EMTRAC Systems News Items
Brampton, Ont. Implements EMTRAC for Signal Priority/AVL
May 24, 2011 - The March/April 2011 IMSA Ontario newsletter highlighted the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service that is currently being expanded in Brampton, Ontario. This advanced BRT service was carefully designed to meet specific reliability and efficiency recommendations—and it is the first of its kind in North America.
We are happy to report that the EMTRAC Priority Management System was selected as the signal priority provider for this leading-edge service. In addition to providing conditional signal priority, the EMTRAC system also provides Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) functionality, enabling monitoring personnel to track vehicle locations in real time. These features are described in more detail in the IMSA Ontario article below.
Located in the Toronto metropolitan area, Brampton has a population of over 480,000 people and is one of only 10 cities in North America to be designated as an International Safe Community by the World Health Organization. For more information, please visit the Brampton Transit, Brampton City, and IMSA Ontario websites.
IMSA Ontario Article: City of Brampton – Transit Signal Priority
In 2007, the City of Brampton, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, secured funding to implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along three corridors within Brampton. On September 20, 2010, the City unveiled the result of that partnership: Züm, its new BRT service.
The service currently runs along the busy Queen Street corridor, from downtown Brampton to York University. It will expand to Brampton's Main Street/Hurontario Street in the fall of 2011, and Steeles Avenue in the fall of 2012.
In order to accommodate Züm and ensure that the service would be reliable, efficient, and cost effective, the City retained a consultant to review the existing traffic management system and field hardware. The proposal scope required the consultant to review the current technologies available to the market and recommend a Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system to meet the City's current and future needs.
Recommendations from the review included:
- Upgrade of the traffic controller firmware
- Implementation of a new distributed traffic signal system
- Implementation of a GPS-based system for TSP/Emergency Vehicle
Pre-emption (EVP) - Decommission of existing infrared fire pre-emption system over several years
The TSP system reduces transit vehicle travel times and schedule variability while minimizing the impact on other traffic. If the transit vehicle is running behind schedule, the system accommodates it by either extending the green phase or shortening the red time (reducing the conflicting green phase times), allowing the vehicle to obtain a green indication sooner.
In order to do this, the TSP system uses a combination of onboard and on-street system architecture. The onboard system receives priority requests from the transit vehicle's Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system. The AVL system tracks the transit vehicle's position relative to its schedule and can accommodate conditional parameters, such as levels of lateness and number of passengers onboard.
The on-street system takes advantage of features built in the traffic signal controller and TSP/EVP firmware. Specifically, the firmware includes the capability of using multiple 'check-in' detectors based on selectable time-points (in lieu of fixed distance points). In utilizing time-points, priority requests are transmitted to the traffic signal controller based upon the Estimated Time Enroute (ETE) of the transit vehicle. The algorithms used to calculate the ETE time points in the field and central equipment are what make this system unique to North America. Unlike detection zones that track the vehicle's Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) from a defined x/y coordinate, the TSP system's time-points react in real time, to on-street congestion. Therefore, as traffic volumes fluctuate, so do the time-points.
Finally, a Global Positioning System (GPS) determines the transit vehicle's location based on its coordinates and sends a wireless 900 MHz frequency to upcoming intersections. As the transit vehicle arrives at each advanced time-point, the traffic controller preconditions its internal timings in preparation of the oncoming transit vehicle (under low priority for transit). The advanced time-points help the traffic controller to gradually modify the timings to reduce the impact to the intersection while ensuring the intersection maintains coordination.
In time for the arrival of Züm on Queen Street, a new transit terminal was built adjacent to the Bramalea City Centre. An exclusive transit lane was constructed to keep transit vehicles on schedule as they leave the terminal. Dedicated traffic signal heads with white bar transit priority indications and video detection allow transit vehicles to exit the terminal on a protected phase twice per cycle.
Since its official launch in September, Züm has been operating at near capacity and Brampton Transit has benefitted from the highest monthly ridership numbers in its history. Feedback from riders has been positive, with many noting that Züm has set a new standard for public transit in Canada, if not North America.
EMTRAC Priority Control Devices Added to Florida APL
February 15, 2011 - The Florida Department of Transportation has approved the EMTRAC Priority Management system components for inclusion on their Approved Product List (APL). As a part of this process, the EMTRAC components were evaluated against the FDOT's minimum specifications for Traffic Control Signals and Devices (Section A700, July 2010).
The Florida DOT vendor and product evaluation processes is widely considered one of the most rigorous in the country. Click here to open the FDOT Approved Product List in a new window.
