Clark County Field Equipment - ITS Roadway Equipment Functionality
Subsystem Description
'ITS Roadway Equipment' represents the ITS equipment that is distributed on and along the roadway that monitors and controls traffic and monitors and manages the roadway. This physical object includes traffic detectors, environmental sensors, traffic signals, highway advisory radios, dynamic message signs, CCTV cameras and video image processing systems, grade crossing warning systems, and ramp metering systems. Lane management systems and barrier systems that control access to transportation infrastructure such as roadways, bridges and tunnels are also included. This object also provides environmental monitoring including sensors that measure road conditions, surface weather, and vehicle emissions. Work zone systems including work zone surveillance, traffic control, driver warning, and work crew safety systems are also included.
Functional Object: Roadway Automated Treatment
'Roadway Automated Treatment' automatically treats a roadway section based on environmental or atmospheric conditions or under center control. Treatments include fog dispersion, anti–icing chemicals, etc. It communicates with the center and environmental sensors to support system activation and optionally with sign(s) that warn the driver in adverse conditions when the system is activated.
Functional Object: Roadway Barrier System Control
'Roadway Barrier System Control' includes the field equipment that controls barrier systems used to control access to transportation facilities and infrastructure. Barrier systems include automatic or remotely controlled gates, barriers and other access control systems.
Functional Object: Roadway Basic Surveillance
'Roadway Basic Surveillance' monitors traffic conditions using fixed equipment such as loop detectors and CCTV cameras.
Functional Object: Roadway Data Collection
'Roadway Data Collection' collects traffic, road, and environmental conditions information for use in transportation planning, research, and other off–line applications where data quality and completeness take precedence over real–time performance. It includes the sensors, supporting roadside infrastructure, and communications equipment that collects and transfers information to a center for archival.
Functional Object: Roadway Dynamic Lane Management and Shoulder Use
'Roadway Dynamic Lane Management and Shoulder Use' includes the field equipment, physical overhead lane signs and associated control electronics that are used to manage and control specific lanes and/or the shoulders. This equipment can be centrally controlled by a Traffic Management Center or it can be autonomous and monitor traffic conditions and demand along the roadway and determine how to change the lane controls to respond to current conditions. Lane controls can be used to change the lane configuration of the roadway, reconfigure intersections and/or interchanges, allow use of shoulders as temporary travel lanes, designate lanes for use by special vehicles only, such as buses, high occupancy vehicles (HOVs), vehicles attending a special event, etc. and/or prohibit or restrict types of vehicles from using particular lanes. Guidance and information for drivers can be posted on dynamic message signs.
Functional Object: Roadway Environmental Monitoring
'Roadway Environmental Monitoring' measures environmental conditions and communicates the collected information back to a center where it can be monitored and analyzed or to other field devices to support communications to vehicles. A broad array of weather and road surface information may be collected. Weather conditions that may be measured include temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation, and visibility. Surface and sub–surface sensors can measure road surface temperature, moisture, icing, salinity, and other metrics.
Functional Object: Roadway Field Device Support
'Roadway Field Device Support' monitors the operational status of field devices and detects and reports fault conditions. Consolidated operational status (device status, configuration, and fault information) are reported for resolution and repair. A local interface is provided to field personnel for local monitoring and diagnostics, supporting field maintenance, upgrade, repair, and replacement of field devices.
Functional Object: Roadway Field Management Station Operation
'Roadway Field Management Station Operation' supports direct communications between field management stations and the local field equipment under their control.
Functional Object: Roadway Incident Detection
'Roadway Incident Detection' provides incident detection using traffic detectors and surveillance equipment. It monitors for unusual traffic conditions that may indicate an incident or processes surveillance images, watching for potential incidents. It provides potential incident information as well as traffic flow and images to the center for processing and presentation to traffic operations personnel.
Functional Object: Roadway Infrastructure Monitoring
'Roadway Infrastructure Monitoring' monitors the condition of pavement, bridges, tunnels, associated hardware, and other transportation–related infrastructure (e.g., culverts). It includes sensors that monitor the infrastructure and the communications necessary to report this data to a center or vehicle–based maintenance system.
Functional Object: Roadway Mixed Use Crossing Safety
'Roadway Mixed Use Crossing Safety' is an advanced infrastructure application that detects pedestrians, cyclists, and other non–motorized users and provides active safety warnings to drivers when cross walks or other intersecting mixed use paths are occupied.
Functional Object: Roadway Passive Monitoring
'Roadway Passive Monitoring' monitors passing vehicles for a signature that can be used to recognize the same vehicle at different points in the network and measure travel times. Depending on the implementation and the penetration rate of the technology that is monitored, other point traffic measures may also be inferred by monitoring the number of vehicles within range over time. Today this approach is implemented most commonly using a Bluetooth receiver that passively monitors Bluetooth devices on–board passing vehicles and license plate readers that record the vehicle license plate number, but any widely deployed vehicle communications technology or feature that can be passively monitored to uniquely identify a vehicle could be used.
