Lesson
Hire properly trained staff to deploy and maintain traffic signal systems.
Agencies share experiences managing and operating traffic signal systems.
1/31/2002
United States
Background (Show)
Lesson Learned
A study on the nationwide best practices on deploying and operating traffic signal systems reveals the following experiences.
- Recognize and budget for continuing education to ensure success. A recurring theme in the study was the tremendous need to keep employees current on the ever-changing technologies that influence the design, deployment, and operation of traffic signal systems. The interviewees stressed the need to have agency staff attend technical professional conferences, meetings, and seminars through which peers can be established and new information is readily available.
- Consider your abilities as an agency to deploy and maintain a traffic signal system before deployment. It was also stressed that if an agency does not feel they have the technical expertise to design a traffic signal system or develop the specifications for the deployment of a new traffic signal system, agencies should take a step back and seek the training necessary to improve the agency skill set before moving forward.
- Telecommunication expertise is critical to success. Technical expertise in the area of telecommunications is often overlooked by agencies. Many agencies stressed the need to hire technical experts that are knowledgeable in many areas of telecommunications including copper lines, fiber optic communications and potentially wireless communications to allow flexibility in traffic signal system designs. Without this expertise in house, agencies are often left to accept whatever telecommunications options are presented by competing contractors.
- Recognize the close cooperation with maintenance staff that is required for a successful deployment. Agencies stressed the need to include maintenance staff in the decision making process as these staff members are often critical to the successful deployment of traffic signal systems. Recognize that a properly trained maintenance staff is crucial to a successful traffic signal system.
Traditional cooper wire systems are much different than fiber optic communication systems. Recognize these differences and make sure maintenance staff is trained to repair whatever communication system is deployed. Agencies stressed, don’t be lured into the high-band width world of fiber optic communications without properly trained staff and repair equipment!
States
None defined
Countries
Systems Engineering
Show the V
Operations and Maintenance
Systems Engineering Program Management
Goal Areas
Keywords
coordinated signals, signal coordination, centralized signal control, signal synchronization, traffic signals, advanced signal control, signal timing optimization, coordinated signal control, advanced signal controller, traffic signal retiming, retiming
Lesson ID: 2005-00135
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