using bluetooth technology to monitor traffic patterns around urban centres in alberta
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Using Bluetooth Technology to Monitor Traffic Patterns Around Urban Centres in Alberta. ITS WORLD CONGRESS 2011 Orlando, Florida. October 19,2011. Presentation Guide. Background Bluetooth detection technology Privacy issues Red Deer Cordon Study Lessons learned Calgary Stoney Trail Study - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Using Bluetooth Technology to Monitor Traffic Patterns Around Urban Centres in Alberta
ITS WORLD CONGRESS 2011Orlando, FloridaOctober 19,2011
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Presentation Guide
Background Bluetooth detection technology Privacy issues Red Deer Cordon Study Lessons learned Calgary Stoney Trail Study Cost effectiveness Summary of findings and other considerations
October 19, 2011
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Background
Government of Alberta investment to construct highway infrastructure around major urban centres
Major ring roads around Calgary and Edmonton– Stoney Trail– Anthony Henday Drive
Subsequent requests for provincial funding– City of Red Deer
Traffic data on provincial highways is mostly limited to volume and vehicle classification; does not include information concerning travel time and origin-destination
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Province of Alberta
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Calgary
Red Deer
Edmonton
Source: Natural Resources Canada
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Background
A portion of Stoney Trail was opened in November 2009 16 Avenue NW to 17 Avenue SE forms a semi-circular freeway
Questions raised by public and stakeholders Red Deer regional highway network study Origin-destination study performed in 2009 that utilized
Bluetooth detection technology The success of the Red Deer trial encouraged Alberta
Transportation to look at opportunities to monitor traffic flow on the existing ring roads
Stoney Trail study initiated to monitor traffic flow and address questions
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Bluetooth Detection Technology
Open wireless telecommunications industry specification Short-range radio waves Transmission range up to 100 metres Media Access Control (MAC) address Continuous transmission Inquiry mode GPS timestamp
Data record example:
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Privacy Issues
Privacy Impact Assessment for traffic monitoring was conducted
Examine and address any privacy concerns Monitoring is strictly for determining traffic flows and
patterns, and anticipating future transportation needs Unauthorized use of personal information is very unlikely Alberta Transportation does not have the database
required to link a MAC address to an individual’s identity
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Red Deer Study
Feasibility of ring road– Two or more major roads flowing through the urban centre– North-south corridors; Highways 2 & 2A– East-west corridors; Highways 11, 11A & 595
Traffic flow around Red Deer was monitored by detecting vehicles with Bluetooth enabled devices– Strategic placement and organization of the detection
points– Sorting MAC addresses– Use of GPS timestamp– Origin-destination data and travel speeds were determined
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Red Deer Study
1. Highway 2 2. Range Road 273A3. Highway 2A4. Highway 115. Highway 5956. 30 Avenue7. 40 Avenue8. Highway 29. Highway 2A10. 32 Street11. Highway 1112. Highway 11A
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Red Deer Study
Locations selected that historically have the highest traffic volumes entering and exiting Red Deer
Traffic data on the provincial highways is collected through permanent Automated Traffic Recorders (ATR) – Loops embedded into the road surface – Operational 24 hours a day– ATR counts supplemented by short term traffic counts
Volumes between sites are a representative sample of the overall traffic volumes
Traffic monitors deployed for a 14-day (336 hours) period
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Red Deer Study
Bluetooth detection at the various sites ranged from 2% to 6% of the overall traffic volumes
A total of 54,582 Bluetooth enabled devices were detected; average of 3.7% of the total traffic volume
Total factored volume equates to approximately 1.49 million vehicle trips
Study findings used to determine trip types– Through (or bypass); detection by two monitors within a certain
time window– Through-stop; detection by two monitors with a noticeable lapse in
time difference – Local; only one monitor detects a MAC address (typically in a
24-hour period), same entry/exit, use another route not monitored
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Red Deer Study
Major north-south corridor No major east-west corridor
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Lessons Learned
1. Orientation of monitor related to placement of battery– Battery can interfere with the short radio waves– Monitors placed such that the unit points towards the adjacent travel
lanes of interest
2. Retrieval of the data is done through manual download from the storage media (chip card)
