Issue - meetings

This report sets out the current position of the Council’s ITS Strategy, which utilises the Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) and Bus Location and Information Sub-System (BLISS) and seeks approval to adopt principles to ensure consistent use of the Variable Message Signs and an ITS Vision to form the basis for developing York’s Intelligent Transport Systems.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the developments being made to expand the ITS systems in the City and to continue to improve reliability be noted.

                        (ii)        That the adoption of the VMS messaging principles, as outlined in the report, for incorporation into the forthcoming VMS Messaging Protocol to ensure consistent use of the Variable Message Signs, be approved.

                        (iii)       That the three elements of the ITS Vision be approved as the basis for the development of York’s Intelligent Transport Systems be approved, and that Officers be requested to incorporate into their development plans a performance indicator covering reliability.

(iv) That a further report be presented to Executive in 12 months’ time, with an interim update being circulated to Group Leaders in 6 months’ time.

REASON:      To ensure the continued development of the ITS and to continue to increase its contribution to the delivery of the Council’s LTP objectives.

Members considered a report which set out the current position of the Council’s ITS Strategy, which utilised the Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) and the Bus Location and Information Sub System (BLISS), together with the steps being taken to expand the system and improve reliability.

The development of ITS was a key element of York’s overall strategy for improving access to transport and reduce transport’s environmental footprint in the City.  It aimed to ‘provide travellers with the right information at the right time in the right format.’.  To this end, it was intended to develop the UTMC and BLISS elements in three core areas over the next five years, namely:

• Increased use of interactive displays on street and in public spaces
• Delivery of real time information on mobile devices / cars / homes
• Provision of ‘near future’ predictions, using advanced data analysis techniques.

Details of this ‘ITS Vision’ were set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

Members’ attention was also drawn to the development of a Variable Message Sign (VMS) Messaging Protocol describing the type of messages it was permitted to show on the VMS.  This would enable more officers to access the system and set messages, thus increasing regular and consistent usage of Driver Information VMS.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the developments being made to expand the ITS systems in the City and to continue to improve reliability be noted.

                        (ii)        That the adoption of the VMS messaging principles, as outlined in the report, be approved, for incorporation into the forthcoming VMS Messaging Protocol to ensure consistent use of the Variable Message Signs.¹

                        (iii)       That the three elements of the ITS Vision be approved as the basis for the development of York’s Intelligent Transport Systems, and that Officers be requested to incorporate into their development plans a performance indicator covering reliability.²

(iv) That a further report be presented to Executive in 12 months’ time, with an interim update being circulated to Group Leaders in 6 months’ time.³

REASON:      To ensure the continued development of the ITS and to continue to increase its contribution to the delivery of the Council’s LTP objectives.