Intelligent Transportation Systems - City of Oakland

Citywide ITS Strategic Plan
Final Report
September 2003
Prepared for
City of Oakland
Kimley-Horn
and Associates, Inc.

City of Oakland
Citywide ITS Strategic Plan
Final Report
Prepared for:
City of Oakland
September 2003
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CITY OF OAKLAND CITYWIDE ITS STRATEGIC PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 STAKEHOLDERS ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................ 2
1.4 ACRONYMS .............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.5 ORGANIZATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN ....................................................................................................... 5
SECTION 2 Existing System ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................... 6
2.1.1 Showcase Districts ........................................................................................................................ 6
2.1.2 City Corridors ................................................................................................................................. 6
2.1.3 Activity Centers .............................................................................................................................. 7
2.1.4 Transit-Oriented Districts .............................................................................................................. 7
2.2 TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS, EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ..................................................... 8
2.2.1 Central Signal Control System ...................................................................................................... 8
2.2.2 Traffic Signal Controllers ............................................................................................................... 9
2.2.3 Communications Infrastructure ................................................................................................... 11
2.2.4 Transportation Management Center........................................................................................... 11
2.3 ON-GOING REGIONAL PROJECTS ........................................................................................................... 12
2.3.1 East Bay SMART Corridor Project ............................................................................................. 12
2.3.2 Bay Area Regional ITS Architecture and Strategic Plan Project .............................................. 13
2.3.3 Caltrans District 4 TMC ............................................................................................................... 13
2.3.4 511/TravInfo® .............................................................................................................................. 13
2.3.5 Freeway Concept of Operations and Interim Center-to-Center ................................................ 14
2.3.6 Transit Agencies .......................................................................................................................... 14
2.3.7 Other Neighboring Agencies ....................................................................................................... 15
2.4 ON-GOING CITY OF OAKLAND PROJECTS .............................................................................................. 16
2.4.1 Signal Interconnect Projects ....................................................................................................... 16
2.4.2 Other Oakland Plans ................................................................................................................... 17
SECTION 3 Signal System .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
3.1 TRAFFIC CONTROL STRATEGIES ............................................................................................................ 21
3.2 SIGNAL SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................... 22
3.3 HIGH PRIORITY CORRIDORS .................................................................................................................. 24
3.4 SIGNAL SYSTEM ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................................ 25
3.4.1 Signal System Analysis ............................................................................................................... 26
3.4.2 Signal System Alternatives for Oakland ..................................................................................... 32
3.5 SIGNAL SYSTEM RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 33
SECTION 4 ITS Program Areas................................................................................................................................................ 34
4.1 ITS GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................... 34
4.1.1 Arterial Management Requirements .......................................................................................... 34
4.1.2 Traveler Information Requirements ............................................................................................ 35
4.1.3 Transit Management Requirements ........................................................................................... 35
4.1.4 Emergency Management Requirements .................................................................................... 35
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4.1.5 Event and Incident Management Systems ................................................................................ 35
4.2 ARTERIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ....................................................................................................... 36
4.2.1 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras ............................................................................... 36
4.2.2 Vehicle Detection Systems (VDS) .............................................................................................. 37
4.2.3 Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)................................................................................................. 39
4.2.4 Trailblazer Signs (TBS) ............................................................................................................... 41
4.2.5 Highway Advisory Radio ............................................................................................................. 42
4.2.6 Parking Guidance Systems (PGS) ............................................................................................. 42
4.2.7 Advanced Railroad Crossings..................................................................................................... 44
4.3 TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS ....................................................................................................... 46
4.3.1 Traveler Advisory Telephone (511) ............................................................................................ 47
4.3.2 Kiosks ........................................................................................................................................... 48
4.3.3 Internet Access ............................................................................................................................ 49
4.3.4 Cable Television .......................................................................................................................... 49
4.4 TRANSIT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ......................................................................................................... 50
4.4.1 Transit Signal Priority (TSP) ....................................................................................................... 50
4.4.2 Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and Arrival Sign Information ............................................. 51
4.5 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ................................................................................................... 52
4.5.1 Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) ...................................................................................... 52
4.5.2 AVL for Emergency Vehicles ...................................................................................................... 53
4.6 EVENT AND INCIDENT MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................... 53
SECTION 5 High-Level System Architecture ................................................................................................................. 55
5.1 NATIONAL ITS ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................................................. 55
5.2 ITS USER SERVICES, SUBSYSTEMS AND MARKET PACKAGES............................................................... 56
5.3 HIGH-LEVEL CENTER-TO-CENTER ARCHITECTURE ................................................................................ 58
5.4 ARCHITECTURE RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................... 61
5.4.1 ITS Standards .............................................................................................................................. 61
5.4.2 Architecture Development Process ............................................................................................ 62
SECTION 6 Communications Network .............................................................................................................................. 65
6.1 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OVERVIEW .............................................................................................. 65
6.2 EXISTING COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................... 65
6.2.1 Traffic Signal Interconnect .......................................................................................................... 65
6.2.2 Existing Fiber Optic Network ....................................................................................................... 66
6.2.3 Other Communications Infrastructure ........................................................................................ 66
6.3 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK EVALUATION ........................................................................................... 66
6.4 COMMUNICATIONS BACKBONE ALTERNATIVES ...................................................................................... 67
6.4.1 Communications Backbone Technology .................................................................................... 67
6.4.2 Communications Topology.......................................................................................................... 68
6.5 FIELD DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................... 71
6.5.1 Agency-Owned Infrastructure ..................................................................................................... 71
6.5.2 Leased Infrastructure................................................................................................................... 72
6.5.3 Virtual Private Network ................................................................................................................ 75
6.5.4 FDN Considerations .................................................................................................................... 76
6.6 FIELD DEVICE REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................. 76
6.6.1 Low Bandwidth Devices .............................................................................................................. 76
