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Winnipeg ’ s innovative solution puts the brakes on traffic-light turmoil
You know that fantastic feeling of hitting every green light ? Expect to feel it more often thanks to Winnipeg ’ s state-of-the-art Transportation Management Centre ( TMC ).
Just seven years ago , a third of all signal intersections in Winnipeg were using an old-fashioned cog-and-dial system , resulting in rusting , winter freezes and lights flashing arbitrarily . Each traffic light also ran on its own internal clock , causing slight variances at each intersection .
It was time for a change . “ In eight months , we modernized all of our intersections and achieved 100-percent connectivity ,” says Ryan Patrick , supervisor of TMC . “ We replaced cog-and-dial with wireless communications , and we connected all
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of our cameras to the network .” This $ 3.6-million upgrade has completely transformed commuting in Winnipeg . City-wide , 650 signal intersections and 180 pedestrian corridors are now controlled and monitored , along with 70 traffic monitoring cameras .
“ It means we have the capability to troubleshoot , analyze and change timing plans on the fly — literally at the press of a button ,” Patrick says .
In addition to a more efficient commute , the system allows for a more rapid response during unexpected events like bad weather , power outages , collisions and stalls . The centre gets realtime alerts about signal malfunctions ; it then works to immediately fix the issue and inform the public — meaning you won ’ t have to wait to report an issue to the Winnipeg Police Service .
The TMC can also adjust signal timing for known delays , such as construction , special events and hockey games . It ’ s all part of the City of Winnipeg ’ s improved focus on two-way communication and customer service when it comes to traffic and road usage .
“ It ’ s truly the Jurassic era to The Jetsons ,” says Mike Mager , president of CAA Manitoba . “ The city has done an incredible job of improving trafficlight synchronization issues that have plagued us for years . Winnipeg now boasts a cutting-edge facility that ’ s coveted by cities across North America .”
While TMC does the hard work — capturing and sharing road-related incidents — the city still relies upon human eyes and ears on the ground . TMC staff use 3-1-1 requests , as well as Waze , a crowd-sourced traffic and navigation app , to gather real-time road reports from users . Waze users can provide details on everything from potholes to congestion-causing construction zones . Subsequently , commuters can get the most current road reports before they even get in their cars . ( To report issues while driving , CAA strongly encourages you to pull over or ask a passenger to use Waze . Hands-free is not distraction-free .)
To further evolve and improve Winnipeg roads , TMC is innovating other traffic solutions as well . Next up : the installation of sensors to detect power outages . Currently , TMC receives alerts about an outage , but the exact reason is not known . Sensors would identify power outages , alerting both TMC and Waze . This would also provide Manitoba Hydro with 650 additional sensors to improve service .
“ Despite all of our improvements , there ’ s no magic button to change all the lights green ,” Patrick explains . “ There ’ s always a limitation to changing the signals . If you give time to one light , you ’ re robbing it from another , so there will be red lights somewhere .”
While we can ’ t be blessed with a streak of green lights every day , this intuitive system will make the road ahead smoother for all commuters .
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