The objectives of the before-and-after study presented in this scientific poster were to evaluate the effects of the Montreal Freeway Traffic Management System on injury crashes and on response times of emergency service intervention. The system monitors sections of the highway system with video cameras and has panels for variable messages. The initial system was set up on the Metropolitan Boulevard in 1994. The study site, a segment of the Metropolitan Boulevard or Highway no. 40 (both directions, 2 x 13.8 km) was paired with a comparison site, a segment of the Decarie Expressway or Highway no. 15 (both directions, 2 x 5.3 km). Periods of 2-3 years before and after the system installation in 1994 were compared. The year of the system installation was analysed separately. The limitation of the study is the lack of a true control site. Total crash rates per 10 million vehicle-kilometers show a relatively stability in the before and after periods with slight decreases from 17.6 to 16.8 on the Metropolitan and from 17.9 to 15.4 on the Decarie. The number of serious injury crashes diminished substantially when comparing both periods, namely from 102 to 55 for the Metropolitan and from 41 to 15 for the Decarie. These decreases occurred despite increased traffic flows. Median response times by emergency services remained unchanged in the after period but longer response times became shorter.
Abstract