6.6.2 High Bandwidth Devices ............................................................................................................. 77
6.7 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................... 77
6.7.1 Short-Term Communications Plan (0 to 5 years) ...................................................................... 77
6.7.2 Medium-Term Communications Plan (5 to 10 years) ................................................................ 80
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6.7.3 Long-Term Communications Plan (10 to 20 years) ................................................................... 82
SECTION 7 Transportation Management Center ....................................................................................................... 84
7.1 OPERATING CONCEPTS ......................................................................................................................... 84
7.1.1 Operational Needs and Requirements ....................................................................................... 84
7.1.2 Physical Environment .................................................................................................................. 85
7.1.3 Communications Infrastructure ................................................................................................... 87
7.1.4 Security ........................................................................................................................................ 87
7.2 TMC REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 87
7.3 TMC CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ................................................................................................................... 88
7.3.1 Control Room ............................................................................................................................... 89
7.3.2 Equipment Room ......................................................................................................................... 91
7.4 CONCEPTUAL TMC FLOOR PLAN............................................................................................................ 92
SECTION 8 Deployment Plan ................................................................................................................................................... 96
8.1 NEAR-TERM PROJECTS ......................................................................................................................... 96
8.1.1 Communications System Projects .............................................................................................. 96
8.1.2 Signal System Projects ............................................................................................................... 97
8.1.3 Arterial Management System Projects ....................................................................................... 98
8.1.4 Traveler Information System Projects ........................................................................................ 98
8.1.5 Transit Management System Projects ....................................................................................... 98
8.1.6 Emergency Management System Projects ................................................................................ 98
8.1.7 Integration Projects ...................................................................................................................... 99
8.2 MEDIUM-TERM PROJECTS ...................................................................................................................101
8.2.1 Communications System Projects ............................................................................................101
8.2.2 Signal System Projects .............................................................................................................101
8.2.3 Arterial Management System Projects .....................................................................................102
8.2.4 Traveler Information System Projects ......................................................................................102
8.2.5 Transit Management System Projects .....................................................................................102
8.2.6 Emergency Management System Projects ..............................................................................102
8.2.7 Integration Projects ....................................................................................................................103
8.3 LONG-TERM PROJECTS .......................................................................................................................105
8.3.1 Communications System Projects ............................................................................................105
8.3.2 Signal System Projects .............................................................................................................105
8.3.3 Arterial Management System Projects .....................................................................................105
8.3.4 Traveler Information System Projects ......................................................................................105
8.3.5 Transit Management System Projects .....................................................................................106
8.3.6 Emergency Management System Projects ..............................................................................106
8.3.7 Integration Projects ....................................................................................................................106
8.4 SUMMARY OF PROJECT COSTS ...........................................................................................................108
SECTION 9 Operations and Management Plan ........................................................................................................... 111
9.1 O&M POLICIES ....................................................................................................................................111
9.2 PERFORMANCE MEASURES .................................................................................................................112
9.3 STAFFING, TRAINING AND RESOURCES................................................................................................114
9.3.1 Staffing Requirements ...............................................................................................................114
9.3.2 Training Requirements ..............................................................................................................116
9.3.3 Maintenance Equipment............................................................................................................116
9.4 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT ...........................................................................................................117
9.5 O&M FUNDING.....................................................................................................................................118
9.6 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................119
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9.6.1 Develop a Staffing, Training and Resources Plan ...................................................................119
9.6.2 Develop an O&M Plan ...............................................................................................................120
9.6.3 Develop a Configuration Management Plan ............................................................................120
9.6.4 Develop an O&M Funding Strategy ..........................................................................................120
9.7 O&M COSTS ........................................................................................................................................121
SECTION 10 Funding Alternatives ................................................................................................................................... 122
10.1 TRADITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL FUNDING .......................................................................122
10.2 OPPORTUNITIES FOR STATE, REGIONAL AND LOCAL FUNDING ............................................................124
10.3 OTHER RESOURCES OF FUNDING ........................................................................................................125
10.4 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................126
APPENDIX A: CITY STRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION DIAGRAMS
APPENDIX B: CITY OF OAKLAD TRAFFIC SIGNAL DATABASE
APPENDIX C: CITY OF OAKLAND DOWNTOWN FIBER ROUTING
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SECTION 1
Introduction
1.1 PURPOSE
The City of Oakland has determined the need for a comprehensive and consistent plan
for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) throughout the City. Oakland is a rapidly
growing urban center of prime importance in trade, business, the arts, and recreation. In
carrying out its many activities, the City uses every mode of transportation, including
highway, transit, air, train, subway, bus, bicycle, or walking. Three major interstate
routes (I-880, I-980, and I-580) and two state routes (Route 13 and Route 24) traverse
the City. Oakland International Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the
country, and serves over 12 million passengers and transports over 1.4 billion pounds of
cargo per year, while the Port of Oakland is the fourth largest port in the country based
on annual freight tonnage 1 . Amtrak has a major passenger rail station located in
downtown Oakland, and another station planned for the Oakland Coliseum area. The
Oakland Convention Center, the Oakland Coliseum, and Jack London Square are
popular destinations and high traffic generators.
Because of the regional importance of the city, it will be important to accommodate or
address the increased traffic impacts of ongoing regional projects, such as the
expansions at Oakland Airport and the Port of Oakland, and the addition of an Amtrak
station in the Oakland Coliseum area. ITS is the application of technologies and
management strategies - in an integrated manner - to increase the safety and efficiency
of the transportation system and to promote effective management of transportation
system by agency staff. ITS thus provides tools and solutions for addressing a broad set
of transportation needs. Furthermore, different user perspectives must be incorporated
into any transportation plan in Oakland; technology must help not only motorists’
mobility, but the mobility of Oakland residents who do not own cars. Through a citywide
strategic plan, the City of Oakland intends to effectively and creatively address the
diverse and complex transportation needs and problems throughout the City.
This high-level citywide ITS Strategic Plan has been developed to outline five, ten and
twenty-year plans for ITS deployment in the City of Oakland. Systems integration with
ongoing regional and citywide projects, and with neighboring agencies, are emphasized.
The plan documents functional requirements for different ITS elements based on
stakeholder input regarding existing and new technologies and systems. Alternatives
and recommendations are presented for the citywide signal system, communications
network and planned Transportation Management Center (TMC). Oakland has the
opportunity to serve as a traffic technology showcase with the effective and thoughtful
deployment of ITS throughout the City.
