Technologies

The traffic information system of the roads of national significance is beginning to be developed at the Lithuanian Road Administration under the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Intelligent Transport Systems are being Developed
In wintertime it is unfavourable weather conditions that make traffic on roads and highways more difficult in Lithuania, while in summertime traffic becomes more difficult due to road repair works being carried out. These factors, as well as the constantly increasing number of vehicles, determine a growing intensity of traffic on the roads, increased pollution of the environment and also they often become a cause of accidents.

One of the measures reducing the impact of road transport is the development of the so-called intelligent transport systems (ITS). ITS encompass many groups of activity, including surveillance of traffic conditions on the roads and highways and informing the participants in traffic thereof.

According to the Head of the Traffic Information and Management Division of the Lithuanian Road Administration under the Ministry of Transport and Communications Gintaras Cilcius, these ITS activity groups are based on the systems whose basis is a well-developed network of equipment of observing the weather and traffic conditions on the roads, traffic information centres and different means of the provision of information to drivers (signs of information being changed, the radio, etc.). Information about the weather conditions is received by means of automatic stations with sensors installed therein by means of which information about different parameters of the weather conditions and the condition of roads is collected. Information about traffic intensity on the road, about traffic disruptions is received by means of automatic traffic intensity calculating machines and video cameras. All information from field stations of the weather conditions on the roads and automatic traffic intensity calculating machines, with the help of relevant communication means, is sent to traffic information centres where it is generalised and disseminated to the users. Information about the weather and traffic conditions on the roads, advice to drivers on the choice of the most optimal route, etc. is stored on the Internet websites created specially for that purpose. This useful information is also disseminated through the mass media and by way of other modern technologies.

In 1998 the Lithuanian Road Administration started implementing the Information System of the Road Weather Conditions (KOSIS). It is intended to collect and process data about the weather and traffic conditions on the roads of national significance and to inform the employees of the state road maintenance enterprises thereof. At the present time KOSIS consists of 48 automatic field stations of the weather conditions on the road where sensors measuring temperature of the weather and the road pavement, the wind speed and direction, visibility, rainfall, etc. are installed. Data of the KOSIS automatic stations are stored on the Internet website of the Lithuanian Road Administration http://www.lra.lt  and the Internet website of the project in which Road Administrations of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Finland take an active part http://www.balticroads.net . Four signs of information to be changed, which convey information about traffic conditions in the nearest road section to the participants in traffic, are installed on highway A1 Vilnius-Kaunas-Klaipėda.

On the basis of KOSIS data, the employees of the Lithuanian Road Administration regularly inform drivers about the weather and traffic conditions on the roads through the mass media. Road services find this information especially useful when maintaining roads in wintertime.

According to Gintaras Cilcius, the traffic accounting system used at the present time is based on stationary constant and periodical calculating machines installed on main and national roads from which data are collected and the average intensity per day is calculated according to the approved methodology.

Time for New Technologies
According to Gintaras Cilcius, at the present time activities of intelligent transport systems that are in line with the competence of the Lithuanian Road Administration and possible links with other intelligent transport systems in Lithuania are established, further possibilities and directions in the development of the traffic information system of roads of national significance and joining the single network of intelligent transport systems of Europe are provided for.

The traffic information system of roads of national significance being developed will provide a basis for a further development of intelligent transformation systems in Lithuania. Currently the length of roads of national significance in our country totals 21320 kilometres. Infrastructure of intelligent transport systems consisting of the weather and traffic conditions accounting automatic field stations, measures of providing information to travellers (signs of information being changed, etc.), video surveillance systems must be created on these roads.

According to Gintaras Cilcius, a detailed analysis of the network of roads of national significance, as well as experience of the Lithuanian Road Administration and Europe in the sphere of intelligent transport systems have a considerable effect, the optimal number of automatic stations has been chosen, other possibilities of the use of other equipment has been evaluated. Different indicators of the accident rate, traffic intensity, which will determine sites of arranging relevant equipment on the roads of national significance, communication technologies used, will be taken into consideration.

Information System is being developed at the Road Administration
According to Gintaras Cilcius, the main goal of the project when implementing advanced information technologies is to solve problems on the Lithuanian roads of national significance, creating for that purpose electronic services that would include the provision of comprehensive information about traffic conditions to the participants in traffic and travellers in the ways suitable to them. The European Union is going to finance the project in part – the funds will be allocated from the European Regional Development Fund. The budget planned totals EUR 5,8 million.

It is planned to implement the project within two years, the new system should start to operate in Lithuania at the end of the year 2010. These will be technologies, providing information about traffic conditions, traffic disruptions and traffic control measures used on the roads. When installing a modern traffic information system on Lithuanian roads of national significance, the following new electronic services will be started to be provided to the users:

• information about road works, their duration, round-about ways, possible delays due to road works;
• real time information about traffic intensity and the average speed in separate sections of the road, warnings about traffic disruptions. Short-term forecasts of traffic intensity (on the roads where sensors of traffic intensity are installed). Information about possible delays due traffic disruptions;
• information about restrictions on the roads due to climate conditions, traffic accidents or any other reasons. Information about duration of restrictions, round-about ways, possible delays;
• information about the weather conditions on the roads, information about the condition of the road pavement (slippery ground), warnings about phenomena that are dangerous to traffic; 
• planning of routes taking into consideration traffic restrictions and traffic conditions (a search for the shortest way, a search for the fastest route, a search for a rational way).

The traffic information system will be developed by installing sensors on the roads, which are necessary to collect information about traffic conditions and setting up the Traffic Information Centre. The latter is one of the most important links in the traffic information system. Equipment necessary to collect data about traffic conditions, dissemination and exchange with other organisations will be stored in the Traffic Information Centre. It will contain premises adapted for the work of the staff supervising and analysing traffic conditions on the roads.

Benefit for the Users is Obvious
After the Traffic Information System has been implemented travellers will be able to receive relevant and accurate information about traffic conditions on the roads, possibilities provided by new technologies.

According to Gintaras Cilcius, efficiently provided information about traffic conditions will enable travellers to prepare for possible dangers in advance, to choose a safe traffic speed, time for driving, to choose a suitable route of the journey and to reduce a negative impact of unfavourable traffic conditions. This will increase safety and optimise transport flows on the roads of national significance. Losses incurred on travellers due to traffic disruptions will decrease, and pollution of the environment will decrease too. At the same time these electronic services will encourage the development of new technologies all over Lithuania, and will encourage the inhabitants to make use of these technologies more often.

The new services do not depend on the geographical position – they will be equally accessible to the inhabitants of all regions of Lithuania. Moreover, this should contribute to reducing differences in the quality of life between the inhabitants in urban and rural areas.

At the same time, having included the above-mentioned system in a single network of intelligent transport systems of Europe, it will be easier for the citizens of the European countries to access to information about traffic conditions on Lithuanian roads. And this is another feature of closer integration, more frequent trips of the citizens of other countries, larger tourist flows and additional income to the budget of Lithuania.

New International Partnership
Gintaras Cilcius informed that the Lithuanian Road Administration, together with other road administration institutions of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway participates in the project “EasyWay” prepared by the European Commission. This means that the Road Administration improved services of the provision of information to travellers in the network of trans-European roads running through the territory of Lithuania. With that end in view it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the present and planned services provided to the travellers who get into the sphere of competence of the Lithuanian Road Administration, to establish the existing drawbacks, needs, to plan the ways of solving problems.

Five feasibility studies concerning the implementation of information terminals of the announcement channel (RDS-TMC) and other measures of dissemination of traffic information shall be carried out.