WSDOT SWR Traffic Management Center - Traffic Management Functionality
Subsystem Description
The Traffic Management Subsystem (TMS) monitors and controls traffic and the road network. It represents centers that manage a broad range of transportation facilities including freeway systems, rural and suburban highway systems, and urban and suburban traffic control systems. This subsystem communicates with the Roadway Subsystem to monitor and manage traffic flow and monitor the condition of the roadway, surrounding environmental conditions, and field equipment status. This subsystem coordinates with the Maintenance and Construction Management Subsystem to maintain the road network and coordinate and adapt to maintenance activities, closures, and detours. Incidents are detected, verified, and incident information is provided to allied agencies, drivers (through Roadway Subsystem highway advisory radio and dynamic message signs), and information service providers. This subsystem also manages traffic and transportation resources to support allied agencies in responding to, and recovering from, incidents ranging from minor traffic incidents through major disasters. When required, special traffic management strategies are implemented to support evacuation and reentry. The Traffic Management Subsystem supports HOV lane management and coordination, road pricing, and other demand management policies that can alleviate congestion and influence mode selection. It also manages reversible lane facilities and barrier and safeguard systems that control access to transportation infrastructure. The subsystem communicates with other Traffic Management Subsystems to coordinate traffic information and control strategies in neighboring jurisdictions. It also coordinates with rail operations to support safer and more efficient highway traffic management at highway-rail intersections. Finally, the Traffic Management Subsystem provides the capabilities to exercise control over those devices utilized for automated highway system (AHS) traffic and vehicle control.
Functional Area: Barrier System Management
Remotely controls barrier systems such as gates and other systems that manage entry to roadways, transportation facilities and infrastructure.
Functional Area: Collect Traffic Surveillance
Management of traffic sensors and surveillance (CCTV) equipment, collection of current traffic conditions, and distribution of the collected information to other centers and operators.
Functional Area: HRI Traffic Management
Remotely monitor and control highway-rail intersection (HRI) equipment, includes standard speed active warning systems and high speed systems which provide additional information on approaching trains and detect and report on obstructions in the HRI.
Functional Area: Safeguard System Management
Remotely controls safeguard systems such as blast shields and tunnel exhaust systems that are used to mitigate the impact of incidents on transportation infrastructure.
Functional Area: TMC Demand Management Coordination
Provides the capability to gather information on regional toll, parking, and transit usage and request changes to enable dynamic pricing for demand management.
Functional Area: TMC Environmental Monitoring
Management of environmental sensors and assimilation of collected data with other current and forecast road conditions and surface weather information from weather service providers and roadway maintenance operations.
Functional Area: TMC Evacuation Support
Development, coordination, and execution of special traffic management strategies during evacuation and subsequent reentry of a population in the vicinity of a disaster or major emergency. Interfaces with emergency management and other traffic management centers.
Functional Area: TMC HOV Lane Management
Remotely controls HOV lane sensors, HOV lane usage signals, and ramp meters to manage use of HOV or HOT lanes; also detect HOV violators and notifies enforcement agencies.
Functional Area: TMC Incident Detection
Remotely monitors traffic sensor and surveillance systems to detect and verify incidents. Also monitors external advisory and incident reporting systems, intermodal freight depots, and border crossings for additional incident information. Identified incidents are reported to operations personnel and other centers.
Functional Area: TMC Incident Dispatch Coordination/Communication
Formulates an incident response that takes into account the incident potential, incident impacts, and/or resources required for incident management. Facilitates the dispatch of emergency response and service vehicles and coordinates the response with cooperating agencies.
Functional Area: TMC Multimodal Coordination
Provides traffic signal priority for transit vehicles based on center-to-center communications with the transit management center; also exchange traffic and transit information.
Functional Area: TMC Multimodal Crossing Management
Remotely monitors and manages multimodal crossings, such as draw bridges and other crossings between highway traffic and other modes; does not include highway-rail intersection.
Functional Area: TMC Regional Traffic Management
Coordination between traffic management centers in order to share traffic information between centers as well as control of traffic management field equipment. This may be used during incidents and special events and during day-to-day operations.
Functional Area: TMC Signal Control
Remotely controls traffic signal controllers to implement traffic management strategies at signalized intersections based on traffic conditions, incidents, emergency vehicle preemptions, pedestrian crossings, etc.
Functional Area: TMC Traffic Information Dissemination
Controls dissemination of traffic-related data to other centers, the media, and travelers via the driver information systems (DMS, HAR) that it operates.
Functional Area: TMC Traffic Management Decision Support
Recommends courses of action to the traffic operator based on current and forecast road and traffic conditions. Recommended actions may include predefined incident response plans, signal timing plan changes, DMS/HAR messages, lane control strategies, metering strategies, etc.
Functional Area: TMC Traffic Metering
Remotely controls ramp meters, interchange connector meters, and mainline meters, covering all types of metering as well as management of bypass lanes.
Functional Area: TMC Traffic Network Performance Evaluation
Measures performance and predicts travel demand patterns to support traffic flow optimization, demand management, and incident management. Collects data from surveillance equipment as well as input from other management centers including emissions, event promoters, and other TMCs.
Functional Area: TMC Transportation Operations Data Collection
Collects real-time information on the state of the regional transportation system for operational use by the center. It establishes communications with a regional repository, requests or subscribes to information relevant to the center, and distributes the received information for use.
Functional Area: TMC Work Zone Traffic Management
Coordination with maintenance systems using work zone images and traveler information systems (such as DMS), and distribution of work plans so that work zones are established that have minimum traffic impact.
Functional Area: Traffic Data Collection
Collection and storage of traffic management data. For use by operations personnel or data archives in the region.
Functional Area: Traffic Equipment Maintenance
Monitoring and remote diagnostics of field equipment - detect failures, issue problem reports, and track the repair or replacement of the failed equipment.