DISTRICT 6-0 REGIONAL OPERATIONS PLAN PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING DISTRICT 6-0

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF MEETING (FINAL) PROJECT: PURPOSE OF MEETING: LOCATION: PENNDOT Agreement E00229 Open-end Agreement for ITS, Traffic and Highway Safety Engineering Services Work Order District 6-0 Regional Operations Plan (ROP) District 6-0 Regional Operations Plan (ROP) Traveler Information Task Force PennDOT District 6-0 Office 7000 Geerdes Blvd. King of Prussia, PA TMC Conference Room DATE OF MEETING: March 15 th, 2007 ATTENDEES: PennDOT Engineering District 6-0 (D-6) Manny Anastasiadis ( / eanastasia@state.pa.us) Edward Burns ( / edwaburns@state.pa.us) Lou Belmonte ( / lbelmonte@state.pa.us) PennDOT BHSTE Robert Pento ( / rpento@state.pa.us) via conference call Mike Pack ( / mpack@state.pa.us) via conference call Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Carmine Fiscina ( / carmine.pa.fiscina@fhwa.dot.gov) Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Stan Platt ( / splatt@dvrpc.org) Matt West ( / mwest@dvrpc.org) Montgomery County Planning Commission Wes Ratko ( / wratko@montcopa.org) Bucks County Planning Commission Rich Brahler ( / rgbrahler@co.bucks.pa.us) Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council Jessica Howland ( / jhowland@howlandgroupinc.com) Lindsay Young ( / lyoung@howlandgroupinc.com) Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) Karl Ziemer ( / KDZiemer@drpa.org) Page 1 of 5

2 Traffic.com John Collins ( / jcollins@traffic.com) Chester County Department of Emergency Services Keith Schott ( / kschott@chesco.org) H & K Group Robert Renner ( / awalker@hkgroup.com) Pennsylvania Center for Port Development Kate Van Auken ( / kvanauken@state.pa.us) Delaware River Maritime Exchange Mihcael J. Fink ( / mfink@maritime.delriv.com) Edwards and Kelcey (EK) Keith Mullins ( / kmullins@ekmail.com) Brian DePan ( / bdepan@ekmail.com) The purpose of the Regional Operations Plan (ROP) Traveler Information Task Force Meeting was to discuss the high level needs relating to Traveler Information identified during the Stakeholder Workshop held on February 16 th. Project Concepts will be developed to support these high level needs. ROP Background The meeting began with introductions and Keith Mullins (EK) briefly went through the meeting s agenda. Keith then gave an overview of the ROP background and development A Regional Guidance Document was developed for PennDOT to be used in the ROP process so that it can be applied consistently for all Districts. The document details a step-by-step process for the development of the ROP. The key steps in the development of the ROP were identified as: 1. Establish the ROF. 2. Review and update existing documents, plans, and projects. 3. Define the regional needs and priorities. 4. Identify regional operations concepts. 5. Define operations projects. 6. Develop the regional program. 7. Draft and implement the plan. The ROP will be a living document that is to be updated every 2 years. It is being completed for all the PennDOT Districts. The ROP will be completed by July in order coincide with DVRPC s update to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Statewide Direction Page 2 of 5

