Minnesota DOT deploys GTT’s Canoga to curb intersection vehicle crashes

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is working toward making the state’s roads safer, using the Canoga traffic sensing solution from Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) to warn at-risk drivers when cross-traffic is approaching. Nearly 70 per cent of fatal vehicle collisions in Minnesota, as well as other states, occur on roads in rural communities, where higher speeds, varying terrain and inconsistent sightlines can put many drivers in danger. The MnDOT initiative is part of the nationwide Towards
September 3, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

2103 Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is working toward making the state’s roads safer, using the Canoga traffic sensing solution from 542 Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) to warn at-risk drivers when cross-traffic is approaching.
 
Nearly 70 per cent of fatal vehicle collisions in Minnesota, as well as other states, occur on roads in rural communities, where higher speeds, varying terrain and inconsistent sightlines can put many drivers in danger.

The MnDOT initiative is part of the nationwide Towards Zero Deaths initiative, which aims to encourage safer driving strategies for rural and state roads and instil a new driving culture throughout the US. As part of the program, MnDOT is installing rural intersection conflict warning systems (RICWS) at intersections with higher crash rates throughout the state.
 
Canoga includes non-invasive micro-loops and conduits installed under the pavement, spaced about 20 feet apart. The system measures the time it takes for a vehicle to pass between the sensors to determine the vehicle’s speed and calculate the time the vehicle will take to reach the intersection. A highly conspicuous traffic sign flashes bright yellow warning lights to alert drivers that a vehicle is approaching. The sensors are installed by boring horizontally under the pavement on the side of the road, ensuring they are protected from traffic and inclement weather, so ongoing maintenance is unnecessary.

GTT worked with MnDOT’s project designer, WSB & Associates, which selected Canoga as part of their traffic sensing strategy, citing the system’s reliability and easy installation as key factors in the decision.
 
“Across the state, there are dozens of intersections where trees, hills and winding roads obscure views for drivers,” said Janelle Borgen, ITS manager for WSB & Associates. “We needed a reliable system that could sense approaching vehicles when drivers couldn’t.”
   
“With Canoga, we know exactly how long it takes for vehicles to reach the intersection based on the speeds they’re travelling,” said Borgen. “We’ve set the warning signals to give cross-traffic drivers about seven seconds of warning time. The signals flash so drivers on crossroads know that a vehicle is approaching and to stay clear of the intersection.”

Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Righter shade of pale
    July 24, 2012
    Jon Tarleton, Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc., talks about developments in mobile weather information gathering Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. (QTT) is promoting the greater use of mobile technologies to provide infill between fixed Road Weather Information System (RWIS) infrastructure. It is, the company says, a means of reducing the expense of providing comprehensive, network-wide coverage, particularly in geographic locations where the sheer number of centreline miles causes cost to
    Read More
  • Mounting benefits of dynamic tolling project
    January 30, 2012
    Wisconsin's four-year HOT lanes pilot project, launched in May 2008, cost US$18.8 million to construct. Halfway into the project, which uses variably priced, or dynamic, tolling to improve highway efficiency, the benefits are mounting. The problem was obvious, and frustrating, to anyone who ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on State Route 167 and watched a lone car whiz by every 20 seconds or so in the carpool lane. But for planners at the Washington State Department of Transportation, the conundrum was
    Read More
  • Israel aspires to ITS-led future
    May 29, 2013
    Shay Soffer, Chief Scientist with the Israel National Road Safety Authority, talks to Jason Barnes about his country’s current ITS outlook and how he sees this developing in the future. Israel ranks alongside countries such as the US and France in the road safety stakes, with an average 7.1 deaths per billion kilometres driven. But at that point the similarities end, as the country’s overriding issue is pedestrian safety. This is driven by several factors, including being a relatively small country where pe
    Read More
  • Progress towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure
    July 17, 2012
    Kallistratos Dionelis, General Secretary of ASECAP, makes the case for a lightly regulated, staged progression towards a pan-European cooperative infrastructure environment, the achievement of which should look to engender cooperation between the public and private sectors. Such an approach, he says, is the only real path to success.
    Read More

Highlighted Content