The City of Calgary has turned to an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) solution to manage traffic problems caused by an at-grade rail crossing. Barlow Trail is a significant arterial connecting the Deerfoot Trail freeway with an important industrial area. Rail cars can block Barlow Trail for up to 30 minutes resulting in long delays for motorists and long queues extending back to the freeway exit ramp, causing concern for the safety and mobility of motorists. To address these concerns, the city has invested in an innovative traffic management system. The purpose of the system is to detect congested conditions due to a road blockage, provide advance warning to motorists to allow them to avoid the congested area, alter traffic control to reduce additional congestion, and implement appropriate queue clearing strategies to restore normal traffic flow as quickly as possible. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E211426.
Abstract