Functional Object: Roadway Restriction Monitoring and Warning
'Roadway Restriction Monitoring and Warning' measures the size and weight of passing vehicles and displays warnings to vehicles if the size exceeds the current infrastructure restrictions. The measured vehicle dimensions are also made available to other applications.
Functional Object: Roadway Reversible Lanes
'Roadway Reversible Lanes' includes field elements that monitor and control reversible lane facilities. It includes the traffic sensors, surveillance equipment, lane control signals, physical lane access controls, and other field elements that manage traffic on these facilities. It provides current reversible lane facility status information and accepts requests and control commands from the controlling center.
Functional Object: Roadway Safeguard System Control
'Roadway Safeguard System Control' includes field equipment that controls safeguard systems for transportation facilities and infrastructure. Safeguard systems include blast shields, exhaust systems and other automatic or remotely controlled systems intended to mitigate the impact of an incident.
Functional Object: Roadway Signal Control
'Roadway Signal Control' includes the field elements that monitor and control signalized intersections. It includes the traffic signal controllers, detectors, conflict monitors, signal heads, and other ancillary equipment that supports traffic signal control. It also includes field masters, and equipment that supports communications with a central monitoring and/or control system, as applicable. The communications link supports upload and download of signal timings and other parameters and reporting of current intersection status. It represents the field equipment used in all levels of traffic signal control from basic actuated systems that operate on fixed timing plans through adaptive systems. It also supports all signalized intersection configurations, including those that accommodate pedestrians. In advanced, future implementations, environmental data may be monitored and used to support dilemma zone processing and other aspects of signal control that are sensitive to local environmental conditions.
Functional Object: Roadway Signal Preemption
'Roadway Signal Preemption' includes the field elements that receive signal preemption requests from emergency vehicles approaching a signalized intersection and overrides the current operation of the traffic signals to stop conflicting traffic and grant right–of–way to the approaching vehicle.
Functional Object: Roadway Speed Monitoring and Warning
'Roadway Speed Monitoring and Warning' includes the field elements that monitor vehicle speeds. If the speed is determined to be excessive, an advisory or warning is displayed. Current environmental conditions and other factors that may reduce safe operating speeds may also be taken into account. The operational status (state of the device, configuration, and fault data) is provided to the center. This application can also provide an enforcement function, reporting speed violations to an enforcement agency.
Functional Object: Roadway Standard Rail Crossing
'Roadway Standard Rail Crossing' manages highway traffic at highway–rail intersections (HRIs) where operational requirements do not dictate advanced features (e.g., where rail operational speeds are less than 80 miles per hour). Either passive (e.g., the crossbuck sign) or active warning systems (e.g., flashing lights and gates) are supported depending on the specific requirements for each intersection. These traditional HRI warning systems may also be augmented with other standard traffic management devices. The warning systems are activated on notification of an approaching train by interfaced wayside equipment. The equipment at the HRI may also be interconnected with adjacent signalized intersections so that local control can be adapted to highway–rail intersection activities. Health monitoring of the HRI equipment and interfaces is performed; detected abnormalities are reported through interfaces to the wayside interface equipment and the Traffic Management Center.
Functional Object: Roadway Traffic Gap Assist
'Roadway Traffic Gap Assist' measures the headway to the next approaching vehicle. Based on programmed thresholds, unsafe gaps are identified and reported via roadside signs. Traffic gaps and associated advisories and warnings are also provided to the RSE for communication to connected vehicles.
Functional Object: Roadway Traffic Information Dissemination
'Roadway Traffic Information Dissemination' includes field elements that provide information to drivers, including dynamic message signs and highway advisory radios.
Functional Object: Roadway Variable Speed Limits
'Roadway Variable Speed Limits' includes the field equipment, physical overhead lane signs and associated control electronics that are used to manage and control variable speed limits systems. This equipment monitors traffic and environmental conditions along the roadway. The system can be centrally monitored and controlled by a Traffic Management Center or it can be autonomous, calculating and setting suitable speed limits, usually by lane. This application displays the speed limits and additional information such as basic safety rules and current traffic information to drivers.
Functional Object: Roadway Warning
'Roadway Warning' includes the field equipment used to warn drivers approaching hazards on a roadway. Warnings may be generated in response to roadway weather conditions, road surface conditions, traffic conditions including queues, obstacles or animals in the roadway, and any other transient events that can be sensed. The equipment monitors traffic and roadway conditions and may send data to a Traffic Management Center for processing or may process it to determine when a warning should be issued. When it is determined that a warning should be issued, the equipment is used to alert approaching drivers via dynamic warning signs, flashing lights, in–vehicle messages, etc.
Functional Object: Roadway Work Zone Safety
'Roadway Work Zone Safety' includes field elements that detect vehicle intrusions in work zones and warns crew workers and drivers of imminent encroachment. Crew movements are also monitored so that the crew can be warned of movement beyond the designated safe zone.
Functional Object: Roadway Work Zone Traffic Control
'Roadway Work Zone Traffic Control' controls traffic in areas of the roadway where maintenance and construction activities are underway, monitoring and controlling traffic using field equipment such as CCTV cameras, dynamic messages signs, and gates/barriers. Work zone speeds and delays are provided to the motorist prior to the work zones.