City of Chattanooga Curve Speed Warning System - ITS Roadway Equipment Functionality

Subsystem Description

'ITS Roadway Equipment' represents the ITS equipment that is distributed on and along the roadway that monitors and controls traffic and monitors and manages the roadway. This physical object includes traffic detectors, environmental sensors, traffic signals, highway advisory radios, dynamic message signs, CCTV cameras and video image processing systems, grade crossing warning systems, and ramp metering systems. Lane management systems and barrier systems that control access to transportation infrastructure such as roadways, bridges and tunnels are also included. This object also provides environmental monitoring including sensors that measure road conditions, surface weather, and vehicle emissions. Work zone systems including work zone surveillance, traffic control, driver warning, and work crew safety systems are also included.

Functional Object: Roadway Basic Surveillance

'Roadway Basic Surveillance' monitors traffic conditions using fixed equipment such as loop detectors and CCTV cameras.

Functional Object: Roadway Environmental Monitoring

'Roadway Environmental Monitoring' measures environmental conditions and communicates the collected information back to a center where it can be monitored and analyzed or to other field devices to support communications to vehicles. A broad array of weather and road surface information may be collected. Weather conditions that may be measured include temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation, and visibility. Surface and sub–surface sensors can measure road surface temperature, moisture, icing, salinity, and other metrics.

Functional Object: Roadway Speed Monitoring and Warning

'Roadway Speed Monitoring and Warning' includes the field elements that monitor vehicle speeds. If the speed is determined to be excessive, an advisory or warning is displayed. Current environmental conditions and other factors that may reduce safe operating speeds may also be taken into account. The operational status (state of the device, configuration, and fault data) is provided to the center. This application can also provide an enforcement function, reporting speed violations to an enforcement agency.

Functional Object: Roadway Warning

'Roadway Warning' includes the field equipment used to warn drivers approaching hazards on a roadway. Warnings may be generated in response to roadway weather conditions, road surface conditions, traffic conditions including queues, obstacles or animals in the roadway, and any other transient events that can be sensed. The equipment monitors traffic and roadway conditions and may send data to a Traffic Management Center for processing or may process it to determine when a warning should be issued. When it is determined that a warning should be issued, the equipment is used to alert approaching drivers via dynamic warning signs, flashing lights, in–vehicle messages, etc.