innovative Technology Administration. NTCIP 2306— Application Profile for XML Message Encoding and Transport in ITS Center-to-Center Communications (C2C XML). U.S. Department of Transportation, 2009. www.standards.its.dot.gov/fact_sheet.asp?f= 91. Accessed July 20, 2011. 6. Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Arterial Operations. www.mtc.ca.gov/services/arterial_operations/index.htm. Accessed July 20, 2011. 7. Arterial Operations Committee. Arterial Operations Program Update to the Planning and Operations Committee. Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, Calif., 2005. 8. California Department of Transportation. Life-Cycle Benefit-Cost Analysis Model. www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/ote/benefit.html. Accessed July 20, 2011. 9. Caltrans Division of Local Assistance. Safe Routes to School Pro- grams. www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/saferoutes/saferoutes .htm. Accessed July 20, 2011.

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TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Report: S2-L01-RR-1: Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability addresses various ways that transportation agencies can reengineer their day-to-day business practices to help improve traffic operations, address nonrecurring traffic congestion, and improve the reliability of travel times delivered to roadway system users.

The project that produced this report also produced SHRP 2 Report S2-L01-RR-2: Guide to Integrating Business Processes to Improve Travel Time Reliability.

An e-book version of this report is available for purchase at Google, Amazon, and iTunes.

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