Use of Traffic Incident Management in Intelligent Traffic SystemsMark MeintsEmergency Program SpecialistNebraska Department of Roads

Intelligent Traffic Systems

• ITS technologies for traffic incident detection, verification, response, and communication are recognized as valuable tools by transportation professionals and are being used throughout the country.

ITS Benefits All Responders

• Including these first responders in the planning and development of a traffic incident management program, and maintaining consistent communication, will help ensure effective management of the traffic incident scene and cultivate multiagency ties, with the traveling public reaping the benefits of increased efficiency — and safety.

ITS Benefits All Responders

• Fire, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) have different priorities than transportation agencies when clearing an incident. Their first concern is the safety of the victims and motorists; getting traffic flowing again is secondary.

Traffic Incident Management

• Traffic Incident Management (TIM) is a systematic, planned, and coordinated effort to detect, respond to, and remove traffic incidents and restore traffic capacity as safely and quickly as possible. TIM involves the application of institutional, mechanical, and technical resources, including Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and offers a number of measurable benefits.

TIM Partners• This coordinated process involves a number of public and

private sector partners, including:• Law Enforcement• Fire and Rescue• Emergency Medical Services• Transportation• Public Safety Communications• Emergency Management• Towing and Recovery• Hazardous Materials Contactors• Traffic Information Media

Results of TIM

• Effective TIM reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improves the safety of motorists, crash victims and emergency responders.

What is a Traffic Incident?

• A traffic incident is an emergency road user occurrence, a natural disaster, or other unplanned event that affects or impedes normal flow of traffic.

What are secondary crashes?

• Secondary crashes are unplanned incidents beginning with the time of detection of the primary incident where a collision occurs either within the incident scene or within the queue, including the opposite direction, resulting from the original incident.

Can this scene use TIM?

Managing Traffic Incidents — Lessons from Experience

• The following are a few lessons learned on how to plan, design, operate, and maintain traffic incident management programs from across the United States.

Traffic Incident ManagementProgram Development

• Develop a combined strategy and implementation plan for coordinated arterial signal control during incidents.• Cultivate relationships among transportation,

law enforcement, fire, and rescue agencies when developing a coordinated, multiagency, traffic incident management program.• Consider co-locating multiple agencies in a

transportation management center.

Incident Detection, Verification,and Response

• Provide a combination of detection methods to detect incidents effectively and rapidly.• Establish common incident location identifiers.• Provide training to dispatchers to elicit useful

information about the incident from motorists.• Provide joint training among incident response

agencies to improve response times and site management.

Incident Clearance and Evaluation• Consider a service patrol to reduce incident

clearance times.• Provide consistent, high-quality information

about incidents to influence traveler behavior.• Conduct post-incident debriefings.

From Lessons Learned

• The following are projects from lessons learned the we do in Nebraska.

NDOR Traffic Management

• Roadway Sensors • CCTV Cameras• Snapshot Cameras• Overhead Dynamic Message Signs• Portable Dynamic Message Signs• Weather Information Stations

Roadway Sensors

• Monitor Traffic Speed• Used to Compute Travel Time• Collect Volume/Classification Data• For Traffic Engineering Studies

Roadway Sensors

CCTV CamerasSnapshot Cameras

• 12 on rural Interstate• 21 in the Omaha area• 7 in the Lincoln area• Monitor Traffic Conditions• Monitor Roadway Conditions (Rural)• Confirm Incidents/Congestion

CCTV CamerasSnapshot Cameras

Overhead Dynamic Message SignsPortable Dynamic Message Signs

• Communicate Travel and Roadway Conditions to Drivers• Amber Alerts

Overhead Message Boards

Portable Message Boards

Weather Information Stations

• 60 across the state• Measure Wind Speed & Direction• Measure Air & Pavement Temperature• Detect Precipitation & Type

Weather Information Stations

NDOR Advanced Traveler Information System

•www.511.nebraska.gov• 511 road conditions • Web cams

511 System

• Nebraska’s statewide 511system provides 24X7 service, including weather, construction and lane blocking events to the motorists using our rural highways. Most of the lane mileage in every state is in rural areas. In Nebraska, we have 10,000-miles of state highways covering 77,000 square miles.

NDOR District 2 Operations Center

• Co-located with NSP Troop A Dispatch• 71 miles of freeways• 30 CCTV cameras• 17 message boards• 30 portable message boards• 46 detection stations• 5 Road Weather Information Stations• 2 ramp gate

Nebraska State Patrol Motorist Assist Program

• Nicknamed "Highway Angels" by grateful motorists, the Nebraska State Patrol Motorist Assist Program patrols more than 200 miles of Interstate 80 from Omaha to Kearney, providing support to motorists in what is often a very stressful time.

Move Over Law and Driver Removal Law

Nebraska TIM Train the Trainer Responder Training Implementation Plan

• Purpose:• This implementation plan establishes a

framework to guide and document TIM training activities in Nebraska.

Nebraska TIM Train the Trainer Responder Training Implementation Plan

• Background:• In connection with the second Strategic Highway Research

Program and the second Every Day Counts initiative, the Federal Highway Administration is implementing a nationally consistent program of TIM responder training.

• Training of traffic incident responders is vital for achieving the National Unified Goal for TIM.

• Important aspects of TIM addressed by this goal include responder safety; quick clearance; and prompt, reliable and interoperable incident communications.

Partner Agencies and Organizations• Responder training will be geographically-structured around

the eight NDOR Districts. Potential partner agencies and organizations include:• NDOR Operations• NDOR Traffic Engineering• NDOR Districts 1-8 Offices• Nebraska LTAP Center• NHHS – EMS/Trauma• Nebraska State Patrol Headquarters and Troop Areas A-E Offices• Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office• FHWA Nebraska Division• Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center and Fire School• Local public agencies (emergency management, police, fire and

EMS)

Train the Trainer Course

• The course was completed in Lincoln on March 26 and 27,2014• 12 hours of training• 41 trainers completed the course

TIM Training Goals

• Within one month of completing the TIM TtT course, TIM instructors will brief their agencies on the TIM materials and resources available.• Within five days of completing a TIM responder

training course, each instructor will submit a report on the training to the SHRP2 TIM Training SharePoint site.• TIM instructors will complete a minimum of four 4-

hour training sessions within 12 months of completing the initial TtT course.

Benefits

• Saving Lives. Better training leads to faster incident response and clearance. This means fewer secondary crashes result from the original incident and less exposure to moving traffic while the incident is resolved.• Saving Money. Efficient response also saves

money.• Saving Time. Well-trained responders can cut

clearance time in half, decreasing delays caused by incident-related congestion.

In Conclusion

• TIM training helps improve traffic incident response. Better incident response improves the safety of responders and drivers, reduces crashes that occur because of incident-related congestion, decreases traffic delays caused by incidents, and can cut incident response time in half.

Questions or Comments• Mark Meints• Nebraska Department of Roads• Emergency Program Specialist• 402-479-3878• mark.meints@nebraska.gov