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Pages 20-34

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From page 20...
... . Description The Washington State Incident Response case study examines the process that is used in Washington State to document the Incident Response Program through the JOPS Agreement and includes a close look at the Instant Tow Dispatch Program, one of many successful programs for incident response in Washington State.
From page 21...
... An expanded look at the Instant Tow Dispatch Program is included in this case study. Background of Agency WSDOT and WSP are the two agencies that partner together and lead incident response on Washington State highways.
From page 22...
... In order for the Incident Response Program to be effective, WSDOT and WSP also had solicited the help and input of private tow operators in Washington State. WSDOT and WSP understood that the only way to make the Instant Tow Dispatch Program fair was to compensate the tow operators for dry runs.
From page 23...
... The Instant Tow Dispatch Program that has beenhighlighted in this case study also relieves nonrecurring congestion caused by incidents, but it is limited to incidents that block traffic lanes and is not used for nonblocking incidents. Performance Measures The primary performance measure used in the Incident Response Program is the 90-min clearance goal for all incidents.
From page 24...
... Statewide, there are more than 100 Road Ranger vehicles in service patrolling more than 1,000 centerline miles of freeways. To operate the Road Ranger program, FDOT contracts with private vendors to provide vehicles and drivers and uses private sponsorship to supplement funding for the program.
From page 25...
... Each of the seven districtsand the Turnpike Enterprise operate Road Ranger service patrols, although the level of coverage varies with each district. Road Ranger roving patrols are used on heavily congested freeways, high incident locations, and work zones.
From page 26...
... Several key integration points were identified in the Road Ranger incident response process, including the following: • Integration between FDOT TMC dispatch and private tow vendors responsible for providing Road Ranger service; • Integration between FDOT Headquarters and private tow vendors to document services provided and develop the performance monitoring reports; • Integration between FDOT TMC and FHP for identifying and responding to incidents; • Integration between FDOT Headquarters and private sponsors for funding of the Road Ranger service; and • Integration still needed between FHP and Road Ranger operators to allow FHP offices to talk directly to Road Rangers in the field. The incident report that Road Ranger operators complete for each incident provides a detailed log of what services were provided, time to clear incident, and any other relevant information about the incident.
From page 27...
... Day-to-day monitoring of the freeways and dispatch of the Road Rangers are provided by the FDOT TMC. In the Central Office, the traffic incident management manager and Road Ranger program manager are responsible for coordinating with each district to provide a consistent level of service for the Road Ranger program and to compile performance information.
From page 28...
... Responses have been extremely positive, with more than 90% of responses rating the Road Rangers as "very useful." In addition to the comment cards, FDOT routinely receives letters and e-mail thanking them for the Road Ranger service. The performance measures for incident duration and travel time reliability are not a direct measurement of the Road Ranger program; however, the Road Rangers have a significant impact on both of these measures.
From page 29...
... The service patrol on I-75 through the Everglades relieved FHP of the burden of assisting motorists on a stretch of road where the FHP patrols were already sparse. By the time the Road Ranger program was expanded statewide and implemented across Florida, there was strong buy-in from FDOT, FHP, and many of the tow vendors who saw the benefits of service patrols in work zones.
From page 30...
... When an incident occurs, the RCC receives notification through various means, including data collected by the detection equipment and cellular phone calls to the police agency. RCC operators continually monitor the roadway from cameras located along the corridor and can verify the incident location and severity.The role of the police at any roadway incident is for investigation only; they do not play a role in traffic management.
From page 31...
... The VSL signs will automatically adjust to higher speeds as the traffic flow regains capacity and speeds slowly increase. Several key integration points were identified in the ATM incident management process, including the following: • Integration between NTCC and the regional control centers to monitor incidents and to activate devices, respectively; • Integration between NTCC and the traffic officer service, emergency response, and the police; • While monitoring the incident location, the on-road traffic officer service integrates with the RCC; and • Integration between the RCC operator and the field devices.
From page 32...
... Use of arterials was limited because of the lack of traffic management strategies and limited coordination with local agencies. The pilot project provided the regional center with comprehensive monitoring and traffic management strategies along the 10.5-mi corridor.
From page 33...
... Office of Operations, Federal Highway Administration. Traffic Incident Management.
From page 34...
... Road Rangers: A Free Service Provided by the Florida Department of Transportation.www.dot.state.fl.us/TrafficOperations/Traf_Incident/rrangers/ rdranger.shtm. Accessed July 19, 2011.


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