This Strategic Plan has been prepared in accordance with the systems engineering
process outlined in Federal Rule Part 940 2 . This Rule stipulates that the final design be
selected from a number of alternatives. The Rule specifies that the systems engineering
analysis shall include applicable portions of the regional or National ITS Architecture,
1 Port of Oakland Website: http://www.portofoakland.com .
2 US DOT, FHWA, Office of Operations, “ITS Architecture and Standards; Proposed Rule” (available on
FHWA website: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Docs/940may25.htm ).
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
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identification of participating agencies and their roles, definition of functional
requirements, and procurement options. These steps are adhered to in the following
sections.
This plan has also been prepared in accordance with the vision articulated in “Envision
Oakland”, the City of Oakland General Plan Land Use and Transportation Element
adopted in March 1998. City officials encourage transportation and planning projects to
adhere to the policies and guidelines developed in this document. Further details are
included in Section 2.1 of this report.
1.2 STAKEHOLDERS
The Citywide ITS Strategic Plan incorporates input from the following stakeholders in the
City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland:
• City of Oakland, Public Works Agency, Transportation Services Division
• City of Oakland, Public Works Agency, Electrical Services Division
• City of Oakland, Public Works Agency, Engineering Design Division
• City of Oakland Office Information Technology
• City of Oakland Fire Department
• City of Oakland Police Department
• Port of Oakland, Aviation Administration
• Port of Oakland, Airport Operations
Other agencies, while not directly involved in the formulation of the ITS Strategic Plan in
its initial stages, will affect and be affected by the deployment of ITS throughout
Oakland. These agencies include:
• Caltrans
• City of Berkeley
• City of Emeryville
• City of San Leandro
• City of Alameda
• Amtrak
• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
• Alameda Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit)
• Alameda County
• Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (CMA)
• California Highway Patrol
1.3 PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Kimley-Horn reviewed the City’s Land Use and Transportation of the General Plan, the
Bay Area Regional ITS Plan Project, State of ITS in the San Francisco Bay Area, and
held an ITS Needs Assessment Workshop with City of Oakland staff to discuss goals
and objectives for ITS implementation throughout the City. In attendance at the
workshop were City staff from different departments including Transportation Services,
Street Design, Electrical, and Emergency Services. Based on the results of the review
of existing plans and the workshop, a “vision” was developed for the City of Oakland’s
ITS Program.
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The vision of the Citywide ITS Strategic Plan is to “maximize the efficiency and safety of
the City’s transportation system crosscutting all modes of travel under normal and
emergency situations by implementing multifunctional, effective and creative
technologies and strategies”. The following goals and objectives have been defined by
the City to help achieve this vision. These goals and objectives are consistent with the
applicable goals and objectives in the City’s General Plan and the Bay Area Regional
ITS Plan Project.
Table 1.1: City of Oakland ITS Vision – Goals and Objectives
Goals
Reduce congestion and improve traffic flow
by developing an integrated road roadway
and traffic demand management system
that provides an appropriate mix of mobility
and accessibility throughout the City.
Improve the environment by reducing fuel
consumption and air pollutants caused by
vehicles.
Promote alternative transportation options;
reduce dependency on the automobile by
providing facilities that support use of all
transportation modes.
Objectives
• Improve vehicle travel times in
congested corridors by coordinating
traffic signals and responding to
changing traffic conditions.
• Provide travelers with good
information to enable trip-making
decisions.
• Coordinate transportation operations
with other major transportation
agencies in the Oakland area,
including Port of Oakland, SMART
Corridors and Caltrans.
• Expedite movement of transit vehicles
on transit corridors.
• Coordinate transportation operations
with major transit providers in the
Oakland area, including BART and AC
Transit.
Provide safe streets. • Improve safety and security of
motorists, transit users, bicyclists and
pedestrians.
• Coordinate transportation operations
with emergency service providers in
response to incidents and
emergencies.
1.4 ACRONYMS
The following is a list of acronyms frequently used in the Citywide ITS Strategic Plan.
AC Transit
AGT
APTS
ATC
ATIS
ATM
ATMS
AVL
Alameda Contra Costa Transit District
Automated Guideway Transit
Advanced Public Transportation System
Advanced Traffic Controller
Advanced Traveler Information System
Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Advanced Traffic Management System
Automated Vehicle Location
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BART
BIU
BRT
BPS
C2C
CAD
CBD
CCTA
CCTV
CDPD
CEDA
CHP
CMA
CMAQ
DEN
DMS
DS1
DSL
EMS
EOC
EVP
FCC
FDN
FHWA
FSP
GigE
GPS
HAR
HES
IEEE
IP
ISDN
ITS
JPO
LED
MSY
MTC
MVDS
NEMA
NTCIP
NTSC
OAC
O&M
OTDR
PAB
PGS
POTS
PS&E
PTZ
PVEA
SCOOT
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bus Interface Unit
Bus Rapid Transit
Bits per Second
Center-To-Center
Computer Aided Dispatch
Central Business District
Contra Costa Transit Authority
Closed Circuit Television
Cellular Digital Packet Data
Community and Economic Development Agency
California Highway Patrol
Congestion Management Agency
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
Data Exchange Network
Dynamic Message Sign
Digital Signal Level 1 (1.544 Mbps)
Digital Subscriber Line
Emergency Management Services
Emergency Operations Center
Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption
Federal Communications Commission
Field Distribution Network
Federal Highway Administration
Freeway Service Patrol
Gigabit Ethernet
Global Positioning System
Highway Advisory Radio
Hazard Elimination Safety Program
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Internet Protocol
Integrated Services Digital Network
Intelligent Transportation System
Joint Programs Office
Light Emitting Diode
Municipal Service Yard
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Microwave Vehicle Detection System
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol
National Television Standards Committee
Oakland Airport Connector
Operations and Maintenance
Optical Time Domain Reflectrometer
Police Administrators Building
Parking Guidance System
Plain Old Telephone Service
Plans, Specifications, and Estimates
Pan/Tilt/Zoom
Petroleum Violation Escrow Account
Split Cycle Offset Optimization Technique
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SIC
SMFO
SONET
SR2S
STP
TAT
TBS
TCT
TFCA
TMC
TOD
TSP
TWP
USDOT
VID
VIDS
VOTR
VPN
WAN
Signal Interconnect Cable
Single Mode Fiber Optic
Synchronous Optical Network
Safe Routes To School
Surface Transportation Program
Traveler Advisory Telephone
Trailblazer signs
Traffic Control Technologies
Transportation Funds for Clean Air
Transportation Management Center
Transit-Oriented District
Transit Signal Priority
Twisted Wire Pair
United States Department of Transportation
Video Image Detection
Video Image Detection Sensors
Video Optical Transceivers
Virtual Private Networking
Wide Area Network
1.5 ORGANIZATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN
The remainder of this Strategic Plan is organized as follows.
