Traffic Control Center Award

1. College Station City Council – August 24, 2017
Troy Rother
City Traffic Engineer

2.  12 Traffic Division Staff
◦ 3 engineers
◦ 1 superintendent
◦ 1 signal foremen
◦ 3 signal technicians
◦ 1 sign foreman
◦ 3 signs technicians
 Equipment
◦ 79 Traffic Signals
◦ 60 School Zone Flashers
◦ 59 Vehicle Detection Cameras
◦ 52 Pan Tilt Zoom Cameras

4.  Game Day Coordination

5.  Game Day Coordination
Downtown Houston
• 150,000 workers
• 7 Freeways
Downtown Dallas
• 145,000 workers
• 6 Freeways
Downtown Austin
• 125,000 workers
• 4 Freeways

6. Downtown Houston
• 150,000 workers
• 7 Freeways
Downtown Dallas
• 145,000 workers
• 6 Freeways
Downtown Austin
• 125,000 workers
• 4 Freeways
Kyle Field Gameday
• 120,000+ fans
• 0 Freeways

7. Downtown Houston
• 150,000 workers
• 7 Freeways
Downtown Dallas
• 145,000 workers
• 6 Freeways
Downtown Austin
• 125,000 workers
• 4 Freeways
Kyle Field Gameday
• 120,000+ fans
• 0 Freeways
4th
Largest
Downtown
in Texas

8.  Signal Performance Measures
Wait time
Number
of Calls
Date Range

9.  Signal Performance Measures
Wait time
Number
of Calls

12. College Station City Council – August 24, 2017
Troy Rother
City Traffic Engineer

13.  Game Day Coordination

14.  Game Day Coordination
4th
Largest
Downtown
in Texas

15.  Signal Performance Measures

16.  Signal Performance Measures

19.  City of College Station
◦ 104,000 residents
 City of Bryan
◦ 81,000 residents
 Blinn College
◦ 11,000 students
 Texas A&M University
◦ 60,000 students
◦ 102,733 person stadium (Kyle Field)
◦ 800 TTI employees
With 75,000 people:
Campus is the 4th
Largest Downtown in
Texas!!!

20. Before
 20 + Years Old
Technology

21. Before
 20 + Years Old
Technology
 Parts only available on
eBay

22. Before August 2015

23. ITS Implementation
Traffic Control Center

24. ITS Implementation
TACTICS 3.0.1 central system

25. ITS Implementation
52 pan-tilt-zoom camera streams (Sony)

26. ITS Implementation
59 video detection camera streams

27. ITS Implementation
48 Blue Tooth Readers

28. ITS Implementation
Open Source ATSPM Software

29.  Increases usefulness of other tools
◦ Approach Volumes – data for modeling
 Resolve operational issues quickly
◦ Train Preemption – citizen request response
◦ Split Monitor – green time allocation
◦ Coordination Diagram – offset adjustments
 Selling safety improvements
◦ Pedestrian Delay – policy recommendations
 Effects of Planned and Unplanned Events

32. Peak Hour
Volumes

33. 7 AM 7 PMMaybe these
two trains?
Citizen: Why was traffic so bad at 11:30 when I tried to go to lunch?!?!

34. MaxOuts
GapOuts
Track Clearance Green
7 AM 7 PM

35. MaxOuts
7 AM 7 PM
54 % MaxOuts

36. GapOuts
7 AM 7 PM
36 % GapOuts

37. Phase MaxOuts Avg. Split
Programmed
Max Split
Timing
Change
SB-Left - 1 10 %
2 40 %
RR-Left - 3 55 %
4 30 %
NB-Left - 5 5 %
6 40 %
7 10 %
RR-Thru - 8 60 %

38. Phase MaxOuts Avg. Split
Programmed
Max Split
Timing
Change
SB-Left - 1 10 %
2 40 %
RR-Left - 3 55 %
4 30 %
NB-Left - 5 5 %
6 40 %
7 10 %
RR-Thru - 8 60 %

39. Phase MaxOuts Avg. Split
Programmed
Max Split
Timing
Change
SB-Left - 1 10 %
2 40 %
RR-Left - 3 55 %
4 30 %
NB-Left - 5 5 %
6 40 %
7 10 %
RR-Thru - 8 60 %

40. Phase MaxOuts Avg. Split
Programmed
Max Split
Timing
Change
SB-Left - 1 10 % 30 sec 38 sec
2 40 % 65 sec 78 sec
RR-Left - 3 55 % 25 sec 28 sec
4 30 % 35 sec 42 sec
NB-Left - 5 5 % 25 sec 48 sec
6 40 % 70 sec 78 sec
7 10 % 20 sec 28 sec
RR-Thru - 8 60 % 45 sec 42 sec

41. MaxOuts
7 AM 7 PM
54 % MaxOuts
11/14

42. MaxOuts
7 AM 7 PM
37 % MaxOuts
11/21

43. Phase
11/14
MaxOuts
Timing
Change
11/21
MaxOuts
Outcome
SB-Left - 1 10 % - 10 sec 25 % - 15 %
2 40 % 45 %
RR-Left - 3 55 % + 10 sec 40 % + 15 %
4 30 % 30 %
NB-Left - 5 5 % - 10 sec 10 % - 5 %
6 40 % 40 %
7 10 % 15 %
RR-Thru - 8 60 % + 10 sec 50 % + 10 %
P.S. This change only consumed 30 minutes of staff time.

44. Start of
Green
End of
Green
Dots Represent Arrival of
Vehicles at the intersection

45. 6 to 7 lane roadway with
a lot of people driving
Existing Conditions

46.  University Drive through Northgate is now a
downtown street.
Wait time
Number
of Calls
Date Range

47.  University Drive through Northgate is now a
downtown street.
7 AM Midnight
Between 7 am and midnight 87 %
of the cycles had a pedestrian call.

48. This was at 9:20 am
There are 37 people
walking in this image.

49.  Implement pedestrian only phase.
◦ Requires No Right-Turn on Red.

50.  Implement pedestrian only phase.
◦ Requires No Right-Turn on Red.
 Implement protected only left turns.
◦ For University Drive.

51.  Implement pedestrian only phase.
◦ Requires No Right-Turn on Red.
 Implement protected only left turns.
◦ For University Drive.
 Benefit:
◦ A potential 73 % reduction in expected number of
crashes.

52.  Implement pedestrian only phase.
◦ Requires No Right-Turn on Red.
 Implement protected only left turns.
◦ For University Drive.
 Benefit:
◦ A potential 73 % reduction in expected number of
crashes.
 Cost:
◦ Increased travel time.
◦ From 1 to 3 minutes to 2 to 4 minutes.

53.  City of College Station
◦ 104,000 residents
 City of Bryan
◦ 81,000 residents
 Blinn College
◦ 11,000 students
 Texas A&M University
◦ 60,000 students
◦ 102,733 person stadium (Kyle Field)
◦ 800 TTI employees
Brazos County