Displaying travel times on Changeable Message Signs in the SF Bay Area JD Margulici & Samuel Yang, CCIT ITS America’s 2007 Annual Meeting & Exposition – Session #5

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3 Presentation Outline Program Overview System Capabilities Evaluation and User Feedback

4 Program Participants

5 Timeline 2005Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2006Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2007Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Code Verification Program Start Program Evaluation Pilot DeploymentPhase 1 Deployment 20 Signs Architecture Completed Phase 2 Start Code Verification Phase 2A Deployment Public Transit Information 10 Additional Signs Phase 1’ Deployment Administrator GUI Additional Destinations Phase 2B Deployment 10 Additional Signs

6 How does it work? SF DOWNTOWN VIA MIN VIA MIN Loop detectors ETC readers Changeable message sign Speed radars Data: - 1/3 toll tag readers - 1/3 inductive loops - 1/3 Doppler radars

7 Full Deployment “Vision” 80+ active Changeable Message Signs Freeway operator fully autonomous –System administration and maintenance –Programming routes and schedules TMC operators ‘in the loop’ –Graphical User Interface to control CMS display in real time System deployable in other Caltrans districts And of course, HAPPY COMMUTERS

8 System Workflow Loop detectors & speed radars ETC readers Elementary Travel Times CMS messages D4 TMC Travel Times SOCCS CMS MITTENS Route travel times reconstruction Configuration and scheduling Real-time control Business rules

9 Presentation Outline Program Overview System Capabilities Evaluation and User Feedback

10 User model (1) TRAVEL TIME TO SF DWNTWN 10 MIN SFO ARPT 23 MIN Real-time display TRAVEL TIME TO SF DWNTWN -- MIN SFO ARPT -- MIN Current “Mask” Data Business Rules ? Processing Dynamic field

11 User model (2) TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN CMS 1 CMS 2 CMS 3 MasksConfigurationCMS TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN TRAVEL TIME TO LORM IPSM -- MIN Schedule Configuration Default masks Routes Displays A B

12 AdministratorOperator TRAVEL TIME TO SF DWNTWN 10 MIN SFO ARPT 30 MIN 1.Define TT Messages 2.Monitor System 3.Reset MITTENS 1.Monitor TT Messages 2.Turn On/Off 3.Change TT Messages From the operator’s point of view controlling the TT messages will feel the same as using SOCCS GUI to control the CMS Operator GUI Administrator GUISOCCS GUI SOCCSMITTENS Travinfo 511 User Interfaces to MITTENS

13 Admin GUI: Creating a Mask Example: Select CMS 12 List of all CMS in the system

14 Creating a Mask - Select a Message Type Example: Select Two Route Travel Times Dropdown menu of message templates available based on CMS Type

15 Creating a Mask - Enter the Text to Display Example: Select SF DWNTWN and OAKLAND Dropdown menu of routes available from CMS 12

16 Creating a Mask - Define Mask Name and ID Example: Enter Mask Name Mask ID is automatically generated but can be edited by the user

17 Creating a Mask - Confirm Mask Creation Example: Confirm the creation of the mask User views the formatted travel time message

18 Operator GUI: View Current Messages

19 Operator GUI: Select Alternative Message

20 Upcoming feature: Public Transit Information SJ –FWY 45 MIN SJ -TRAIN 32 MIN NEXT TRAIN 08:30

21 Upcoming feature: Travel Times + Incident Msg. Next Steps Scheduling different destinations for a special event Setting up MITTENS to respond to certain traffic conditions Displaying travel times with traffic incident messages SF DWNTWN 32 MIN OAKLAND 29 MIN SFO ARPT 45 MIN STALLED VEHICLE LEFT 2 LANES CLOSED Work with operators to take advantage of the new features:

22 Presentation Outline Program Overview System Capabilities Evaluation and User Feedback

23 Evaluation Components Validation of travel time estimates –Confirm 511 accuracy on selected routes to display –Verify similitude of estimates on CMS and 511 phone system –Validation conducted in April 2005 Impact on freeway speeds –Traffic study in PeMS –Linear regression to correlate CMS with display / no display Commuter response: survey –1,000 respondents –2/3 online through 511 website –1/3 mail-in recruited at casual carpool pick-up locations

24 Impact on Freeway Speeds: Methodology

25 Survey results (1) On a scale 1 to 5, how useful are the travel time messages?

26 Survey results (2) On a scale 1 to 5, how accurate are the travel time messages?

27 Survey results (3) Does displaying 3 destinations on one sign provide too much information while driving?

Displaying travel times on Changeable Message Signs in the SF Bay Area JD Margulici & Samuel Yang, CCIT ITS America’s 2007 Annual Meeting & Exposition – Session #5 Thank You!!