• Section 2 describes the existing signal system and traffic control infrastructure in the
City of Oakland.
The following sections, from Section 3 to Section 7, describe requirements, alternatives,
and recommendations to the City pertaining to the main elements of the Oakland
transportation system.
• Section 3 describes the signal system, including high priority corridors for signal
implementation.
• Section 4 outlines state-of-the-art Intelligent Transportation System technologies and
their capabilities, along with possible applications in Oakland.
• Section 5 details the high-level system architecture along with considerations
pertaining to standards and integration, as determined through discussions with the
City.
• Section 6 serves as a primer on communications infrastructure and describes the
communications network possibilities in Oakland.
• Section 7 illustrates a conceptual plan for the proposed Oakland TMC.
The descriptions in the above sections culminate in the following plans and project
management recommendations.
• Section 8 outlines the recommended citywide ITS deployment plan for the next five,
ten and twenty years.
• Section 9 highlights operations and maintenance requirements and considerations.
• Section 10 outlines possible funding programs and mechanisms.
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SECTION 2
Existing System
2.1 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
The transportation system in Oakland is diverse, encompassing all major transportation
modes and various levels of local and regional activity. The structure of this diverse
transportation system is described in detail in the Land Use Transportation Element of
the City of Oakland General Plan. The General Plan, entitled “Envision Oakland”, was
adopted in March 1998. Envision Oakland provides a policy framework and
implementation plan which is reflected in, and actively adhered to throughout, this
Citywide ITS Strategic Plan.
The Oakland transportation system is defined in the General Plan through principal
physical features of the City such as showcase districts, transportation corridors,
neighborhood and activity centers, and transit-oriented districts, all of which are intended
to portray a conceptual map or “big picture” of Oakland and how the City functions as a
whole. These physical feature categories are elaborated upon below. For reference,
the City Structure Diagram which illustrates these physical features has been extracted
from the General Plan and is included in Appendix A.
2.1.1 Showcase Districts
Five centers in Oakland are considered as regional economic generators, and are
expected to be “centers of transformation” in the coming years. These showcase
districts will be centers of cultural, recreational and commercial growth, and are:
• The Seaport
• Downtown
• The Mixed Use Waterfront
• The Oakland Coliseum Area
• The Oakland Airport/Gateway (The Hegenberger Road Gateway leading to the
Oakland Airport)
These districts are illustrated in Appendix A. The deployment of ITS strategies in this
citywide strategic plan will enhance mobility within and through these showcase districts,
especially through downtown, the Oakland Coliseum Area, and the Oakland
Airport/Gateway.
2.1.2 City Corridors
Many corridors throughout Oakland have been designated for revival and increased
investment. These corridors serve as major arterials throughout the City and between
key areas while serving as alternate routes for the freeways which traverse the City.
Over time the corridors have been neglected and undeveloped. This Citywide ITS
Strategic Plan echoes the General Plan’s intentions of reviving these important corridors
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through the thoughtful and effective deployment of new transportation technologies. The
corridors shown in the General Plan include:
• Broadway
• Telegraph Avenue
• Martin Luther King Jr. Way
• San Pablo Avenue
• West Grand Avenue
• MacArthur Boulevard/West MacArthur Boulevard
• Foothill Boulevard
• Bancroft Avenue
• International Boulevard/Route 185
• Hegenberger Expressway/73 rd Avenue
• 98 th Avenue
As will be shown in Section 3 of this plan, the Needs Assessment Workshop pinpointed
a similar list for high-priority corridors for advanced signal system deployment. The
centralized and real-time signal management described in this Plan would optimize
traffic operations by minimizing delays and easing congestion, improving the travel
experience for motorists, transit passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. Good traffic
conditions would facilitate commercial and business activity alongside corridors and
promote a safe atmosphere for nearby residents. By implementing advanced signal
system capabilities along the corridors listed in Section 3 as high-priority, this Citywide
ITS Strategic Plan will thus also advance the objective of reviving the City Corridors
presented in the General Plan.
2.1.3 Activity Centers
Neighborhood activity centers are meant to be the focal points of Oakland’s many
diverse communities. The General Plan shows that these activity centers are mainly
along City corridors, especially along International Boulevard, Foothill Boulevard,
Bancroft Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Broadway, Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo
Avenue and West Grand Avenue. These centers feature or plan to feature varied
commercial and social activities surrounded by housing areas and pedestrian amenities,
with easy access to public transit.
The Citywide ITS Strategic Plan adheres to the concept of neighborhood activity centers
by enabling all modes of transportation, including non-motorized travel such as
pedestrian and bicycle transport. Technologies such as video detection (which can be
used for bicycle movements), advanced signal systems (including transit priority), and
devices for railway intersections all increase the safety and mobility of pedestrians.
Traffic devices such as Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) and Trailblazer Signs (TBS),
and Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) or 511 Traveler Information, serve to decrease
congestion on roadways, thus also benefiting pedestrians and cyclists by decreasing
their conflicts with motorized vehicles.
2.1.4 Transit-Oriented Districts
As an extension of the activity center concept, transit-oriented districts (TODs) are
defined in the General Plan as areas designated to take advantage of the opportunities
surrounding Oakland’s eight BART stations and Oakland’s one location (the Eastmont
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Town Center) served by multiple AC Transit lines. The main goal of a TOD is to link
transit with high density housing, thus simultaneously encouraging smart land
development and increased transit usage. A TOD offers opportunities for office space,
retail and other services, community services and housing. A prime example of a
successful TOD in Oakland is the Fruitvale Transit Village Project, detailed in Section
2.6.9.
