Skip to main content

Michigan improves real time traffic information

Michigan’s Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) has revamped its online real-time traffic map, making the congestion-monitoring tool simpler, easier and faster to use. The changes allow users to see congestion levels on county roads across Oakland County, thanks to data provided by RCOC’s Faster and Safer Travel through Traffic Routing and Advanced Controls (Fast-Trac) adaptive traffic-signal system. Fast-Trac detects the volume of traffic moving in each direction at equipped intersections and uses th
June 24, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Michigan’s Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) has revamped its online real-time traffic map, making the congestion-monitoring tool simpler, easier and faster to use.

The changes allow users to see congestion levels on county roads across Oakland County, thanks to data provided by RCOC’s Faster and Safer Travel through Traffic Routing and Advanced Controls (Fast-Trac) adaptive traffic-signal system. Fast-Trac detects the volume of traffic moving in each direction at equipped intersections and uses that data to determine, in real time, the most efficient timing for the traffic signal or corridor.

A cooperative agreement with the 1688 Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) means the map also shows real-time traffic congestion data for MDOT freeways in the county, making it one of the few in the country that shows real-time congestion levels for both local roads and freeways. The map also provides access to MDOT freeway cameras, changeable message signs and construction project information.

“Ours was the first real-time traffic-information map for non-freeway roads in the nation when it was launched in 1999,” observed RCOC chairman Greg Jamian. “We have regularly updated it over the years as the technology has evolved.”

“Not only is our Fast-Trac system improving the safety and efficiency of our road system, it’s also providing useful travel information to motorists,” Jamian said. “This is one of the most advanced traffic signal systems in the country, and the second largest such system in North America. This type of real-time congestion information for non-freeway roads is simply not available in most of the country.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Traffic signals turn red to stop speeding drivers
    March 15, 2012
    David Crawford is encouraged by the spread of 'soft' speed policing 
  • Intelligent lane control signals help direct driver behaviour
    November 21, 2012
    As part of a larger effort exploring the effects of roadway signage on driver behaviour, researchers from the University of Minnesota College of Design have conducted a study on the effectiveness of intelligent lane control signals (ILCS). During the study, was funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the research team used a driving simulator to test ILCS that displayed merge, speed control, and lane-closure warnings over freeway lanes. The researchers were specifically interested in d
  • Data exploits parking potential
    March 11, 2015
    David Crawford parallel parks with innovations in two continents. Surveys of US cities indicate that drivers searching for parking can account for up to 37% of all urban traffic congestion. A 2011 study by IBM of 20 cities around the world found that nearly six out of ten drivers had abandoned their search for a parking space at least once; while motorists generally spent on average 20 minutes looking for a sought-after spot.
  • Travel data critical to traffic management, traveller information
    January 31, 2012
    The ability to bundle together travel data from several discrete sources and fuse it to give a more comprehensive overview of events to stakeholders is the key aim of Viajeo, which is conducting trials in several cities around the world. Here, Ertico's Yanying Li writes about the project in more detail