Case Study

Preston UTMC Demonstrator

Area traffic control using car park variable message signage at St Thomas Road, Preston , Photo courtesy Lancashire CC.Tools Involved

  • Adaptive Traffic Signal Control (existing);
  • Access Control;
  • Common Databases;
  • Incident Detection;
  • Passenger Information Systems;
  • Parking Management;
  • Public Transport Priority;
  • Variable Message Signs (existing).

Site Description

In 1997, the DfT launched a five-year £6m research programme to support development of open standards and new applications for urban traffic management, with the aim of seeing the market develop for the supply and use of UTMC systems.  In January 2001, following a 3-year research phase, the Programme embarked on its demonstration phase by awarding funds to four towns and cities to implement and showcase real-life UTMC systems.  One city chosen as a demonstrator site was Preston.

Lancashire County Council has developed an ITS Strategy for the Greater Preston Area, based on the philosophy outlined in ITS City Pioneers.  The UTMC Preston demonstrator provides the backbone for an ambitious vision of seamless transport for Preston known as the TTN - the Total Transport Network.

Site Problems

Preston is a city with fast growing car ownership and increasing congestion.  Traffic congestion issues were being compounded by imbalances in car park usage.

Scheme Description

The Preston UTMC Demonstrator encompasses a variety of traffic management and control systems compatible with UTMC specifications.  Car Park management systems have been installed with nine VMS signs displaying city centre car park availability.  Access control points have been implemented over routes utilising rising bollards, restricting access to congested/controlled areas.  Five VMS signs have been installed around the city centre providing motorists with routing information in and out of Preston city centre and advertising the Park and Ride service.  The VMS signs may also be used for incident management by the control centre.

Scheme Objectives

The system aims to make the best use of roads in and around Preston, whilst demonstrating the use of a common database to improve traffic management.  It also aims to prove the possibility of shared data communications and UTMC protocols whilst incorporating information from external sources (Highways Agency and Public Transport Information 2000) via the Travel Information Highway (TIH).

Improvements

It was anticipated that the system will deliver:

  • improved network integration;
  • reduced traffic congestion;
  • an enhanced environment; and
  • a reduced cost for local expansion to other Local Authorities.

Integrated Systems

This project integrates a variety of ITS tools within a UTMC compliant framework.


Costs

  • Total Cost about £1.149m
  • Local Transport Plan contribution about £0.77m
  • UTMC contribution about £0.48m
  • Supplier contribution about £0.26m
  • Ongoing support costs are estimated at £250k per annum (includes staff costs of £94k)

(source: ITS Assist Regional Seminar, 22nd November 2002, “Implementing ITS in Preston”, Terry Carter, 2002)

Benefits

A full evaluation is currently being undertaken, actual benefits are not yet available.

No attempt has been made to validate the results reported. Users of the guidance are encouraged to assess the robustness of the results presented and the likely transferability of the case study to their own local environment.

More Information

The following lessons learnt about the Preston demonstrator were noted at the UTMC 2003 Annual Conference (Rick Hayton and Robin Hewitt):

  • It is possible to procure a UTMC compliant system through open tendering that works, but pay close attention to interfaces, apportion risks and responsibilities, and get suppliers working together;
  • Higher bandwidth needs of SNMP (simple network management protocol) can push up the cost of communications on street; and
  • Use of corporate networks can open up new opportunities.

UTMC 29 – Preston Platform for the Future, Rick Hayton and Robin Hewitt

Newsletter for Preston UTMC Demonstrator - http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/165240/244921/326557/326797/utmc29-preston200305.pdf

General information about this and other UTMC projects can be found on http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/utmc/

Information from the system can be viewed at www.transportforlancashire.com