If you are a Northern Virginian you know that traffic is simply a part of our daily life. So the sooner you get a handle on how to manage your slice of commuter heaven the sooner you can get on with your life.
We have already discussed how our historical routes , transportation plans , and traffic signals helped us get from here to there and how our current highways deliver us around the beltway to our sundry destinations, but how about progress"what can we expect the future will bring in terms of easing our traffic burdens? The answer may lie in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
Simply put these systems are information and communications technologies designed specifically for application to our transportation infrastructure and vehicles, in order to enhance our safety, reduce vehicle wear, tear, and fuel consumption, and reduce our overall transit times.
In our state, scholars from Virginia Tech (VT) have been working with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on developing Smart Roads. The currently constructed Virginia Smart Road, near VT, is a unique, state-of-the-art, two-mile, two-lane road that serves as a live lab for futuristic road adaptations.
Potential advances under review for local applications, or in testing stages for appropriate adaptations, include
The ERP system, available now in Singapore, uses sensors in vehicles and in roadways to collect tolls from cars that choose to drive on congested roads during peak hours. In this way, drivers are discouraged from using overused roads or they are required to pay for adding to the congestion.
A system upgrade that has proven 90 percent accurate in test runs provides messaging to drivers in anticipation of a potential bottleneck and then points out alternative routes several exits ahead of the toll-paying segment. Ultimately, in Singapore's case, during peak traffic times, the system will also activate the city's major traffic light system adjusting 1,700 sets of lights to smooth the flow of traffic.
Other Smart Road innovations under study in Virginia include using sensors that can advise drivers when there is a disabled vehicle blocking a lane ahead; sensors that can communicate to drivers when available alternate routes are experiencing less congestion than the one they are on and tell them how to get those roads; and eCall technology that allows vehicles involved in an accident to automatically alert emergency responders.
These improvements will also require new vehicle production requirements so that the roads and the cars can communicate. Research facilities such as the VT-VDOT collaboration, are looking into testing the interplay between road improvements and these vehicle innovations too.
In our neck of the woods, the Variable Speed Limit signs used on I-95 South, as you approach the Van Dorn Exit, can be used in tandem with traffic volume road sensors to move traffic along faster in uncongested highway segments, and slow the flow in other segments, to ensure a smoother traffic flow throughout.
The sensors can also be made to communicate with properly equipped vehicles to let drivers know they are about to enter a different speed limit segment in time to exit the highway if the change doesn't suit them
These are some of the most talked about ITS innovations being used around the globe and being considered for use on our local roads. Next, we will take a look at a day in the life of some of our area's most congested intersections.
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