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---------- Post added 10-18-2012 at 03:16 PM ----------
I had to write this for my Technical Writing....it was a fun class and I felt pretty super after this one essay. It is pretty random and as you can see off topic enough that it wouldn't just fit into general discussion well. :P
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine if coordinating the traffic signals is a feasible way to solve the problem of traffic congestion on the roadways of Pinellas County. The best way to accomplish traffic signal coordination is through signal timing. Timing and maintaining all of the signals that can be timed throughout the county will cost from about $562,500 to $607,500 a year. However, the savings far outweigh the cost. In some similar projects the annual savings have been as high as $2.5 million for the timing of only 25 traffic signals. Pinellas County has the potential to save over a hundred times that amount, since there are approximately 375 signals to be timed.
Introduction
Pinellas County is a rapidly growing center of commerce within an exceptionally strong infrastructure containing international airports, major seaports, and interstate highways. (Pinellas County Economic Development) But on the everyday, interconnecting level, Pinellas County’s primary transportation arteries are its roadways. These roadways all too often become heavily congested with traffic, especially during the daily “rush hours.” Focal points of traffic congestion are usually traffic signals; where traffic traveling in different directions merges or crosses. (Giles) Therefore, coordinating these traffic signals could improve the efficiency of Pinellas County’s whole infrastructure. The purpose of this report is to determine if, through implementing coordinated traffic signals on major roadways, Pinellas County residents could experience significantly decreased travel times, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and motor vehicle crashes, and if these improvements would be substantial enough to offset the cost of this project. Through my primary research method-web searches-I found reliable, credible, and current sources from which I gathered the necessary information. This report details the research performed, a summary of information gathered, and the conclusion reached.
Research performed
I researched this topic from an economic standpoint: calculating the cost of investing in the project against the profit gained through fuel conservation and faster travel times. I also researched from a safety standpoint: considering the decrease in motor vehicle crashes and the increase in emergency vehicle response times. My requirements for a credible source are:
• Authority: the author/sponsor must have sufficient skills, qualifications, experience, and reputation.
• Objectivity: the sources must be impartial; I avoided personal and advocacy websites.
• Currency: the source must be recent and must not have been replaced by new information since its publishing.
• Accuracy: the source must appear accurate in its findings, and be backed by credible research and statistics.
Keeping these requirements in mind, I performed a web search for related websites, documents, and articles and found a number of credible sources such as government sites and manuals devoted specifically to traffic signal coordination.
Summary of Information Gathered
The Signal Timing Process
One of the first things that I learned in my research is that the best, most efficient way to accomplish traffic signal coordination is through a process known as signal timing. The signal timing process usually follows a well-established series of steps. Those steps are listed and described in their sequential order in the table below.
Figure 1: Steps of the Signal Timing Process
Step Description
1. Project Scoping Develop detailed scope of work.
2. Data Collection Collect information through timed runs, etc.
3. Model Development/Optimization Develop signal timing model, usually with a specialized software tool designed for signal timing.
4. Implementation and Fine Tuning Program signal controller with new timing plan.
5. Evaluation of Timing Observe signal and readjust/fine-tune as necessary.
6. Performance Measurement Collect information again and compare with information collected before timing of signal.
7. Policy Confirmation/Evaluation Compare signal operation to the standards defined for the project.
8. Assessment/Reporting Document adjustments and results.
Cost of Project
Pinellas County has approximately 375 signals that can be timed. (Pinellas County Traffic Managment) The cost of an average signal installation without timing or coordination is $75,000. (McCourt) Based on data from six separate studies, the cost range for timing signals ranges from around $2,500 to $3,100 per signal. (Research and Innovative Technology Administration) This cost includes hardware and labor. The signal controller hardware needs upgraded at least every 10 years, at a cost of approximately $10,000. Signal timing systems should be updated at least every five years. (National Transportation Operations Coalition )
Based on this data, the cost per signal totals $1500 to $1620 a year. This amount is not much more than the cost of the electricity required to run a signal, which averages $1400 a year. (Arizona Department of Transportation) The approximate overall cost of this project will range from $562,500 to $607,500 a year.
Funding Available for Project
Funding is available for signal timing projects through a variety of sources. These are: federal funding, state-local arrangements, public-private partnerships, and direct agency funding. Direct agency funding is the most commonly used type. A few examples of this type of funding are tolls and taxes. If the project is funded by taxes in the community which receives the benefits, it becomes their own investment. However, federal funding in the form of grants may be more appealing to both the taxpayers and the County. For federal funds, the need for the project must be established with either the State department of transportation or the local metropolitan planning organization. (Kittelson & Associates, Inc.)
Benefits
Signal timing has many benefits. This list includes most of them.
• Signal timing is a cost effective method to improve traffic operation.
• Coordinated traffic flow reduces stops and delays, which reduces the time car’s engines are running, which in turn can benefit the environment by reducing emissions and fuel consumption.
• Emergency vehicles can save time by not having to navigate through as much stopped traffic at red lights. Time, in their case, can literally be the difference between life and death.
• The number of collisions can be reduced through smoother traffic flow and fewer stops.
• Motorist frustration caused by excessive delays can be reduced by adjusting timing to reduce stops and provide coordinated flow through groups of signals, thereby making roads safer.
• Efficient signal timing minimizes diversion of traffic to local and residential neighborhoods, improving safety and traffic conditions in those areas.
• By coordinating signals in relation to each other, groups of vehicles can travel through a series of signals with minimal or no stopping.
• The delay time on the approach to an intersection can be reduced by balancing the time the light is green at that intersection.
• The need for costly roadway construction projects can be postponed or eliminated by providing improved flow using existing resources in a more cost efficient manner.
• Improved traffic flow results in reduced wear and tear on the pavement, minimizing maintenance required.
• Signals can be retimed during a construction project when a lane closure or traffic detour causes a significant change in demand or capacity for an extended period of time. This will ensure that traffic flow is optimized during that period.
(Kittelson & Associates, Inc.)
The savings generated by traffic signal timings can vary, since they are based on several variable factors. These include the current price of fuel and number of cars using traffic signal. The savings can be hard to measure also, because some of the factors they are based on are intangible, such as the time that people save daily. However, some of the intangible benefits can be partially measured through ways such as test driving a route before and after timing the traffic signals.
In the city of Los Angeles, an intelligent transportation system installed at 375 intersections-the exact number projected for Pinellas County’s intelligent transportation system-resulted in the reduction of travel times by 12.7 percent, average stops by 31 percent and average delay by 21.4 percent, overall travel speeds increased by 16 percent. (Tinkdale-Oliver & Associates, Inc.) Similar results have been achieved at other locations both in the US and in Canada.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence cited in this report, I believe that Pinellas County should invest in coordinating the traffic signals on all of its major roads. The few opposing reasons are primarily the cost and work involved in implementing the plan, but these are a part of any task that is undertaken to better the community. In this situation, the potential benefits far outweigh the cost of the project. One of the final, most convincing arguments in favor of the project is that it will make the roads safer. In view of the decrease in crashes and emergency vehicle response times that could undoubtedly occur, this project would be feasible even if it had to be implemented at a cost instead of a profit; the protection of life is always a worthy investment of resources.
I know I skimmed through it and my eyes glazed over. 
