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: http://www.transmax.com.au