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BLUFAX UNIT
CHARGE REGULATOR
BATTERY
RUGGED TEXTURE ENCLOSURE
3. Monitors installed at locations by securing to existing roadside furniture or appurtenances – During study period two
monitors failed– Failure attributed to
vandalism attempts to tamper with the equipment
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Lessons Learned
1. Monitor housing revised allowing placement of the Bluetooth unit above the battery
2. Equipped with wireless telecommunications to allow remote data retrieval
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3. Deployed above ground; attached to roadside furniture/appurtenances that are more inconspicuous and less inviting for individuals to tamper with the equipment; the monitor now appears as any other traffic operations equipment
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Calgary Stoney Trail Study
Northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest sections Northeast and portion of northwest Stoney Trail was
opened in November 2009 16 Avenue NW to 17 Avenue SE forms a semi-circular
freeway; 45.7 km in length Assessing volume of traffic utilizing the ring road and
seek to address questions raised 31 initial deployment locations were chosen but one site
(Airport Trail, site 25) not included as the interchange and connection between the City streets has not yet been completed
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Calgary Stoney Trail Study
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Calgary Stoney Trail Study
Monitors were operational for one week (168 hours) Nearly 390,000 Bluetooth detections were recorded Data was filtered to remove unmatched MAC addresses
and pairs where the time stamp duration exceeded a reasonable time period
Total of 64,704 Bluetooth origin-destination pairs crossed one or more of the four permanent ATRs
Volume recorded at the ATR sites was 877,006 vehicles Bluetooth detection at the various sites ranged from
6% to 9% of the overall traffic volumes; average 7.4% An estimated 303,740 vehicle trips interacted with
Stoney Trail
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Calgary Stoney Trail Study
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Trip Type Daily Volume Proportion Regional 20,750 7.0% Urban 32,260 11.5% Penetrator 165,960 54.5% Zigzag 81,770 27.0% Total 303,740 100%
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Cost Effectiveness of Monitoring
Bluetooth detection technology provides a sample of the actual traffic flow– Red Deer study, detection rates ranged from 2% to 6%– Stoney Trail study, detection ranged from 6% to 9%– Critical to measure actual traffic volumes during the study
period Stoney Trail study: the use of Bluetooth proved to be
cost effective compared to manual observation
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Bluetooth Data Collection Manual Data Collection Overall Equivalent Costs $75,000 $88,000 Amount of Data Collected 5040 hours 192 hours Information Collected Travel time, sample volumes, speed,
origin-destination, movements 12-hour volumes, vehicle classification, movements
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Summary & Considerations
Red Deer study premise: determine whether traffic flow around the City would warrant further investigation into the feasibility of a ring road– Allowed traffic flow and patterns to be observed– Findings suggest that a ring road not warranted at this time– Alberta Transportation can focus their attention and funds
on other infrastructure priorities Stoney Trail study purpose: provide an objective
observation of the operation of the ring road– Provide benchmarks when reviewing the results of travel
demand models built to estimate future ring road traffic– Provide an indication of traffic patterns and characteristics
to be observed at other urban areas requesting a ring road
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Summary & Considerations
From the data collected, it appears that the main purpose of a ring road is to serve commuter traffic
Bypass (through or regional) trips represent a small proportion of all trips observed
External traffic with Calgary as the origin or destination, accounts for 82% of the traffic observed
Regional travel is significant but minor in comparison to direct commuter traffic
The need for ring roads at other urban centres may be further away than currently anticipated
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Summary & Considerations
Not all questions or concerns raised have been fully addressed due to the partial construction of Stoney Trail
As completion of the ring road nears, more benefits will be seen and perhaps quantified
Stoney Trail provides drivers with more alternatives to get to their destination
Redistribution can delay the need to provide: – capacity improvements to existing infrastructure – detour options around other construction activities
Higher design and construction standards provide improved safety for all road users
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Thank You
Paul Steel, M.Eng., P.Eng.Transportation EngineerEBA, A Tetra Tech [email protected]
Any Questions?
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Peter Kilburn, P.Eng., M.Sc.E.Planning SpecialistAlberta [email protected]