As explained for the Activity Centers, this Citywide ITS Strategic Plan facilitates all
modes of transportation. TODs would benefit from the pedestrian and bicycle-friendly
Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) technologies recommended in the
deployment plan. Both the technologies and the recommended deployment plans are
detailed later in this report. Furthermore, the process involved in conceptualizing and
designing an effective TOD necessitates close cooperation between different City and
transportation agencies, along with the willingness to leverage creative funding
mechanisms. Such interagency cooperation, as well as informed and creative funding
strategies, will also be necessary in the successful deployment of citywide ITS in
Oakland.
2.2 TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS, EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Section 2.1 provided an overview of the citywide transportation system. Currently, the
main ITS components of this system are the traffic signals and their controls. This
section will discuss a central signal control system for Oakland, the existing signal and
controller inventory throughout Oakland, the communications infrastructure and the
Transportation Management Center.
2.2.1 Central Signal Control System
Centralized signal control systems allow traffic staff to monitor traffic signal operations
on a computer (or group of computers) at a central location, where changes and updates
can be implemented in real-time and from the convenience of one location, thus leading
to more effective traffic network operations. The City of Oakland does not currently have
a centralized signal control system. This past year as part of the Alameda County
SMART Corridors project, the City took a first step towards centralized control by
implementing a BI Tran system with QuicNet software along San Pablo Avenue. These
signals along San Pablo Avenue will be controlled from a central computer, and not just
by individual controllers. The limited implementation showcases the effectiveness of
emerging signal technologies. For example, in conjunction with other ITS technologies
such as Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP) and closed-circuit television (CCTV)
cameras, the system could invoke signal priority for emergency vehicles, by triggering
and holding green phases to create an access or evacuation corridor for emergency
vehicles.
Other signal projects in progress or recently completed include the North Central
Business District (CBD) and Hegenberger Road/73 rd Avenue Controller and Signal
Interconnect Upgrade Project and the Broadway Transit Priority Project. Details of these
projects are discussed in Section 2.4.1. These projects are not currently connected to a
central control system.
The City of Oakland has approximately 700 traffic signals. Except for the signals on San
Pablo Avenue, these signals operate independently. Any coordination (for example, in
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the downtown area) is time-based. Due to this lack of centralized control, it is necessary
to go into the field to assess signal problems when they occur instead of having the
advantage of instantly obtaining timing information on a central computer. Then, after
traffic engineers optimize signal timings in the office it is necessary for personnel to go
back into the field and upload the timings manually. To address these inefficiencies the
City of Oakland has long expressed interest in a centralized, real-time signal control
system which will allow traffic staff to both respond to events immediately, and to
constantly monitor the system.
The emergency operations center (EOC) in downtown Oakland is not currently
integrated with any of the signals, but the need to integrate the EOC with a central signal
control system was expressed by City staff. The EOC already has automatic vehicle
location (AVL) capabilities with its emergency vehicles, and plans to implement
computer aided dispatch (CAD) capabilities within 18 months of this report.
In 1994 DKS Associates assisted Oakland in studying a central computerized traffic
control system, initially to manage 21 signals in the downtown area (referred to as the
North CBD) plus 16 signals in the Hegenberger/73 rd Avenue corridor. The report
distinguishes between distributed control systems (which store and implement signal
timing plans in traffic signal controllers) and central control systems (which store and
implement signal timing plans from a central computer).
Based on the results of that evaluation, it was determined that central control signal
systems would be good candidates for the City of Oakland. The systems studied
(namely MIST, Series 2000, MONARC, TMS, UTCS and IVMS) were scalable and
would give Oakland the capability to operate large and eventually citywide coordinated
systems. It was emphasized that all controllers should be standardized to the same type
to facilitate coordination, allow interchangeability, and avoid extra training and parts
replacement. At the time of that report (1994) it was recommended that the City
purchase a central master computer traffic control system, the MIST traffic signal
system, in order to retain the City’s existing controllers without modifications. Because
no central signal control system was implemented at that time, these previous
recommendations to the City will be revisited as part of this citywide ITS Strategic Plan.
Changes in the ITS industry (pertaining to technologies and costs), new City projects,
and changes in the City’s growth and traffic operations will necessitate more up-to-date
recommendations.
2.2.2 Traffic Signal Controllers
As described in Section 2.2, the City has approximately 700 signals. These signals are
illustrated in Figure 2.1. The current signal inventory was obtained from Metropolitan
Transportation Commission’s (MTC’s) Signals Database as well as from discussions
with City staff, and is listed for reference in Appendix B. As shown in Figure 2.1, most
of the signals are concentrated along the high-priority corridors described in Section
2.1.2, reflecting the City corridors pinpointed in Oakland’s General Plan.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
9 September, 2003

73rd Ave
Maritime Street
7th St.
Airport Dr.
INT ER ST ATE
AME
Hegenberger Rd.
Grand Ave.
EOC
International
Blvd.
Foothill Blvd.
INT ER ST ATE
San Pablo Ave.
MacArthur Blvd.
San Leandro St.
Fruitvale Ave.
High St.
Broadway
E. 14th St.
98th Ave.
Telegraph Ave.
Foothill Blvd.
Bancroft Ave.
MacArthur
Bancroft Ave.
INT ER ST ATE
BAR
MSY
35th Ave.
Alcatraz
BAR
BAR
BAR
CAL
BAR
BAR
DAL
PAB
BAR
BAR
N
Scale 1:4300
Blvd.
MacArthur Blvd.
