Traffic incident management (TIM) is a planned and coordinated program to detect and remove incidents and restore traffic capacity as safely and as quickly as possible. Over time, various tools and strategies have been developed and implemented in an effort to improve overall TIM efforts. The nature and extent of tools and strategies in use are highly variable across the Nation, reflecting different priorities, congestion effects, levels of program maturity, and investment. As a direct result, the reported effectiveness of individual or combined strategies is inconsistent. To achieve a higher level of effectiveness in U.S. TIM efforts and to accelerate the implementation process, the objectives of this investigation were to review and assess various TIM policies, procedures, and technologies to identify current “best practices” in the United States, and seek a synergistic partnership with the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC) to support both the identification of best practices in the United States and the implementation of these practices by State, regional, and local TIM partners. Information to support this investigation was obtained through a review of published and electronic information sources and input from TIM practitioners representing law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, transportation, and towing and recovery agencies in Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Task-specific and cross-cutting challenges commonly encountered by TIM responders in the performance of their duties, and novel or effective strategies for overcoming these challenges (i.e., best practices), were considered. Task-specific challenges may include obtaining accurate information from motorists, accessing the scene, and condemning a spilled load. Cross-cutting challenges may include interagency coordination and communication, technology procurement and deployment, and performance measurement. The reported tools and strategies for improving TIM range from sophisticated, high-technology strategies to simple, procedural strategies. (Author/publisher) For the complete report see http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop10050/index.htm
Samenvatting