Variable speed limits to warn of adverse weather on British Columbia highways

Variable speed signs are being installed on sections of the Coquihalla, Trans-Canada and Sea to Sky highways in Canada, as part of a US$9.4 million pilot project to help reduce the frequency of weather-related crashes.
December 3, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

Variable speed signs are being installed on sections of the Coquihalla, Trans-Canada and Sea to Sky highways in Canada, as part of a US$9.4 million pilot project to help reduce the frequency of weather-related crashes.

As part of its US$19 million per year Roadside Safety Program, the Ministry of Transport is installing 18 digital variable speed signs along the highways; overhead message signs at the entrance of each corridor will inform drivers that they are entering a variable speed zone, and to be aware of changing weather conditions. The speed limit will be changed to reflect driving conditions.

An extensive system of traffic, road and visibility sensors will be calibrated to detect the conditions and provide a recommended speed to operations staff. This information will be used to continuously update the speed shown on digital signs, to help drivers adjust their driving speed during adverse weather conditions.

The system will be tested for two to three months before going live, which is expected to be in early 2016.

“As a part of our Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review, we looked at how we could help reduce crashes related to bad weather conditions. One of the ideas was to introduce new digital variable speed limit signs, in areas where the weather can change quickly and sometimes catch drivers off guard,” said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone. “The electronic signs will adjust the speed limit to let drivers know what speed they should be travelling during winter weather conditions, to help them reach their destination safe and sound.”

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Variable message signs continue to deliver travel information
    February 2, 2012
    Arguably the 'face' of ITS, variable message signs are far from being a passing solution
    Read More
  • Intersection collision avoidance system trial
    January 31, 2012
    Although much of the emphasis of research into intersection management has tended to concentrate on the needs of urban locations, there remain specific issues pertaining to rural intersections which need to be addressed. Here, Rebecca Szymkowski and Greg Helgeson, Wisconsin DOT, Todd Szymkowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Craig Shankwitz and Arvind Menon, University of Minnesota detail progress on an intersection collision avoidance system for more remote locations.
    Read More
  • Driving forward cooperative intersection safety applications
    July 24, 2012
    Gregory Davis, FHWA, John Harding, NHTSA, and Mike Schagrin, ITS Joint Program Office (RITA) chart the course for cooperative intersection safety applications being pursued as part of the IntelliDrive programme. Crashes at intersections accounted for 8,703 highway fatalities in the US in 2008. Research and development is moving forward on IntelliDriveSM safety applications designed to help drivers avoid intersection accidents. These new safety systems could substantially drive down the highway death and inj
    Read More
  • Avoiding the call of the wild
    June 29, 2018
    Hitting an animal on a rural road can be fatal for all parties involved – but detecting and avoiding them requires clever technology. Andrew Williams carefully scans the horizon for details. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are an ever-present threat in rural areas around the world, and there is certainly nothing funny about suddenly finding an angry moose in your headlights on a sharp bend. A variety of detection and avoidance systems are currently in use or under development to help prevent your vehicle being
    Read More

Highlighted Content