3 Bob Pento (BHSTE) gave an overview of traveler information and the 511 system from a statewide perspective via conference call. He explained how traveler information is being developed as a primary statewide need through the Transportation Systems Operations Plan (TSOP). He spoke specifically on TSOP Project -04 Incident Management Traveler Information which includes the implementation of the statewide 511 system for traveler information as well as TSOP-02 Roadway Closure Reporting System. The Roadway Closure Reporting System is a key source of roadway information data. Under the system, every time an emergency responder closes one lane of roadway, the information goes into the network. This allows agencies who may not be aware of incidents to be able to alert the public to their existence. Bob shared what has been accomplished up to date on the Regional 511 system. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has provided funds for project planning and system implementation. 511 will incorporate amber alerts and real-time traveler information and be implemented in two phases. Phase I will include both a web-based and telephone network, and Phase II will expand to incorporate other technologies (in car systems, kiosks, etc.). Bob shared information on the 511 Coalition and opportunities to stay informed on the statewide progress of implementing the 511 system. Following Bob s presentation, many of the stakeholders had questions relating to the implementation of the 511 system. The following issues were brought up and discussed: In District 6-0 there may be areas where, if you call the 511 number, the nearest tower receiving your call may not be located in the State of Pennsylvania. o Bob acknowledged that that was an issue and said that, in those areas, people making calls would be prompted to identify which state 511 system they are trying to access. It was noted, that for example, someone traveling up I-95 would need information on multiple states for a single trip. o PennDOT is currently working with the I-95 corridor coalition to address this issue. It was asked if the 511 systems could handle video and travel time information available for District 6-0. o Regions will continue with their existing partnerships for gathering and distributing this information. o 511 will either have video directly on its webpage or will provide links to get people to the right location. It was brought up that it would be a good idea to try and get all traveler information consolidated into one place. o Bob noted that 511 would be used as a portal from which all of this information can be easily accessed. Discussion of Operations Needs and Project Concepts Keith began the discussion on Operations needs and project concepts by reviewing the Project Matrix for Traveler Information, which was distributed to all attendees. He explained that the high level needs were developed during the Regional Operations Stakeholder Workshop in February. Based on the needs identified, EK developed project concepts. The purpose of the discussion was to review concepts and identify any additional concepts that best fit the needs of the District 6-0 region. Page 3 of 5

4 The floor was then opened to the Task Force Members to discuss needs and Operations project concepts. The following topics were commented on during this discussion: Goods Movement: A primary need is to get traffic information to the dispatch centers. o Getting information to dispatch centers will allow carriers to divert trucks before the first one hits congestion. o It is important for information to be delivered as close to real-time as possible. o Information can also flow the opposite direction, coming from the trucks on the road and getting to agencies through the dispatch centers. It would be a good idea to contact UPS and FedEx to see what programs they have implemented to coordinate their fleet of trucks. John Collins noted that traffic.com currently uses GPS data from trucks to calculate travel times on roadways that are not instrumented. Attendees from the goods movement community agreed to provide EK with a list of key routes in the region. Pre-Trip Traveler Information: PennDOT video will soon be available online through traffic.com and TrafficLand.com. A marketing campaign needs to be implemented to inform public about the many traveler information resources that currently exist. PennDOT needs a common platform for information dissemination to private traffic services. En-Route Traveler Information: Primary methods of getting Traveler Information to public should be through DMS. o Once connection with SEPTA is completed, DMS can be used to post train schedules and parking information, which could be useful in getting some drivers off of the road. o It was noted that additional DMS should be deployed on key corridors to be identified as part of the Corridor and Congestion Management Task Force. It was noted that currently traffic.com provides traffic data to XM Satellite Radio (Ch. 212) and Westwood One provides data to Sirius. A very efficient way of collecting travel time information is through capturing the GPS signals from cellular phones. o This system is totally anonymous and is not used for tracking individual drivers. Future plans are to be able to bring all traffic information into cars through onboard navigation systems. CASTNET program is being developed in Pennsylvania to bring traveler information into highway rest stops. o Information is displayed on flat screen monitors. o System can also be deployed in other locations (i.e. malls, train stations, etc.). Page 4 of 5

5 Parking Management: SEPTA, the Philadelphia Sports Complex, and the Philadelphia Convention Center are the three locations where parking management is most critical. Questions/Comments Additional information on the ROP can be found at The webpage includes updated information on meetings, ROP background, and ROP process. Keith encouraged everyone to read the FHWA pamphlet on ITS for Traveler information that was made available. The newsletter includes a lot of useful information on how ITS is being incorporated to assist in traveler information nationwide. Next Steps/Action Items The next Traveler Information Task Force will take place on Thursday, April 12 th at 1:30 PM at the District 6-0 office in King of Prussia, PA EK will update the project matrix to incorporate new needs and project concepts Goods movement carriers will provide a list of key routes. EK will create a draft list of Operations project deployments and make available for comment. EK will send out invitations for next meeting once project deployments have been further developed. We believe the foregoing minutes to be an accurate summary of the meeting and related decisions. Failing written notification to the contrary, after ten (10) days, we will consider these minutes a statement of facts. Minutes prepared by: Keith R. Mullins, P.E. Edwards and Kelcey cc: All Meeting Attendees EK Project File EK Project Team Page 5 of 5