How can Intelligent Transportation Systems Reduce Traffic Congestion?

Congestion Management in the GTHA: Balancing the Inverted Pendulum (Chapter 1)(pages 3-41, Baher Abdulhai, Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, Apr. 2013)

Also discussed here: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Integrated Network Of Adaptive Traffic Signal Controllers (Marlin-ATSC)(44 page pdf, Samah El-Tantawy, presentation of PhD dissertation, University of Toronto, 2011)

And here: Making Traffic Smarter – An intelligent transportation system could reduce vehicle emissions in Toronto by as much as 30 per cent(John Lorinc, UofT Magazine, Spring 2013)

Today we review a report on the use of smart traffic lights to reduce waiting times at intersections by about 1/3 which in turn equates to significant reductions in greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants in urban areas. The systems use real-time learning to adjust and optimize signaling.

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How Can Congestion Pricing Reduce Traffic Congestion?

Chapter III: Win-Win Congestion Pricing – A Roadmap for an Effective and Socially-Conscious Congestion Pricing Strategy(pages 66- 92, Abdulhai, B. and Aboudina, A., Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, Apr. 2013)

The report reviewed today provides a useful update and history of the development of road pricing and tolls world-wide with a focus on congestion in the Greater Toronto Area. The advent of dynamic pricing according to demand at peak time use is analysed.

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How Does Congestion Affect the Choice of Taking Transit or Private Vehicle to Work?

Commuting to work: Results of the 2010 General Social Survey(14 page pdf Martin Turcotte, Statistics Canada, Aug. 24, 2011)

From Canada’s keeper of national statistics comes an analysis of commuting times in cities. Most Canadians choose to drive to work in cars and the commuting times are less than from using public transit. At the same time, dissatisfaction with the delays caused by congestion is much greater from car commuters than transit users and this dissatisfaction increases with the time or distance travelled. Reducing congestion (and commuting times) therefore is a goal worth pursuing in developing improved forms of public transit and encouraging drivers to use it. Although not mentioned in the report, congestion charging appears to be the solution waiting to be exploited from this aspect- as several large cities in other countries have found out.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click  HERE

Are HOT Lanes the Best Way to Introduce Congestion Pricing?

Metrolinx: HOT lanes should be used to break the ice for VMT charging(Grush Hour, Apr. 18, 2013)

Also discussed here: Politicians fear tolls will make them road kill(Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star, Apr. 19, 2013)

Today we review a post from Bern Grush, founder of SkyMeter, a GPS-based tolling company, analyzing the benefits of a focus on HOT [High Occupancy Toll] lanes as a first and relatively economic step toward full-scale VMT [Vehicle Miles Travelled] pricing across the Greater Toronto Area in the search for ways to reduce congestion and generate $50 B revenue for public transit over the next 20 years. Resistance by the public to increased taxes without direct and visible benefits has been a major obstacle in the US and Canada to road and congestion pricing, unlike some cities in Europe, such as London and Stockholm, where congestion pricing has been successfully implemented with public support. The introduction of GPS-based tolling lowers the overhead significantly and, as Grush points out, could allow introduction of HOT lanes across southern Ontario (and elsewhere) in the very near future.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click HERE

How Well do Heat Wave Warnings Work?

U.S. Heat Wave and Earth’s Energy Balance (Photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video)

Are heat warning systems effective?(10 page pdf, Ghasem (Sam) Toloo, Gerard FitzGerald, Peter Aitken, Kenneth Verrall and Shilu Tong, Environmental Health, Apr. 5, 2013)

Today we review an analyses of a number of case studies or reports on the effectiveness and cost of “heat warning systems” (HWS) or “heat health warning systems” (HHWS). Those studies which had cost benefit estimates showed that having an effective warning system more than pays for itself. Further, the main factor that prompted the public to take action was the perceived threat of a heat wave which would encourage agencies responsible for public warnings (such as the national meteorological service) to improve how they communicate the warnings. Underlining the need to improve heat warning is the greater frequency of heat waves, as climate warming proceeds, especially in large cities where there may be twice or triple the number experienced now.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click HERE

Traffic-Related Pollution and Early Childhood Cancers

cancer 2011 (Photo credit: mike r baker)

UCLA researchers find potential link between auto pollution, some childhood cancers(UCLA Press Release,Apr. 9, 2013)

Also Quoted Here: Exposure to Air Pollution During Pregnancy Linked to Increased Incidence of Specific Pediatric Cancers(Science Daily, Apr. 9, 2013)

And here: Road Traffic Pollution as Serious as Passive Smoke in the Development of Childhood Asthma(Science Daily, Mar. 21, 2013)

And here: Many US Public Schools In ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone’(Science Daily, Aug. 20, 2008)

Today we review a paper presented at a conference of the American Association for Cancer Research (but not published as yet) on the links between exposure of a fetus and first year of life to traffic-related air pollution in California. Results indicate a statistical link with 14 to 19 % increased risk for pediatric cancers affecting white blood cells (leukemia), tumours and the eyes. More research is called for to establish a cause and effect link, such as between traffic-related pollution and asthma for children.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click HERE

What is the Impact of Toll Roads on Land Use?

When the Road Price is Right: Land Use, Tolls, and Congestion Pricing(54 page pdf, Urban Land Institute, April 2013)

Today we review a report which looks at the present state and growth of tolling in the USA and the potential that tolling, as a revenue source, has on land use and urban planning. Development of more efficient technology, such as electronic tolls, and the negative impacts of urban sprawl and downtown congestion are leading to more cities and highway authorities to choose tolling. This report examines a number of case studies that demonstrate different ways to implement tolling and how these affect land use.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click HERE