Skip to main content

Canberra plans high tech traffic management system

A consultant's report prepared for the Australian Capital Territory ACT) Roads department found that a full-scale rollout of intelligent transportation systems could cost about US$79 million but save US$116 million per year through lower rates of accidents and traffic delays. The government has included plans for a traffic management centre in its infrastructure, to be considered for future budget funding. The centre could eventually be linked to a network of cameras, road weather monitoring stations, v
January 21, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
A consultant's report prepared for the Australian Capital Territory ACT) Roads department found that a full-scale rollout of intelligent transportation systems could cost about US$79 million but save US$116 million per year through lower rates of accidents and traffic delays.

The government has included plans for a traffic management centre in its infrastructure, to be considered for future budget funding.  The centre could eventually be linked to a network of cameras, road weather monitoring stations, variable speed signs and electronic messaging boards on major roads.

Electronic messaging signs would display estimated travel times and advise motorists of delays and alternative routes in the event of congestion or accidents.

Canberra does not have a network of cameras for traffic monitoring and the report found that authorities were reliant on the public and media to report problems.

The report recommended installing electronic traffic measures in one area initially, with cameras to be activated on other major roads in central Canberra at the same time. The system would be gradually rolled out to other major roads.

The report also suggests the use of ramp metering techniques which detect gaps in the traffic on the main road and use traffic signals to stop cars before they travel down entrance ramps on to major roads if there is heavy traffic.

Related Content

  • Project to ease traffic on Interstate 80 unveiled
    October 29, 2012
    California’s regional transportation officials are taking a comprehensive approach to relieving clogged arteries that affect the health of commuters and cities along a 22-mile stretch of the Interstate 80 corridor from the Carquinez Bridge to the MacArthur Maze.
  • Dynamic Message Signs : Don’t replace, refurbish and upgrade
    August 12, 2015
    Refurbishing old dynamic message signs can save money and increase technical capabilities as David Crawford discovers. Evidence is growing on both sides of the Atlantic of the scope for retrofitting old or technically out-of-date dynamic message signs (DMS) with new electronic equipment, to save on the costs of installing full-scale replacements. In the last four months of 2014, a number of US states progressed programmes that achieved savings of more than US$1.75 million (€1.56million).
  • InfoConnect delivers accurate travel information on all levels
    August 1, 2012
    Deryk Whyte provides an overview of how the New Zealand Transport Agency's InfoConnect concept was developed. Historically, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) (formerly Transit New Zealand) has faced challenges in communicating effectively with road users, its customers, about highway-related events or incidents in a timely, accurate manner. Prior to 2007, Transit relied on a third-party organisation to collect and disseminate national road condition information. This often resulted in incomplete infor
  • Missouri’s smart solution for rural road monitoring
    July 7, 2017
    David Crawford sees how Missouri is using commercially available information to rapidly improve monitoring and driver information on rural highways. Missouri is a predominantly rural state with the second largest number of farms in the country and agriculture the main occupation in 97 of its 114 counties. US statistics starkly reveal how road accidents in rural areas tend to be more serious than in urban regions and of the 32,000 US motorists killed each year, 54% die on roads in rural areas even though onl