Living with Dinosaurs

Advances in information technology have made our roads smarter and safer than ever before. Commuters pay tolls electronically without stopping or digging for change; transportation agencies can quickly respond to changing traffic and road conditions from a central control center; and motorists are always aware of road conditions from urgent messages through variable message signs and highway advisory radio. The thing about new technology, however, is that it doesn’t stay new for long. The ever-changing landscape of technology that makes these systems possible also presents numerous challenges for transportation agencies and consultants.

Imagine the feeling you get when you walk into the office supply store and the salesperson tells you that you can no longer buy an ink cartridge for your two-year-old printer because “it’s too old.” We’ve all been there and know that the situation can be quite frustrating. Now, take that same concept, multiply it by several million dollars, and the challenge confronting ITS planners becomes clear. The system works fine, but the constantly evolving nature of the industry means it is difficult to expand capacity, add new components, find qualified service technicians and source replacement parts.

In the mid-’90s, the Maine Turnpike Authority deployed a state-of-the-art ITS system. Ten years later that cutting-edge technology is often referred to as dinosaurs by its manufacturers. Although the technology may seem passé by today’s standards, it continues to serve the purposes for which it was designed.

It would seem absurd to replace a bridge when all it needed was fresh paint or rebuild a section of highway when milling and resurfacing would suffice. The same can be said of ITS infrastructure. Over time, components will be replaced and upgraded, and the system may be expanded or reconfigured, but rarely is it necessary to scrap an entire system altogether.

As the first generation of ITS technology begins to show its age, it is time for consultants to examine those systems to glean wisdom for future proj- ects. By taking this approach to the Maine Turnpike Authority’s (MTA) pioneering ITS initiatives, both the client and consultant have learned many valuable lessons that will guide the planning and design of ITS expansions and upgrades.

The answers are simple

Based upon these lessons learned, HNTB and the MTA developed seven simple strategies that have saved countless headaches, millions of dollars and negative publicity and minimized the number of late-night emergency trips to the jobsite for service.

Create a plan

Whether starting from scratch or modifying an existing system, a clear strategic plan must be developed before work can proceed. The plan should be custom-fit to the expectations, needs and unique circumstances of the individual client. What works in one state may not work in another.

Assessing the client’s current use of technology is a key part of that plan. Understanding how things work now will help shape how it works in the future. What devices and systems have already been deployed? Are they working well? What could be improved? How will the existing systems work with new components?

Assess client needs and abilities

In addition to assessing the current state of technology, it is important to understand the client’s needs and abilities. This process is where the delicate balancing act performed by a good consultant becomes clear.

Human nature will always gravitate toward the newest and fanciest system with the most bells and whistles. But just because some new high-tech device just entered the market doesn’t mean every client needs it. Of course, needs must always be considered within the context of cost–not just the price tag to build the system today, but operating costs down the road.

Beyond simply addressing needs, the consultant also must consider the ability of the client to maintain the system. The work required to keep the system running smoothly must be in line with the client’s ability to perform maintenance itself or hire others to do so.

Anticipate

Designing the infrastructure for an ITS system is certainly a challenge, but that challenge pales in comparison to figuring out how it will actually function when deployed and fully online.

It is critical that the system be built with an eye toward the future. This concept has been a time-tested component for generations of public infrastructure projects, and ITS systems are no exception. When a good engineer designs a road, he or she does so with expansion in mind. The same logic that dictates overpass piers be built with enough clearance to accommodate the future widening of the road should be applied to ensure future expansion of the ITS system. Engineers should allow ample room for growth in their plans. Is there sufficient bandwidth in the fiber-optic cables for more data sources in the future? Is the hardware driving the system scalable?

Think locally

Many ITS vendors are national or international operations. The careful selection of the most qualified vendors is an important strategy that will be discussed shortly. If the most qualified vendor with the best product is located thousands of miles away from the proj-ect, so be it. However, the importance of local support should never be overlooked. Whenever possible, work with vendors that have offices and support personnel nearby.

Carefully select vendors

It is essential that agencies always use a qualification-based process when selecting vendors. Qualification-based selection is hardly a new concept to the transportation industry. Most agencies have used the system for years to ensure that saving a few dollars on steel and concrete doesn’t cost lives through poor construction. Although the qualifications for ITS vendors and products are different from those typically associated with highway construction, the same basic principle applies.

Chief among those qualifications is longevity. In an industry where technology comes and goes, so do many vendors. This fact drives Murphy’s First Law of ITS Systems: Half of the vendors chosen to install an ITS system will disappear in two years.

While many in the technology industry may calculate product lifespan in months or years, engineers and transportation agencies think in terms of decades. Look for vendors that have a solid history of performance, and think about where that vendor will be in five years. Saving a few dollars on equipment today may be an expensive decision when the vendor turns out to be a fly-by-night operation.

Adequately train staff

Regardless of a vendor’s longevity, there will be times when an agency must reply upon its own staff to troubleshoot problems. These problems may range from simple questions about day-to-day operations to emergency repairs of major components.

While most vendors offer one- or two-year maintenance agreements, experience shows that, generally speaking, most systems will run smoothly for several years once all the initial bugs have been worked out. The significant problems tend to occur after those agreements have lapsed.

Many vendors closely guard their systems and are reluctant to supply their customers the technical information needed for service. To overcome this obstacle, staff training and technical specifications should be included in every RFP. Every supplier should be required to furnish all of the necessary technical information and training as a condition of the contract. If a vendor is unwilling to satisfy this requirement, think carefully before selecting its product or service.

Ensure an ample supply of spare parts

All of the skilled technicians in the world will be completely useless if they do not have an ample supply of spare parts to service the system. This fact, coupled with the short lifespan of many ITS vendors, highlights the importance of Murphy’s Second Law of ITS Systems: The demand for spare parts for an ITS system is inversely proportional to supply.

Once the system has been designed and all of the hardware has been selected, it is time to calculate the need for replacement parts. Engineers should do their best to calculate the failure rate of all the replaceable parts and recommend the purchase of enough backup stock to service the system for its expected life. In the case of the MTA, some spare parts were purchased, but cost was often a driving factor when deciding which parts to stockpile. The result was an ample supply of relatively inexpensive parts such as LEDs for variable message signs and lenses for CCTV cameras. While it is nice to have these parts in reserve, they are not as prone to failure as several other parts.

On the other hand, the MTA ran out of power supplies for its variable message signs. When it tried to purchase more, it discovered they were no longer available. After much searching, the MTA was forced to place an order for custom-built power supplies to solve the problem.

In an age of extremely tight budgets where every line item is scrutinized, it is tempting to look to the spare parts budget as an easy place to trim costs. But the cost of purchasing too many spare parts and having a few left over is far less than the potential costs associated with emergency orders, rush charges, custom-built replacements or scrapping an entire system when a spare part can’t be found. In addition to these direct costs, there are many indirect costs from these failures such as gridlocked roads, overtime wages and lost revenue from a malfunctioning ETC system.

Make sure you understand

As with any emerging field, the role of technology in transportation systems will continue to grow and change. There will be mistakes along the way. Not every system will work as planned. Not every spare part will be in inventory. Not every new system will work well with older technology. There will be challenges with every new technology and every new project, and just as we have for generations, engineers will respond and adapt to every obstacle thrown our way. By understanding and anticipating the future growth of both the client and ITS technology, many problems may be avoided, and the ones that do pop up can be handled efficiently.

If ITS planners are to fully serve their clients, they must understand the past while carefully planning the future. TME