Diana Rose D. Manalo

BS- Financial Management

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Prof. Ester Distor

Articles about traffic management

Traffic management

To force down traffic jams on motorways and keep the traffic moving, the government advocates a smart and flexible use of the road capacity, for example by managing the traffic.

Traffic management involves the use of practical applications such as extra lanes at rush hours

and entrance ramp control. Furthermore, the Dutch Traffic Centre supervises the traffic on the

motorways and can open extra lanes at rush hours. In the future, technological innovations in

cars could contribute towards a better utilisation of the capacity of the roads.

Dutch Traffic Centre

Verkeerscentrum Nederland (VCNL), the Dutch Traffic Centre ensures that millions of road

users can drive safely and quickly on the motorways 24 hours a day. With cameras along and

above the roads and via intensive contact with the five regional traffic centres, the Dutch Traffic

Centre keeps a constant watch on road traffic. At very busy times, the traffic centre can adjust

the speed limit or open extra lanes so that the traffic continues to circulate and no traffic jams

are created.

Extra lanes at rush hours

An extra lane at rush hours is an extra lane on the left- or right-hand side of the motorway which

opens in busy periods. Extra lanes on the right are hard shoulders that are opened to traffic.

This type of extra lane has a breakdown area every 500 to 1,000 metres. With extra lanes on

the left of the road, part of the central reservation is used as a temporary extra lane.

An extra lane can be recognised by signs that indicate where an extra lane begins and ends. If

the extra lane is open, then the green arrows are lit up on the electronic signs above the road. If

an extra lane is closed, then a red cross is shown.

Entrance ramp control

With entrance ramp control, trucks and private cars are only allowed on the motorways in small

numbers. This is done by controlling the traffic on the entrance ramp with traffic lights. To

determine how many vehicles may drive on a motorway, the system measures how many

vehicles there are on the motorway and how fast they are driving. The system subsequently

calculates how many vehicles on the entrance ramp may actually enter the motorway. With a

green light, one or more cars are allowed on the motorway. This ensures that the traffic on the

motorway can continue to circulate.

Phased traffic lights

The Groene Golfteam (Phased traffic lights team) advises road managers (municipalities,

provinces and the state) on the adjustment of traffic control systems such as traffic lights. This

advice results in better circulation, more traffic safety, shorter waiting times, fewer emissions of

particulates and a longer lifetime of the systems.

Incident management

With breakdowns and accidents on the Dutch road network, the police, social workers, rescuers

and road inspectors from Rijkswaterstaat (the executive arm of the Ministry of Infrastructure and

the Environment) work closely together to free the scene of an accident as quickly as possible

and quickly allow the traffic to flow. This method is called Incident Management. The Dutch

Traffic Centre also plays an important role in Incident Management.

Roads to the Future innovation programme

Roads to the Future is the innovation programme launched by Rijkswaterstaat, the executive

arm of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. The programme focuses primarily on

finding smart solutions for traffic jams and environmental pollution, for example. Examples are a

floating road, flexible road marking with the aid of lights in the road’s surface and the use of roll-

up asphalt. Citizens, businesses, authorities and research institutes work together in the

programme.

MMDA fine-tunes HPG 'takeover' of traffic management

By Mike Frialde (philstar.com) | Updated September 2, 2015 - 2:29pm

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said it has began preparations for the “takeover” of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) of its traffic management duties on EDSA starting Monday.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino on Wednesday met with Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras to fine-tune the operational details of the order of President Benigno Aquino III for the HPG to take lead on EDSA’s traffic management.

In a statement, Tolentino said the purpose of his meeting with Almendras was to finalize the implementing guidelines on takeover.

With traffic management duties on EDSA to be performed by the HPG, the MMDA, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will only play support roles.

According to Tolentino, the MMDA will be training PNP-HPG personnel on the basics of traffic management. This will only include the fundamentals of traffic management but will also cover traffic direction, control and supervision; traffic law enforcement; basics of road safety; traffic accident investigation; road incident management; traffic engineering and administrative rules and regulations.

On Tuesday, President Aquino ordered the PNP-HPG to take the lead in traffic law enforcement along EDSA’s 23.8-kilometer stretch away from the MMDA. He also ordered the HPG to prioritize the clearing of six identified choke points along EDSA: Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe and Taft Avenue.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1Tolentino earlier said the MMDA is ready to support the HPG in enforcing traffic laws and managing traffic on EDSA.

According to Tolentino, the MMDA would be ready to assist the HPG should there be vehicular accidents along EDSA or if stalled vehicles need to be towed away. He also welcomed President Aquino’s order of allowing the HPG to take the lead on EDSA’s traffic management.

“Para po magkaroon ng enforcement kailangan may baril na minsan para mas mahigpit na. Tutulong pa rin ho tayo pag may aksidente, pag merong stalled vehicles tayo naman andun,” he said.

Tolentino meanwhile defended the MMDA saying the agency alone should not be blamed for the crippling traffic along EDSA as the problem of traffic needs a collective action.

“Tulong-tulong kasi alam niyo yung problema sa trapik na sinasabinig lumalala eh dati naman na yan eh hindi lang naman isang ahensiya lamang ang dapat nating sisihin. Tayo lagi ang nasisisi… Ito po yung tama hindi lang isa dapat ang mangasiwa,” he said.

