CENTRAL AND COMPUTERIZED CONTROL OF SCHOOL ZONE SIGNING

The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) in Pontiac, Michigan, is responsible for over 60 dynamic school zone signs on county roads. Based on the time of day, these signs will display lower speed limits at the start and end of school days. Currently, RCOC must send electrical crews to visit each sign at the beginning and end of the school year, beginning and end of daylight savings time, and when the clocks in the signs are incorrect. Using the latest Windows NT software, off-the-shelf hardware, and dial-up phone lines, RCOC is updating their Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) to include customized user interfaces and a new communications configuration. Communications with each school zone sign will update the clock and download schedules on a daily basis to ensure that the signs will activate at the appropriate times. Since SCATS communication is two-way, it will be possible to verify operation, confirm new schedules, and check for trouble from the office. Planned school holidays and unplanned school closures, such as snow days, will be centrally input. The number of trips electrical crews must take to the school signs will be reduced, saving money and resources. Test trials were done at two signs at one school during the spring of 1998, and widespread operations are set to begin in 2000.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Conference proceedings available only on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Piotrowicz, G
  • Relyea, D
• Conference:
  • Transportation Frontiers for the Next Millennium: 69th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Date: 1999-8-1 to 1999-8-4
• Publication Date: 1999

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 6p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Centralized traffic control; Communication systems; Computers; Control systems; Cost effectiveness; Maintenance; Schools; Speed limits; Variable message signs
• Geographic Terms: Pontiac (Michigan)
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00770193
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Publication No. CD-006
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 14 1999 12:00AM