| Connecting The DOTs
by Kirk Steudle
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com 059
I want to start with
a quote that I feel is
fitting and ties directly to
where I last left off about appropriately
upgrading our infrastructure now in
preparation for the inevitable connected
mobility ecosystem.“In any moment of
decision, the best thing you can do is the
right thing, the next best thing is the
wrong thing, and the worst thing you can
do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt.
Traffic Technology International July/August 2019
From a DOT and municipality
perspective, I understand the risk-adverse
inclinations surrounding making an
infrastructure upgrade decision, especially
when it comes to technology. While
there is some risk to being locked into
a technology path, there is a lot more at
risk in doing nothing. Doing nothing
risks the deterioration of the nation’s
transportation of goods and services all the
way down to the local community level.
What to do now? Keeping in mind that
not making a decision is a decision, we can
no longer kick the can down the road (no
pun intended) and only put a coat of paint
on 1980s-era traffic management
technology, which makes up the vast
majority of deployed traffic management
systems today. Being so far behind, we not
only need to upgrade toward 2020, we
really need to upgrade for 2030 and 2040.
But, what about the rapidly evolving
technology landscape and the risk?
It’s a risk that everyone and every
industry faces, so the traffic management
industry is not alone. Fortunately, there is
an abundance of documented lessons
learned and guidelines, and current
advanced transportation and smart city
projects in development to which we can
turn – Columbus, Ohio; Singapore smart
city initiatives; as well as Florida DOT and
Michigan DOT’s connected and automated
vehicle programs, to name a few.
Identifying individual project needs is
an invaluable exercise that can be leveraged
with an eye toward flexible, future-proof
solutions. The approach I often refer to in
identifying the most flexible solution is to
‘Learn and READ’ (Learn and Research,
Evaluate, Adjust, Deploy).
This process helps with distinguishing
the most technologically flexible
components and systems for a given
project solution. Whether an intersection
upgrade requires complete vehicle
detection overhaul and reconstruction or
a sensor replacement, breaking it down to
a granular level helps to focus in on the
solution for each project, making the
infrastructure upgrade process more
manageable while mitigating risk.
Moving forward, another vital strategy
is collaboration. Being an active participant
in the learning and research cycle of
technology-based traffic, and connected
and autonomous vehicle (CAV) research
and development programs (public, private,
and academic) is a distinct advantage in
our collective ability to better evaluate,
adjust, and deploy the most flexible
technologies.
Hopefully, this provides some inspiration
and ideas on how we can begin upgrading
our surface transportation infrastructure
in earnest for connected mobility. Until
next time, travel safe.
Kirk Steudle is senior vice president of Econolite
and former director of Michigan DOT. He can be
reached at KSteudle@econolite.com
Infrastructure: the
consequences of
doing nothing
“While there is some
risk to being locked into
a technology path, there
is a lot more at risk in
doing nothing”
Left: SiWIM is a weighin
motion system that
monitors the weight of
vehicles traveling over
bridge structures
In a similar way, fines could
be related to excessive noise
produced. The average noise per
vehicle type could be used as
reference and progressive scale
fines could be issued in relation
to the level of noise produced.
However, before this concept
can become a reality, more indepth
research, which also
takes into consideration the
age of vehicles and their
emissions standards, has to
be carried out.
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