New York Implements a Centrally Managed Transit Signal Priority System

Transit Signal Priority (TSP) systems have largely been deployed using localized communications between the vehicle and the intersection for which priority treatment is desired. This has been accomplished using a wide variety of short range, wireless communications technologies requiring an infrastructure at the intersection and equipment on the vehicles. Such an infrastructure can be costly and in a City such as New York, with the density of intersections (there are over 12,400 intersections connected to the central system) deployment of TSP is cost prohibitive. During the past 3+ years, New York City has invested in the deployment of a city-wide, wireless network, dubbed NYCWiN, which provides ubiquitous wireless communications for both vehicles and the traffic controllers. This paper describes a TSP system being deployed by New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) that eliminates the need for localized TSP infrastructure by leveraging the existing in-vehicle systems to provide location based TSP request generation which originates within the vehicle and is transmitted wirelessly to the Traffic Management Center (TMC). The TMC can then validate the request, apply a set of business rules developed by NYCDOT, and transmit a specific TSP request message to the Traffic Controllers using the same wireless network. Since the transit vehicles are now being purchased and equipped with on-board automatic vehicle location systems, automated fare systems, traveler information systems, and vehicle monitoring systems, adding another on-board “sub-system” to manage the TSP requests eliminates the need for the costly intersection based infrastructure. This paper describes the design of the centrally managed TSP system and the adaptations to the National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) to support this approach. This project started in July of 2010 and was in testing as of September, 2011, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year - including operational tests on a route in lower Manhattan.

• Record URL:
  • http://itswc.confex.com/itswc/WC2011/webprogram/Paper1446.html
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://itswc.confex.com/itswc/WC2011/webprogram/start.html
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Intelligent Transportation Society of America. Index title: Deployment of Transit Signal Priority - Without the Costly Local Infrastructure.
• Corporate Authors:

  ITS America

  1100 17th Street, NW, 12th Floor
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Rausch, Robert
• Conference:
  • 18th ITS World Congress
  • Location: Orlando Florida, United States
  • Date: 2011-10-16 to 2011-10-20
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: 18th ITS World Congress, Orlando, 2011. Proceedings

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus priority; Public transit; Traffic control centers; Traffic signal control systems; Traffic signal preemption; Traffic signal priority; Wireless communication systems
• Identifier Terms: New York City Department of Transportation
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01487151
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 18 2013 1:52PM