SUPPLIER PROFILE
The Australian Bureau of Infrastructure , Transport and Regional Economics forecasts that , without improvements in the management of congestion , rising traffic volumes in Australian cities are likely to result in the doubling of the net social costs of congestion from $ 16.5 billion in 2015 to more than $ 30 billion in 2030 . To alleviate this congestion , road authorities are increasingly turning to the Intelligent Transport Systems ( ITS ) rather than the traditional approach of simply widening roads . Not only can ITS be implemented at a fraction of the cost of building more infrastructure , their deployment is much less disruptive to the transport network .
VicRoads engaged Transmax to undertake a trial of STREAMS ( Transmax ’ s international-award winning ITS platform ) coordinated ramp metering on a 15-kilometre section of the M1 Monash Freeway , Melbourne ’ s most congested freeway .
Before and after studies demonstrated the following benefits :
• Peak hour flow increases exceeding 10 % and average peak hour speed increase of 20kph
• Travel time reduction of more than 42 % during peak periods which equates to travel time savings achievable by adding almost an extra freeway lane ( based on a four-lane cross-section ) but at a fraction of the cost
• Accidents were reduced by 30 %
• Daily fuel savings estimated at 16,500 litres of petrol
• Greenhouse gas emission reductions of 11 % ( approximately 39,800kg per day )
• Economic benefits estimated at more than $ 1 million per day and the payback period relative to the project cost was just 11 days .
‘ In Victoria , STREAMS now also manages the M80 , and 75km of the M1 which includes 64 ramps and 40 lane use signal gantries ,’ says Transmax Managing Director , Mark Williamson . ‘ As well as the quantifiable benefits , STREAMS Managed Motorways realises social benefits including : community satisfaction through noticeable improvement ; reduced stress ; financial savings ; increased comfort ; and improved availability and quality of information on road networks .’
STREAMS Managed Motorways has the ability to maximise the capacity of existing road infrastructure and reduce travel times while improving day-to-day reliability and safety outcomes . Through the implementation of STREAMS Managed Motorways , road traffic authorities are able to benefit from the capabilities of a fully integrated ITS platform that can deliver substantial improvements in traffic management and safety .
Website : www . transmax . com . au