TRB A3A18 Meeting
Marriot Wardman Park Hotel
January Meeting Minutes
January 10, 2000
· Tom Urbanik called the meeting to order at 2:00 pm
· All attendants introduced them selves.
· Minutes from the committee meeting July 1999 were approved unanimously.
Jon Upchurch (Section A Chair)
· TRIS is now online (http://ntl.bts.gov/tris)
· Approximately ~1600 papers submitted, ~920 placed on program, ~600 papers will be published.
· Publication decision is scheduled for February 1, 2000.
· Next year electronic submission will be accepted in August and an online review procedure will be initiated.
· TRB Research Problem Statements will now be published (instead of the Circular format). (http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/homepage.nsf )
Raj Ghaman
· Final before/after study of OPAC deployment on Reston Parkway is now complete. The report will be published on JPO electronic warehouse http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov and CD ROM.
· Spring 2001 “after data” on the RHODES deployment will be collected in Seattle, WA
· TSIS 4.32 (http://www.fhwa-tsis.com )is now ready for release by McTrans (http://mctrans.ce.ufl.edu/)
· TSIS 5.0 (with TRAFED) will be released later in 2000. That will be the end of CORSIM development. Maintenance will be continued for 3-4 years.
· Lab testing has just been completed on DTA models developed by University of Texas and MIT.
· DTA will be field tested in Caltrans District 12.
· FHWA is currently developing a work zone planning procedure that explicitly considers user costs. The software is being exhibited in exhibit hall.
· After TSIS 5.0, work will began on a next generation of traffic simulation model.
· Traffic Software Data Dictionary has just been completed.
· Traffic Estimation and Prediction Systems (TrEPS) is on display down in the FHWA booth.
Pam Crenshaw
· Steering committee has been formed for a “National Dialog on Operations and Management” (Session 275). Pam distributed a handout.
Ed Seymour
· Has prepared about 20 slides summarizing the status of NTCIP (www.ntcip.org)
· A Signal Control and Priority working group has just been formed and is chaired by Tom Urbanik
· A Field Master (or Management Unit) working group has been formed and is chaired by Jack Brown from Florida DOT.
Raj Ghaman
· Draft documents on cabinet and controller has been completed
· The API draft document is available on the ITE web set (www.ite.org )
· API document is expected to be put forward for balloting soon.
· Craig Gardner is the new incoming chairman of the ATC effort.
· Next ATC meeting is scheduled for March 31st in Irvine, CA.
· Rick Denney: Primer on Traffic Signal Systems. Document about 80% complete. Expect reviewed draft to be distributed at the 2000 mid year meeting.
· Don Dey: Strategic Plan. Past 3 years several problem statements have been drafted, workshop on O&M has been held several times, workshop on adaptive control has been held. Summer 2000 will be a workshop to review progress on the strategic plan and revise/update the strategic plan.
· Larry Head: TRB Paper Review. 33 submitted, 21 accepted for presentation, number to be published has not yet been determined. Larry thanked the reviewers that participated in the review process. We had 4 sessions (no poster sessions) this year. Next year Larry encouraged authors to consider submitting papers for the poster sessions.
· Frank Dolan: Operations and Maintenance. Frank took over from Bob Desanto to organize the Operations and Maintenance Session on Sunday Morning. The session had about 20 attendants.
· Don Dey: Adaptive Signal Control. Reported that about 125 people attended the Sunday afternoon workshop.
· Various options were discussed regarding the organization of future Sunday workshops.
· Kent Kacir suggested if O&M is done again, it should focus on more detailed issues such as perhaps sensors.
· Paul Olson (FHWA) would like some feedback as to how to craft programs so that funds and support are in the proper places for effective O&M.
· Tom Urbanik: Web Site Evolution. Thanked Lee Han for getting the web site established.
· Kevin Balke: Web Site Status. Web site is now hosted by TTI (http://signalsystems.tamu.edu ). The committee listserve can be joined via the web site. Member ID/Password is (member/valid or Tom/Urbanik).
· Charlie Wallace: Resigned from Education Task Force. Tom will sunset this committee unless a volunteer steps forward.
· Darcy Bullock: Millenium Paper. Darcy summarized the paper drafting and revision process that occurred in 1999. The paper has now been published on CD ROM and is also available on the web at http://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/millennium/00116.pdf.
· Charlie Wallace: Models Task Force update. Circular on Traffic Models was completed in 1999, it will be posted imminently on the TRB web site. A notice to the A3A18 list serve will be sent when that posting occurs. (Memorandum, TRB Committee on Traffic Signal Systems. Status of Traffic Software and Related Activities.)
· Chalie Wallace: Polled the audience regarding the desirability of a “living web site” describing the various traffic models. There was unanimous support for creating such a site. Details regarding who would host and maintain the site has still not been resolved. Hotlinks to individual lvendors will not be included in that effort.
· Lee Han agreed to take over chairing the effort from Charlie Wallace to develop the “living web site.”