KM Enterprises (EMTRAC) Files Suit Against Global Traffic Technologies (GTT)
November 5, 2010 - KM Enterprises, Inc. filed a Complaint today against Global Traffic Technologies, LLC (“GTT”) in United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The Complaint seeks a declaratory judgment that GTT’s United States Patent No. 5,539,398 is invalid and not infringed by KM Enterprises’ EMTRAC Priority Management System. Last month, GTT incorrectly asserted the ’398 Patent against a non-existent corporation, Emtrac Systems, Inc., as well as the President of KM Enterprises, Kris Morgan, and his two sons, who are neither officers nor shareholders of KM Enterprises. To combat the confusion in the marketplace caused by GTT’s misdirected lawsuit, KM Enterprises filed today’s Complaint. KM Enterprises asserts in its Complaint that GTT’s ‘398 Patent is invalid and does not reach KM Enterprises’ products. KM Enterprises also seeks damages and an injunction against GTT for the false advertising of its products, for interfering with prospective contractual relations and for deceptive trade practices.
About KM Enterprises, Inc.
Headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, KM Enterprises, Inc. produces and sells the EMTRAC Priority Management System—a system that uses precise navigation technology and secure RF communication to detect equipped transit, emergency, and municipal vehicles to place priority or preemption requests to intersection signal-control equipment. KM Enterprises, Inc.’s EMTRAC System is the leading GPS-based priority and preemption system in the industry.
Media Contact:
Kris Morgan, President of KM Enterprises, Inc.
(618) 204-0888
Click here to open a PDF copy of this news story.
Click here to open a PDF copy of the full legal complaint.
Signal Priority: Cost-Effectively Mitigating Evacuations
As first-response and transit agencies throughout North America have discovered, there are many benefits that can be realized by the use of EVP/TSP technology. Click the following link to open a paper that was recently presented by EMTRAC's James Jarzab at the 5th International Conference on Social Science Research. This paper evaluates use of Intelligent Transportation Systems to cost-effectively implement disaster-mitigation procedures.
Potential Use of Technology: Mitigating Disaster Evacuation
EMTRAC Shows Compliance with VTA Transmission Specs
September 2, 2010 - As part of a third party installation acceptance test for VTA of San Jose, California in July of 2010, Caltrans was asked to verify compliance of the installation with standard specifications. In the process of acceptance testing, the range of EMTRAC equipment transmissions were calculated along El Camino Real in Santa Clara County. The test was supervised by Caltrans engineers; a sample of field observations were generated with the following test procedures:
A floating car was used to replicate a VTA bus operating along El Camino Real, with the antenna placed at approximately 30 inches above pavement resting on the dash board inside of a sub-compact Caltrans staff car
The intersection antennae were mounted on the top of the traffic control cabinet at approximately 6 feet above pavement in the typical VTA installation configuration
Revenue service conditions for this deployment type would have involved a transit bus with antenna mounted approximately 10 feet above pavement. Under the circumstances the test used an antenna deployed seven and one-half feet below standard height, which—as anticipated--significantly reduced observed detection range. Actual test results yielded acceptable revenue service ranges for transit applications with the minimum transmission distance measured at 1300 feet
EMTRAC at Urban Transport World Australia 2010
March 26, 2010 - On February 22, EMTRAC's own Jim Jarzab summarized the current state of BRT practices during his opening remarks at the Urban Transport World conference in Sydney, Australia.
As Co-Chair of the NTCIP 1211 Emergency Vehicle Preemption and Transit Signal Priority standards committee, Jim Jarzab is a valuable resource about the specific strategies available to municipalities looking to implement a cost-effective Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Mr. Jarzab's remarks included the following points:
"Many notable BRT projects have been developed around the world over the past two decades. Up to this point, the most successful projects have operated on exclusive rights-of-way in a manner, and at a comparable cost, to light rail. This comparison has often led to debates regarding the relative merits of investments in light rail transit compared to BRT.
"Advances in electronic data storage and information-processing speeds have allowed for transit operators in virtual rights-of-way using advanced vehicle location and identification (AVL/AVI), as well as sophisticated traffic control software, to replicate the safety and functionality of exclusive rights-of-way without the physical structures and resulting adverse community impacts. Sometimes called 'rapid bus', these BRT applications greatly expand the effective range of faster bus operations with enhanced schedule adherence, giving the traveling public better service with minimal investment in additional land or other infrastructure.
"These Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) components expand the sites suitable for successful BRT applications by an order of magnitude. Modern public transportation services are no longer restricted to large metropolitan areas with significant political influence and abandoned rail rights-of-way available to exploit. With apologies to Churchill: 'This is not the end, or even the beginning of the end but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning' with respect to BRT development."
EMTRAC TSP Shown to Decrease Bus Travel Time
February 8, 2010 - Based in Santa Clara, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) serves the transit needs of six municipalities. Their bus and light-rail lines have seen significant increases in ridership each of the past five years, and VTA has continued studying and implementing improvement programs to better serve their growing number of riders.
One study in particular examined the increase in average operating speed provided by the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) application of Bus Signal Priority (BSP) in rapid bus operation as compared to traditional local bus operation. This study evaluated two methods of signal priority, an in-ground loop and detector system and an EMTRAC GPS and RF-based vehicle detection system.
The study noted that signal priority enabled the operation of rapid bus service with reduced stops and more liberal operating rules than local service. Buses receiving priority traveled 18.4 percent faster than those without priority. Further, buses receiving priority using the EMTRAC system traveled 23 percent faster than those without priority.
Another advantage the EMTRAC system offers is that there is no need to bury in-ground loops, enabling municipalities to improve on-time bus performance without requiring costly sub-surface installations.
From a financial standpoint, public transit has few opportunities to implement productivity improvements. The approximately 20 percent gains from Bus Signal Priority are very important to transit agencies from a resource-allocation perspective. An improvement of 20 percent equates to an effective operating savings for VTA of nearly $1 million annually. Since 2005, operating and maintenance costs for the BSP elements have been negligible, with no equipment failures encountered since installation. Capital costs for BSP average less than $10,000 per intersection and $3,000 per bus.
The use of Bus Signal Priority in combination with other BRT features has proven to have the desired effect on vehicle operations, and thus fulfills the goals of ITS projects. Not only are the results statistically significant, but rider gains in the corridor also accompany the perceived improvement in service quality by the public.
VTA's experience with BSP is similar to that of other transit agencies across the nation. Bus Signal Priority is one of the few cost effective tools available to public transit agencies that improve productivity without adverse consequences. BSP is a foundation element for VTA's extensive Bus Rapid Transit planning effort, and it is likely that BSP will will be a major component of transit operations industry-wide in the near future.
EMTRAC EVP in Coquitlam, British Columbia
(Original article by Angela MacKenzie appeared in Coquitlam NOW, Friday, October 10, 2008)
Firefighters in Coquitlam are using advanced technology to get to emergencies faster.
On Monday, Coquitlam council watched a live demonstration via web cam of the fire department's new EMTRAC traffic signal system that gives fire and rescue vehicles priority at traffic intersections throughout the city.
A city van equipped with an EMTRAC device demonstrated how a vehicle would travel through a major intersection without having to slow down or stop.
Coquitlam Fire and Rescue trucks are being fitted with the EMTRAC traffic signal system to help with response time and intersection safety.
The EMTRAC device, about the size of a book, is mounted in the interior of the vehicle.
When activated by the release of the emergency brake and switching on of flashing lights, the device automatically sends a signal to the traffic lights when the vehicle enters a specific zone.
The area of that zone is tailored to the intersection by city traffic technologists, but can be up to approximately 900 meters (3,000 feet) away.
The traffic signal for the vehicle then changes or remains green.
At the same time, the other signals in the intersection change to red to stop all other cars, allowing the priority vehicle to pass through without slowing down or stopping.
The advance signal allows enough time for pedestrians to finish crossing and for other cars to stop safely.
"If we come up to an intersection that is totally clogged, it can add 30 seconds to a minute to our response time, which can make a difference," said Coquitlam Fire and Rescue assistant chief Tom Boechler.
The system is expected to help improve response times by up to 20 per cent and increase safety at intersections.
All emergency vehicles find it difficult to move through heavy traffic, but Boechler says fire trucks are also typically larger in size than other emergency response vehicles and consequently not as maneuverable.
"Emergency driving is always a problem," he says.
"With heavy traffic, it's always a problem because you don't know what the people in front of you are going to do. They're supposed to pull over to the closest curb, but a lot of them just hit the brakes and stop."
The city estimates it will cost $290,000 to equip all of the department's fire and emergency vehicles.
Installation of the new system began in April of this year and approximately 75 percent of the vehicles have the devices installed.
Boechler believes it is money well spent.
"It may seem like a large amount of money at the beginning, but amortized over the lifetime of the system ... It's the life safety that's the issue," he says.
"One injury could make up for that cost."
Contact EMTRAC
EMTRAC Systems
320 South 11th St.
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
Phone: (618) 242-2678
Email: emtrac2@sbcglobal.net