Domain

Explanation

Abstract

Since its formation in Sep 1995, the LTA has taken various initiatives to improve the land transport system in four key areas, namely (1) integrating transport and land use planning, (2) expanding the road network and maximising its capacity, (3) managing demand and road usage and (4) providing quality public transport. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications can be linked to all the four and especially the last three areas. This talk attempts to provide a clearer understanding of the nature of the various ITS applications in Singapore, which include GLIDE, ERP, EMAS, J-EYES, traffic.smart, transit.smart etc., and the roles they play in providing an efficient land transport system.

Speaker

Mr Quek Song Kim graduated from NUS in 1983 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) degree. He has been working in the transportation industry for over 18 years. He is currently the Manager in the Transport Technology Department, Land Transport Authority. Prior to joining the Transport Technology Department, he had worked in Road Planning, Road Design , Road Construction and Road Development Control and Traffic Management. Mr. Quek is a registered Professional Engineer in Singapore.

Quek S.K.

• Route design, traffic control, department of ITS: traffic technology & staff>60
• Traffic management: provides users about traffic & road conditions

Scope

• ITS projects: short-term
• Traffic management
• Travel information
• i-transport view: long-term

LTA

• Formed in Sep 1995 from amalgamation of 4 agencies:
• PWD road division
• MRTC
• Registrar of vehicles
• Land division of Ministry of Communications
• Improvement road conditions

Strategies

• Integrate land-use for travel & transport planning holism: coupled dynamics
• Developing comprehensive road network
• Priorities:

1. Improve & increased public transport system: from 63-65% (2002) to 75%
2. Demand management: integrated for ownership controls (less) & usage control (more) à e.g. vehicle quota system
3. Harnessing technology to maximize network capacity

ITS projects for traffic management

• EMAS: expressways
• Expressway monitoring advisory system
• Incident management on expressways
• 3 phases: started 1998, completed July 2001 at S$126m
• Process: on-site cameras (detection) à operators (confirmation) à recovery (recover vehicle @ 15 min., inform police etc. & disseminate information)
• TTD: travel time display à time along expressways à calculated from average speed/flow projected from 1) GPS on taxis & GLIDE; 2) EMAS present
• TID: travel information display à traffic ahead
• GLIDE: arterial roads
• Green link determining
• Computerised area traffic control for arterial roads
• Aim: create "green" waves of smooth-flowing traffic
• Traffic lights synchronization
• Using: induction loops & regional computers
• J-Eyes: cameras
• Cameras on lamp poles & traffic light poles
• Visual monitoring @ junctions
• ERP: road pricing regulation
• Electronic road pricing
• Aim: manage demand over time & space
• Replace ALS (area licensing scheme) in 1998
• Extended to Outer Ring Road in 1999: used for traffic infrastructure & around accidents
• Cost=S$197m
• Benefits: key demand management measures
• Points where & when traffic conditions merit
• Objective: maintain average road speed @ 20-30kph (roads) & 45-65kph (expressways)

ITS projects for traffic information

• Traffic.smart:
• Collects traffic data from individual ITS, processes & make data available to the public through the means:
• Radio & TV; Internet; hand-held computer; in-vehicle computer; pager & mobile phone
• Data available: traffic camera images of Singapore; ERP rates; travel time expected
• 1999 with S$3.8m
• Free access now
• Incidents: congestion & break-downs
• Transit.smart:
• Provide information on buses & trains
• Overview:
• Input: SBS, TIBS, FMS, RATIS
• CCS: central computer system
• Output: Electronic travel guide which includes the following:
• Travel planner: input where to come from and go to using minimum transfer, fare & travel time
• Travel information: re-routing
• Phase 1: completed Oct 2001
• Phase 2: 2004 @ S$40m
• Phase 2: prediction of flows to be available @ bus & train interchanges
• AIMS: arterial information management system

i-transport vision

• Long-term planning
• Integrates all ITS projects: traffic management & travel info.
• For increased coordination between arterial & expressway traffic to remove congestion
• Increased speed of extraction of traffic data & management
• Transportation information hub:
• Operating room & interface: integrates expressway & urban controls; dynamic traffic forecasting; bridge between single control & access to all subsystems; allows sharing of information & resources between management systems
• Influence: recommends consistent plans to manage actions & incidents
• Statistics: extract information from hub; reporting
• Simulation: validate acceleration response plan; traffic studies

Vision

• Integration
• Information: travel with travel management center

Questions

• Speedy information: EMAS, GLIDE, GPS on taxis à average speed à projected time
• Social: ERP changes with incoming & outflowing liceansed vehicles
• Data survey: validity à accuracy errors à lightning à continue to monitor & improve
• Unless persistent problems, consistent monitoring

Format

• Host introduction
• Scope: what we do, my job
• Organisation: overview, missions, strategies, future
• Projects: summary, details: concept, start/period, graphics & simulations
• Sensitive: emphasize only contemporary views