· Urbanik suggested that ITMS(Integrated Transportation Management Systems) is becoming more important. Urbanik raised the issue of a coordinated meeting (with an overlapping workshop) during Summer 2001 with the Freeway Operations Committee.
· Kent Kacir suggested Salt Lake might be a candidate meeting site in 2001.
· Peter Martin and Larry Head volunteered to assist will local arrangement should Salt Lake be selected as a meeting site.
· July 9, 10,11 is a target date for the summer mid year meeting in Seattle, WA.
· Urbanik: Proposed summer meeting be based upon highway-rail grade crossings.
· Peter Marting, Dennis Eyler, Rick Denney, and Don Dey suggested broadening scope to include light rail.
· Don Dey suggested that railroad folks should be an integral part of summer meeting.
· Rich Cunard suggested that committee contact ITE regarding their activities in railroad grade crossings.
· Dennis Eyler suggested inviting some of the staff from Northwestern that conducts a railroad grade crossing short course.
· Rick Denney suggested somebody from the Dallas DART system be invited.
· Jim Dale: Meeting will be on July 9, 10, and 11 in Seattle, WA.
· Hotel will be Silver Cloud Hotel on the Northern end of Seattle.
· Hotel will cost $104-$125.
· Candidate Technical Tours Include King County, SR 520 RTTRACS, North Seattle ATMS, City of Bellevue Traffic Control Center, Port of Seattle Intermodal Terminal. A ballot soliciting interest in the various technical tour options was distributed.
· 920 Papers on CD ROM, approximately 85% submitted via web site.
· August 1, 2000 submission will be 100% electronic.
· In conjunction with TRB, 21 Workshops were held. This large number of workshops maxed out meeting space.
· January 7-11, 2001 will be the date of the Annual Meeting next year.
· TRIS online http://ntl.bts.gov/tris will be up in a few weeks.
· Next LED conference will be held at the Marriott Marina in Ft. Lauderale June 5-6, 2000.
· Urbanik reminded the committee that TRB requires the committee rotate 1/3 of the committee every 3 years.
· Over the next six months the rotation process will occur.
· A suggestion was made that committee rotation activity make an effort include both minority and women participation on the committee.
· Urbanik introduced the concept of signal priority. Urbanik solicited committee members to send a write up of how their favorite priority application (busses, rail, heavy rail, emergency vehicles, maintenance vehicles, drawbridges …) functions.
· Gary Duncan briefed the committee on the 1998 revision to the TS 2 standard. A new section was included that defines “Level 1” and “Level 2”. It does not define STMP or SNMP implementation.
· No timing/performance data is specified in either the TS 2 or NTCIP standards.
· No NTCIP projects to date have supported “Level 2”
· There is now an NTCIP guide that covers the analysis. It is a useful source for specifying timing/performance data.
Meeting adjourned at 4:50pm and reconvened at 7:30pm.
· Jim Powell is now chairing the research problem statement effort.
· Problem Statements are Due in May 2000.
· Jim summarized previous efforts
· Functional Requirements Approach Early 1990’s
· Fen Bor Lin Organized some problem statements in mid 1990’s
· Kevin Balke, Paul Olson, and Kent Kacir will help Jim Powell compile 4-5 problems statements for the May 2000 submission date.
· Darcy Bullock will forward the previous Human Factor problem statement to James Powell (Jim.Powell@parsons.com )
· Gary Duncan: City of Phoenix
· Successful deployments of early NTCIP systems require close cooperation of agency, signal controller vendor, and system software vendor.
· Issues associated with vendor specific MIBs must be very well understood by all parties involved.
· Les Kelman: When upgrading and maintaining signal systems, an agency’s biggest asset is its staff. It is very important to support and educate them properly.
· Rick Denney: Good specification writing skills are important when specifying NTCIP.
· Charlie Wallace: Software takes 2-3 times as long as expected and takes twice as long.
· Kent Kacir: Human factors element is important in examining the permitted/protected indications. Interim report will be on www.kittelson.com. (Paul Olson suggested Kent make a presentation on this topic at the mid year).
· Denny Eyler: Staff has to buy in to control system purchased. Otherwise the system is worthless.
· Mr. Gordon. Even light pedestrian traffic can significantly impact bus priority system operation.
· Srinivas Sunkari: Software development takes twice as long as expected.
· Kevin Balke: Y2K was not as big a deal as first thought.
· Kevin Balke/Tom Urbanik: Railroad preemption is very complex and the user should be very careful to make sure they really get the results they thought they were getting.
· Eric Nelson: Offsets reference point varies by controllers and optimization package which leads to user confusion.
· Paul Olson: You can lead an agency to NTCIP, but you can’t make them specify it.
· Carlos: Very important to work with non-engineering legislative to make sure drafted legislation can be successfully implemented.
· Ralph Boess: Very important to educate customer.
· Mike Shea: Low bid process inhibits innovative technology development and implementation.
A list of Committee Members and Committee Friends is attached..
The meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm