TIM will help

The nation's surface transportation system has come under increased scrutiny from emergency preparedness planners since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Planners and engineers still focus largely on resolving the routine problems that delay the nation's mobility. However, the overall efficiency of the transportation system during a large-scale emergency can mean the difference between life and death to potentially hundreds, even thousands of people.

How will transportation and public safety professionals prepare the nation's surface transportation system for maximum effectiveness during times of serious need? How will it become more secure? 

Some solutions to these questions may already exist in the traffic incident management (TIM) programs applied to the country's most heavily traveled and congested freeways and tollways. TIM relies upon the coordinated, pre-planned utilization of human and technological resources to safely and efficiently restore normal operating conditions to a highway facility disrupted by a traffic incident. Methods include an integrated combination of incident detection and verification, response, site management, clearance, traffic management, traveler information and evaluation. These fundamental TIM activities can equally apply to ensuring a more secure surface transportation system by providing a blueprint for responding to and managing major crises ranging from a catastrophic terrorist incident to recovery from a natural disaster.

Five TIM/transportation security cross-cutting values are:

1.  Transportation support for emergency management and public safety functions;

2.  Voice, data and video information exchange and interoperability;

3.  Timely traveler/transportation information;

4.  Critical infrastructure protection; and

5.  Technological robustness and redundancy.

Transportation support for emergency management and public safety functions

A major contributor to successful traffic incident management involves the established relationships among key personnel that enable multi-agency, multi-disciplined coordination. Formal TIM programs strengthen and even broaden the relationships that form the basis of a more secure surface transportation system. With a "seat at the table," transportation agencies can support emergency management, public safety, fire, EMS, public health and other organizations in a variety of ways, including scenario-based exercises and drills, evacuation/contra flow planning and travel/transportation information.

During major emergencies and disasters, people must move efficiently, whether they are evacuating, seeking shelter, meeting family or desperately in need of medical care. As this public flow is occurring, the efficient movement of emergency responders can be the difference between life and death. Transportation professionals must meet the challenge of maintaining and optimizing the highways, personnel and mass transit resources that form the backbone of surface transportation mobility during a crisis.

The Traffic Incident Management Enhancement (TIME) program in southeastern Wisconsin offers an example of a TIM program measuring up to this challenge. Led by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, with consultant support from the HNTB Corp., the state's program has established an Emergency Traffic Management Task Force that works with state, county and local emergency managers in addressing the vital transportation component of their respective emergency management plans. Their goals include enhancing emergency response and public mobility during a crisis or emergency; planning and implementing required transportation system infrastructure to support this objective; and utilizing advanced technologies in providing accurate and timely emergency travel information.

Voice, data and video information exchange and interoperability

Effective communication is everything. Whether it's for managing a routine traffic incident or the prevention of a large-scale disaster, transportation and public safety agencies need information to do their jobs. This information typically needs to be shared across system, organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. For a host of institutional and technological reasons, this vital information sharing often does not or cannot occur. The reasons can vary from reluctance to work with other agencies due to heavy investments in communications technology and fear of equipment compatibility issues to resisting data sharing because of security concerns.

Regional TIM programs are an excellent venue to openly discuss communication interoperability issues, set goals and develop strategies. With the majority of key stakeholders already participating, the programs can sponsor technology demonstrations, plan direct linkages between transportation and emergency operations centers, develop joint funding proposals, conduct elected official outreach--whatever it takes to keep this issue in the forefront of everyone's agenda.

A number of national initiatives rooted in traffic incident management or transportation operations are helping to refine interoperability standards and to define information flows. For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), with support from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is working toward a base standard message set to facilitate the exchange of information between all response and dispatch centers. Identified as IEEE 1512, the standard would reduce the duplication of messages among incident and emergency management subsystems and expedite the transfer of information without ambiguity. The U.S. Department of Transportation has developed a National ITS Architecture to support a common design and deployment ITS structure. A major component of the National ITS Architecture is defined by how various elements of the system may be connected to ensure an efficient sharing of information.

Timely traveler/transportation information

Equally important to responding agencies communicating with one another is providing timely, accurate information about the incident to the users of the system. In the case of traffic incidents or major disasters, it is important to understand who the actual users of the system are. Daily commuters rely on the transportation system for trips to and from work, school or other destinations. Non-resident travelers also are users and thus may be unfamiliar with different routes. Transit providers, as well as commercial vehicle operators and hazardous-material carriers, are another set of users. Responders and other public safety personnel present yet another class of users who may very well need access to an incident while the other groups are trying to avoid it. The challenge lies in providing clear information to this diverse target audience.

TIM programs have long understood the benefits of timely and accurate traveler information. In fact, providing traveler information for incident management is often the most prominent function of today's traffic operations centers. This information dissemination infrastructure and methodology offer a great starting point for providing information during major disasters, but they need to be augmented with system status information as well. Not only do responders need the quickest route to an incident scene, they also need information on traffic, weather, bridge capacity and overpass height. From a life/safety standpoint they need the best routes to trauma centers and the availability of hospitals to service mass casualties. Obviously the availability, accuracy and reliability of information are critical to all users.

In the transportation arena, we have come a long way in using ITS and modern communication technologies to enable dynamic message signs, road-weather detection, traffic detection and surveillance video, the emerging national travel information number 5-1-1 and enhanced media partnerships. These and other technologies can be further leveraged to provide even more effective and accessible traveler information services during times of serious need.

Critical infrastructure protection

Critical infrastructure protection, a relatively new term in transportation, is defined as the preventive measures taken to preserve or protect elements or infrastructure essential to the effective operation of the transportation system. As applied to anti-terrorism planning, it also means warding off attacks or minimizing the consequences. Many of the institutional relationships and technological elements already in place for managing traffic are for protecting against terrorist attacks as well.

TIM program participants offer expert, hands-on support in the identification and hardening of transportation elements considered vulnerable to attack. These can include physical facilities such as roads, bridges, rail lines, transit systems, ports and waterways, and all the associated equipment, control centers and communication networks required for the operation of each.

Technological robustness/redundancy

Protecting infrastructure and minimizing the consequences of any attacks require robust technologies with enough redundancy to sustain operations. Computing, communications and surveillance technologies used in ITS, while much improved, are still not failure proof, nor are any of the devices capable of "setting and forgetting." More emphasis is needed on operating and maintaining these crucial ITS elements. The nation's transportation system needs additional preventive and remedial maintenance of devices used for daily traffic incidents because those same devices will help manage a major crisis or disaster. The bar needs to be set high for system performance, reliability and accountability because the days are gone when these systems simply "moved traffic."  They are now a critical component in facilitating emergency response (see sidebar) and maintaining a safer, more secure transportation system.

The participants in TIM programs are traditionally excellent problem solvers and excel even more at "what if . . ." scenarios. This hypothetical thinking applied to improving emergency response plans can identify areas needing additional redundancies. Discussions and activities can include developing alternative routes throughout the transportation network and plans for mobilizing backup human resources or arriving at alternative responses if the radio system goes down.

Ready in advance

Existing and future TIM programs have enormous potential for serving as a foundation for transportation security planning and operations. The transportation and public safety interagency relationships and synergies established through these programs coupled with advanced transportation system technologies deployed offer a head start in addressing the many challenges we face today in ensuring the safety and security of the traveling public.

However, individual TIM programs cannot do it alone. There needs to be increased formal, consistent support for establishing and sustaining these groups, effective dialogue, activities and partnerships. Additionally, a concerted effort needs to be made to integrate TIM programs with local, state and federal emergency management agencies to ensure a united front in the pursuit of security for our transportation system.

Timing optimization remains one of the most cost-effective management strategies in a rigorous signal operations program geared to smooth traffic flow and effective rapid emergency response. Regular interagency coordination and communication are among the most important activities for ensuring signal timing that accommodate the public safety community. A perfect mechanism for this exists in an ongoing, sustained TIM program.

In summary, today's transportation professional confronts an unprecedented array of challenges, complicated further by dwindling budgets, staff reductions, confusing technologies, security issues and a host of other headaches. During such times, it remains important to remember the basics, those activities that deliver "the biggest bang for the buck." 

Signal timing is just one of those activities.