August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
EOC
PAB
CAL CALTRANS TMC
DAL
MSY
BAR
CITY OF OAKLAND
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER (EOC)
POLICE ADMINISTRATION
BUILDING
CITY OF OAKLAND
DALZIEL BUILDING
CITY OF OAKLAND
MUNICIPAL SERVICE YARD
BART STATION
AME EXISTING AMTRAK STATION
TRAFFIC SIGNAL
EXISTING ATMS ELEMENTS
CCTV CAMERA (ACCMA)
MVDS (ACCMA)
VID CORRIDOR
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(EXISTING OR PLANNED FIBER OPTIC
CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(EXISTING OR PLANNED
TWISTED-WIRE PAIR)
NOTE: ALL PLANNED FIBER AND TWP
COMMUNICATIONS SHOWN REPRESENT
CURRENTLY PROGRAMMED PROJECTS.
EXISTING TRAFFIC SIGNALS, ATMS ELEMENTS, AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE FIGURE 2.1

Most of the controllers throughout the City are Traffic Control Technologies’ (TCT) solid
state controllers, which are National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) TS1
controllers, but the City has recently been implementing Type 170 controllers. In the
downtown area the signals are mostly pre-timed, and on arterial roadways signals are
mostly actuated. Downtown and arterial signals are coordinated with time-based
coordination. Detection is mainly achieved through inductive loop detectors, with the
City moving towards video detection at newly signalized intersections. Video detection
is currently being implemented along San Pablo Avenue as part of the SMART Corridor
project.
The City has expressed interest in moving towards Type 170 controllers. As part of the
North CBD and Hegenberger Road/73 rd Avenue Controller and Signal Interconnect
Upgrade Project, Broadway Transit Priority Project, San Pablo Signal Interconnect
Project, and SMART Corridor Project about 55 Type 170 controllers have been or will be
implemented in the City of Oakland.
2.2.3 Communications Infrastructure
The City of Oakland’s current ITS communications system is mostly limited to some
twisted-wire pair (TWP) signal interconnect along a few corridors. Currently, the only
signals that are connected to the City of Oakland’s proposed TMC building are the
signals on San Pablo Avenue. The City of Oakland also has existing multi-mode 12-
strand fiber optics installed in downtown Oakland connecting the major City of Oakland
facilities such as the City of Oakland Dalzial Building at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, City
Hall, the EOC, the police administration building (PAB) and the Main Oakland Library.
The existing 12-strand fiber cable is not yet terminated in the Dalzial Building (site of
future TMC). In addition, the City of Oakland is currently in negotiations with Comcast to
obtain access to their planned citywide fiber optics network. The existing
communications system is discussed in greater detail in Section 6.
2.2.4 Transportation Management Center
The City of Oakland does not currently have a TMC. A TMC is a central location where
different traffic devices (such as a centralized signal system) and ITS devices (such as
CCTV cameras, DMS, and vehicle detectors) can be managed. Traffic data can be
collected at a TMC, and also disseminated from a TMC.
The BI Tran central signal system, which controls signals along San Pablo Avenue as
discussed in Section 2.2, is currently managed from a cubicle in the Transportation
Services Division at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. This same cubicle also houses the
East Bay SMART Corridor server and workstation, which allows the City to exchange
signal coordination data with other partner agencies in the SMART Corridor Program.
The Bi Tran server is connected to the Municipal Service Yard (MSY) at 7101 Edgewater
Drive via a dial-up modem.
The City has plans to locate a new TMC in the Jack London Conference Room, which is
adjacent to the existing cubicle housing the Bi Tran and SMART Corridors equipment, at
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The City’s new TMC will be connected to the MSY on
Edgewater Drive (located near projects on Hegenberger Road and the projects
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
11 September, 2003

surrounding the Airport and Coliseum). The TMC conceptual design is discussed in
greater detail in Section 7.
2.3 ON-GOING REGIONAL PROJECTS
2.3.1 East Bay SMART Corridor Project
The SMART Corridors program is a cooperative effort by the Alameda County CMA,
Contra Costa County Transportation Authority (CCTA), and twenty-four other agencies
to plan and implement a multi-modal advanced transportation management system
along the I-880 corridor, which includes International Boulevard, East 14 th Street, San
Leandro Street, Hesperian Boulevard, and Union City Boulevard; and the San Pablo
Avenue (I-80) corridor.
The goal of the SMART Corridors program is to allow local agencies to better manage
congestion and improve transportation safety, mobility and efficiency along regional
arterial routes. SMART Corridors permit efficient operation and management of existing
roadway and transit resources through the integration and use of currently available
technologies combined with strengthened institutional ties and inter-jurisdictional
coordination.
SMART Corridors use a variety of technologies to improve the performance of
transportation systems, by promoting efficient use of the existing highway and transit
systems, and reducing environmental costs to the public. The technologies being
deployed on the noted arterials include CCTV, video image detection (VID) systems,
EVP, transit priority and microwave vehicle detection system (MVDS).
The SMART Corridors program has evolved into a multi-year, multi-phase program,
which started through cooperative efforts of the local agencies in the San Pablo Avenue
and I-880 corridors. The project is divided into four phases:
• Phase I – Strategic Plan (Systems Engineering Study);
• Phase II – Design and Preparation of Plans, Specifications and Estimates;
• Phase III – Construction; and
• Phase IV – Integration, Testing and Systems Acceptance.
Phase I and Phase II of the project have been completed. The SMART Corridors project
is currently in the construction phase scheduled to be completed in November 2003.
The project is relevant to the Oakland ITS program because it will put into place
equipment and infrastructure which can be used by the Citywide ITS. The Oakland ITS
program should also be interoperable with the SMART Corridors elements to achieve
cross-jurisdictional cooperation and data-sharing. Interoperability will be achieved
through compliance with national ITS standards, and through direct agency cooperation.
The corridors in Oakland that will be receiving ITS equipment as part of the SMART
Corridors project are San Pablo Avenue, San Leandro Street and East 14 th
Street/International Boulevard.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
12 September, 2003

2.3.2 Bay Area Regional ITS Architecture and Strategic Plan Project
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is in the process of developing a
regional ITS architecture for the San Francisco Bay Area to fulfill federal requirements.
They have recently completed Phase 1 of the project which involved developing a
complete inventory of existing and planned ITS systems in the Bay Area. The inventory
is the result of numerous stakeholder meetings and workshops over the past year and a
half.
