COMPASS Program (Advanced Traffic Management System ATMS)

Background

Program Goals:

Congestion reduction; Accident reduction.
Reduction of vehicular delay and accident risk through rapid detection of, response to, and removal of incidents; improvement of safety levels for motorists by advising of traffic and roadway conditions

Intent:

Unintentional injuries

Risk Factors Addressed:

Traffic management system designed to alleviate recurring and non-recurring traffic congestion resulting in MVCs

Place of occurrence:

Highways

Age/Age Range:

Adults

Resources

Year Developed:

mid-1970s, fully operational January 30, 1991

Collaborative Organization(s):

Ministry of Transportation of the Government of Ontario; the media; Municipalities of the Toronto and Mississauga; various universities (i.e., Engineering at UofT) and various Emergency Services (i.e., Paramedic, Firefighting, Law Enforcement Agencies)

Funding Resource(s):

Ministry of Transportation of the Government of Ontario

Costs:

Initially, $1 million per kilometre of operation ($16 million)
Currently, $500,000 per km

Implementation

Context/Setting:

Community

Strategies Used:

Engineering; Education; Economics

Activities Used:

Detector loops embedded in pavement; closed circuit television monitors; inter-agency incident coordination for incident response; media messages relaying incident information to motorists (Changeable Message Signs CMS); data collection component

Program Evaluation:

Performance analysis measures of effectiveness  included incident duration, vehicular delay; secondary accidents; quality of traffic flow; driver responses to visual electronic road messages; Motorist survey

Source of Best Practice:

Road-related Neurotrauma and Road Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for Prevention Science.
Richard Volpe, John Lewko, & the LSAP Research Group, 2006

Original Source:

Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Supplementary Material:

N/A

Local Example(s):

N/A

Contact Information: 

Philip H. Masters, P. Eng.
Head, Advanced Traffic Management           Section
Ministry of Transportation (Ontario)
6^th Floor, Building D
1201 Wilson Avenue
Downsview, ON M3M 1J8
Telephone: (416) 235-3798
Fax: (416) 235-4097     E-mail: Phil.Masters@mto.on.ca

Outcomes

Long-term outcomes/Effectiveness:

Resource savings in accident costs, travel time costs, vehicle operating costs; Indirect outcomes include reduced air pollution, enhanced data collection and analysis capabilities, research and export potential, future productivity gains

Short-term outcomes:

Quick detection, confirmation and prompt response time to highway incidents - average duration of incident from occurrence to clearance reduced from 86 to 30 minutes. Secondary accidents are reduced with prompt removal of primary incident;  Balance of traffic flow during times of congestion; CMS reduce accident and travel times and effectively moderate driver behaviour

Cost-Effectiveness:

Potential worldwide market for ATMS is valued in excess of $50 billion over the next ten years. Manufacturers and consultants in Ontario are key players in the international market as a result of COMPASS.

Other Benefits:

CMS allow for public service announcements (i.e., community awareness for missing children)

Other

Date of Review:

2005

Classification:

Best Practice