Tolentino said an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the streets of Metro Manila has also contributed much to the bad traffic situation.

CALIFORNIA | LOCAL

ANAHEIM : City Honored for Traffic ManagementJune 28, 1991 | LISA MASCARO

The city's Traffic Management System, which controls how vehicles move through congested streets and freeways, has been named a finalist in a national competition that honors local government programs. The 1991 Innovations in State and Local Government Awards Program singled out Anaheim's system for its ability to usher traffic through the busy Santa Ana Freeway and around the area near Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center.

The program is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

"Just to get selected as a finalist makes us feel real good," said John Lower, city traffic engineer.

Anaheim is one of 25 finalists selected from more than 1,900 applicants. Later this month, 10 winners will be chosen from the group. Each will receive a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.

If awarded the grant, the city would use the money for its expanded Traffic Management System scheduled to open in fall, 1992.

The system is a network of computers that uses TVs and underground sensors to relay information to a nerve center, where engineers work round the clock to monitor traffic flow.

In problem areas, engineers can make changes in street signals or place messages on freeway signs to help traffic move more efficiently.

The system is the only one in the country that is also linked with a state computerized freeway monitoring network.

The Innovations Program awards are based on four criteria: novelty, effectiveness, value of service to its clients and the degree that it can be duplicated in other cities and states.

This is the fifth year the program has given the awards and the first year that Anaheim has been a finalist.

Dodgers home opener to unveil stadium upgrades, traffic adjustmentsApril 04, 2014|By Marisa Gerber, Mike Hiserman and Matt Stevens

Fans heading to Dodger Stadium on Friday for the team's home opener against the San Francisco Giants can expect a number of changes in areas such as traffic management, amenities and security measures.

The team’s new ownership, which includes former Laker Magic Johnson, has also invested more than $150 million in the ballpark the last two seasons, upgrading the infrastructure and adding some fan-friendly features.There are now expansive plazas beyond right and left field with a team store, bar and a variety of concessions. A new walkway allows fans to circle the field inside the stadium for the first time, with potential stops at lounge areas overlooking both bullpens.

There are also large children's play areas.

The stadium's approach to security will also be different, an issue that came to the fore after Giants fan Bryan Stow was badly beaten in the parking lot.

The home opener comes just days after an assessment by Major League Baseball found there was a "culture of apathy and indifference" among stadium staffers prior to the attack. The findings were revealed in court documents in a lawsuit against the Dodgers that accuses the team's previous management under Frank McCourt of not adequately protecting fans.

The plaintiffs' attorney in that case, Tom Girardi, told The Times that the team had made “huge” safety improvements and addressed concerns raised in the MLB report since coming under new ownership.

Weeks before Friday’s home opener, Giants third base coach Tim Flannery also reflected on the Bryan Stow incident in a video posted to YouTube.But for the residents who live around the stadium in Chavez Ravine, traffic and gridlock will be the foremost concern ahead of the sold-out 1 p.m. game.

For the first time in almost 20 years, a gate on Scott Avenue will be unlocked and used as a fifth permanent entrance and exit for the stadium, raising traffic fears among residents.

The gate had been closed since 1996, when Echo Park residents successfully lobbied then-owner Peter O'Malley to leave it shut to quell game-day traffic.

Renata Simril, the Dodgers' senior vice president of external affairs, said the decision to use the fifth gate was part of an effort to alleviate traffic that backs up on Sunset Boulevard on game days. About 15,000 to 20,000 cars show up at the stadium for any given game.

"Our goal is to get them off the public streets and into the stadium as quickly as possible," Simril said, calling the change part of a multipronged effort to deal with what's anticipated to be record attendance.

Two of the lanes that funnel up Elysian Park Avenue from Sunset will turn left on Stadium Way and then take a right on Scott Avenue, she said, providing new space for cars to queue up. Simril emphasized, however, that Department of Transportation officials will man Scott where it intersects with Stadium Way and with Echo Park Avenue to deter game traffic from lining up along residential streets for stadium access.

Janet Marie Smith, the Dodgers' executive supervising the renovations, said the team was also encouraging fans to use the Dodger Stadium Express, a complimentary shuttle service between the stadium and the Patsaouras Transit Plaza near the east portal of Union Station. The shuttle is free with a Dodgers game ticket, $1.50 without a ticket. The service starts 90 minutes before game time and ends 45 minutes after the final out. Parking at Union Station is $6.

LA HABRA : Traffic Management Plan OKd by CouncilApril 06, 1991|ROSE APODACA

The City Council this week adopted a transportation management plan that Orange County needs to collect its share of the new 9-cents-a-gallon state gasoline tax approved by voters last year.

If the county complies with the state requirements of Proposition 111, it will receive an estimated $1.7 billion over the next 10 years. Of that money, La Habra can expect to receive about $6.6 million to use toward traffic and air-quality improvements.

Each city in the county must approve a transportation management plan before the county can collect its share of the revenues.

The plan is a general commitment by the city to encourage residents to use alternative transportation, such as ride-sharing, car pools and public transit. However, no specific strategies to do this are outlined in the plan.

Proposition 111 revenues can fund programs such as Dial-a-Ride for senior citizens or pay for traffic signals that can minimize the number of cars traveling through an area at a given time, said Mayor John C. Holmberg.