Phase 2 of the project will develop the regional ITS architecture database. In addition,
MTC will be developing an ITS Strategic Plan for the Bay Area as part of Phase 2.
Phase 2 is expected to be completed in 2004. The Bay Area Regional ITS Architecture
will be the blue print for future ITS deployment in the region. In addition, it will enable
interoperability of ITS infrastructure throughout the entire Bay Area. The City of
Oakland’s ITS program must follow this blue print in order to be eligible for future federal
funding and to ensure interoperability with other regional ITS systems. As with the
SMART Corridors project, interoperability will be achieved through compliance with
national ITS standards, and through direct agency cooperation.
2.3.3 Caltrans District 4 TMC
Caltrans District 4 operates numerous ITS devices on Bay Area freeways including
CCTV, DMS, vehicle detectors, ramp meters and main line meters. These devices are
used to help manage freeway traffic from a state-of-the-art TMC located at 111 Grand
Avenue in Downtown Oakland. The California Highway Patrol (CHP), MTC’s freeway
service patrol (FSP) and the 511/TravInfo® system are all collocated in the Caltrans
District 4 TMC. Caltrans is in the process of developing standard TMC software for
managing ITS devices that will be implemented at all Caltrans TMCs statewide.
The Caltrans TMC is important to Oakland’s Citywide ITS program because traffic data
pertaining to Caltrans-operated freeways within Oakland’s boundaries can be shared
with the City of Oakland TMC. Access to this data will help the City better manage traffic
on their City streets.
2.3.4 511/TravInfo®
TravInfo® is the 511 traveler information phone service for the Bay Area, launched in
December 2002 by MTC. The service hopes to provide comprehensive, accurate,
reliable, and useful on-demand traveler information to Bay Area travelers. By dialing
511, motorists can obtain information regarding traffic conditions, public transportation
conditions, and details about carpools, vanpools, and bicycle routes. TravInfo® is
relevant to the Oakland ITS program because traffic conditions throughout Oakland are
covered by the service, including conditions on the main freeways traversing Oakland (I-
880, I-980, I-580, Route 13 and Route 24), AC Transit, the Alameda/Oakland Ferry, and
conditions at Oakland’s eight BART stations. TravInfo® is free and operates via voice
recognition. Traffic data sources include CHP, Caltrans sensors on area freeways, and
radio and TV reports. The system is also accessible to hearing and vision-impaired
travelers through the phone-based California Relay Service which translates the
information into accessible formats. A corresponding web-based 511 service is under
development and is expected to be online later this year.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
13 September, 2003

2.3.5 Freeway Concept of Operations and Interim Center-to-Center
The goal of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Interim Center-to-Center (C2C) System
project is to implement a system that enables the real-time exchange of data and video
between the Bay Area Smart Corridors Programs (East Bay, Silicon Valley, San
Francisco, etc.) and the Regional TMC, which includes Caltrans TMC and TravInfo®.
This Interim C2C project is relevant to the City of Oakland ITS Program since the City is
part of the East Bay SMART Corridors Program, and it could access the Regional TMC
data through this C2C project. Conversely, data collected through the City of Oakland
ITS Program could be shared with the SMART Corridors Program and thus with the
Regional TMC.
The Interim C2C System is expected to be a short-term solution to the Bay Area’s
existing need for real-time exchange of data and video, and will be upgraded or replaced
as Caltrans develops statewide TMC software. New software will be developed in the
next few years for use at all Caltrans District TMCs. Once Caltrans District 4 transitions
to that new system, the Interim C2C System may be upgraded or replaced.
In order to maintain real-time communications with the Regional TMC as it migrates to
the future statewide software, the Interim C2C System will rely on TravInfo® to maintain
a stable, two-way interface with Caltrans’ TMC. The existing TravInfo® interface with
the Caltrans TMC is limited in scope and will need to be expanded to include video
exchange and other functions defined as essential for the Interim C2C System. This
approach will allow the participating agencies, including the City of Oakland through the
SMART Corridors Program, to exchange real-time data and video during the period
when new software is being developed for Caltrans.
2.3.6 Transit Agencies
Oakland transit agencies such as BART and AC Transit have ongoing projects which
must be considered in a Citywide ITS Strategic Plan.
BART will be constructing an Airport Connector from the Coliseum BART station directly
to Oakland Airport. The connector will use Automated Guideway Transit (AGT)
technology to carry passengers the 3.2 miles to and from the BART station to the airport.
The connector will impact traffic operations throughout Oakland as the project is
expected to eliminate approximately 3 million vehicle trips annually along the
Hegenberger and I-880 corridors. The project is a partnership between BART, the City
of Oakland, and the Port of Oakland. Construction of the project is expected to begin in
2004 and be completed by 2006.
AC Transit has developed plans for “Enhanced Bus” services and “Bus Rapid Transit”
(BRT) services throughout Oakland. Enhanced Bus services “are designed around
street level improvements that reduce travel times, improve passenger comfort and
increase operational efficiently. Such improvements may be the ultimate improvement in
a particular corridor, or they may represent a first step towards the implementation of
BRT” 3 . Heavily used routes, which are the focus for these Enhanced Bus services in the
coming years, are as follows:
3 AC Transit, “Strategic Vision 2001-2010”, August 2002.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
14 September, 2003

• San Pablo Avenue
• Telegraph Avenue/International Boulevard (East 14 th Street)
• Foothill Boulevard/MacArthur Boulevard
• MacArthur Boulevard/Oakland Airport
• Shattuck Avenue
• College Avenue/University Avenue
• Hesperian Boulevard
• 6 th Street/Hollis Street
• Sacramento Street/Market Street
• Mission Boulevard/Outer East 14 th Street
BRT “involves more extensive improvements, including bus-only travel lanes,
sophisticated station stops, and a coordinated effort to minimize travel time while
maximizing passenger comfort and convenience” 4 . BRT is proposed on the following
four busiest routes through Oakland:
• Telegraph Avenue/East 14 th Street
• Foothill Boulevard/MacArthur Boulevard
• Shattuck Avenue
• MacArthur Boulevard/Oakland Airport
The City of Oakland has voiced support for these projects, and AC Transit has
expressed the desire to provide funding for these projects. These applications will affect
citywide implementation of ITS technologies such as transit signal priority (TSP)
systems.
2.3.7 Other Neighboring Agencies
For optimal effectiveness of this Citywide ITS Strategic Plan, the City of Oakland should
coordinate with the following neighboring agencies:
• City of Berkeley
• City of Emeryville
• City of San Leandro
• City of Alameda
• Alameda County
• Alameda County CMA
• Caltrans
• Port of Oakland
As part of the ongoing SMART Corridors project, several of these agencies are already
cooperating to facilitate traffic data collection and monitoring, and signal coordination
across agency jurisdictional boundaries. The City of Oakland will soon be able to link to
the SMART Corridor server and receive traffic signal coordination data from signal
systems belonging to these other agencies as well as CCTV images in these
neighboring jurisdictions.
4 AC Transit, “Strategic Vision 2001-2010”, August 2002.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
15 September, 2003

2.4 ON-GOING CITY OF OAKLAND PROJECTS
2.4.1 Signal Interconnect Projects
Signal interconnect has been or is currently being installed in various locations in
Oakland. The following table summarizes these projects.
Table 2.1: Signal Interconnect Projects in Oakland
Location of Signal Interconnect Installation
San Pablo Avenue Project
• between 14 th Street and Alcatraz Avenue
• also connects into the City of Oakland Building
at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza where a TMC is
planned to be located
The North CBD Controller and Hegenberger
Road/73 rd Avenue and Signal Interconnect
Upgrade Project
• along West Grand Avenue and Grand Avenue,
between San Pablo Avenue and Harrison
Street, along Broadway, between West Grand
Avenue and 20 th Street
• along Hegenberger Road/73 rd Avenue between
Pardee Drive and Office Complex Driveway
Broadway Transit Priority Project
• along Broadway from 3 rd Street to 20 th Street,
and along 20 th Street between Broadway and
Telegraph Avenue
42 nd Avenue/High Street Access Improvement
Project
• three intersections on High Street and three
intersections on 42 nd Avenue near I-880
Hegenberger Gateway Project
• along Hegenberger Road between Doolittle
Drive and Edgewater Drive
Port of Oakland’s 98 th Avenue Project
• from Doolittle to I-880 along 98 th Avenue
Fruitvale BART Transit Village Project
• from E. 12 th Street to San Leandro Street and
on San Leandro Street from Fruitvale Avenue
to 37 th Avenue
Description
• Signal controllers and cabinets were replaced
as part of this project.
• The North CBD interconnect ties into the San
Pablo interconnect, which ties into the planned
TMC. Sixteen Type 170E controllers, ten Type
336 cabinets and six Type 332 cabinets were
installed in this North CBD area. Construction
of this project has just been completed.
• The City of Oakland installed six new Model
170 controllers and Type 332 cabinets on
Hegenberger Road. Construction of this
project has just been completed.
• Provides for future tie-in to the planned TMC.
• 16 Model 170 controller assemblies with Model
332 cabinets will be installed.
• EVP devices will also be installed for transit
priority.
• Signals along the corridor will be retimed for
the new installations.
• The project design is 100 percent complete.
• new signal interconnect conduit to be installed
• widening of High Street and extension of 42 nd
Avenue
• realignment of Howard Street and Oakport
Street
• joint project between Port of Oakland and City
of Oakland
• installed a 2-inch signal interconnect conduit
with twisted wire pairs along Hegenberger
• the signal interconnect cable (SIC) has not yet
been terminated in the controller cabinets
• traffic signals are not yet coordinated
• included design of additional conduit for fiber
but because of budget limitations this work was
not selected for construction
• three Model 170 controllers and interconnect
conduit were installed
• In addition, 98 th Avenue has recently been
widened to six lanes and it now crosses under
Doolitle Drive reducing the number of traffic
signals on 98 th Avenue
• Fiber optic signal interconnect was installed
• Five Type 170E Controllers with Model 332
Cabinets were installed.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
16 September, 2003

2.4.2 Other Oakland Plans
The planned improvements for the City’s transportation system required to fulfill the
vision of the General Plan are depicted in the City Transportation Diagram which is
included for reference in Appendix A. Many of these planned improvements will affect,
and be affected by, the citywide deployment of ITS. The projects are summarized in
Table 2.2 below and categorized according to three levels of scope: Local Access,
Regional Access, and Worldwide Access. Representative City projects which will benefit
from citywide ITS deployment include the Fruitvale BART Transit Village and the Safe
Routes to School Program (Local Access), the Coliseum AMTRAK Intercity Rail Station
(Regional Access) and the Port of Oakland Airport Expansion (Worldwide Access).
Table 2.2:
Summary of Citywide Transportation Improvement Projects
(as identified in the General Plan’s Transportation Diagram)
Local Access (Representative Projects: Fruitvale BART Transit Village Project, Safe Routes to School)
Citywide Roadway Improvements
Local Transit Streets
Transit Centers
Shuttle Services
Bike and Pedestrian Facilities
Water Transportation
Regional Access
Regional Access (Representative Projects: Coliseum AMTRAK Intercity Rail Station, Port of Oakland
Airport Roadway Project)
Regional Transit Streets
I-880 Improvement Corridors
BART Intermodal Connections (Jack London Square AMTRAK Intermodal
Shuttle, Coliseum AMTRAK Intercity Rail Station, BART Oakland Airport
Connector)
73 rd Avenue Improvement Corridor
Oakland/Alameda Improvement Corridor
Worldwide Access (Representative Project: Port of Oakland Vision 2000)
Port of Oakland Joint Intermodal Rail Terminal
Port of Oakland Middle Harbor Road/7 th Street
Port of Oakland Airport Expansion
Fruitvale BART Transit Village Project (Example of LOCAL ACCESS)
The Fruitvale BART Transit Village Project was constructed in 1999 as a $100 million
mixed-use development adjacent to the Fruitvale Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
station at San Leandro Street and 35 th Avenue. It consists of retail shops, restaurants,
offices, a health-care clinic, a library, offices, and various types of housing.
The project was innovative and unusual for several reasons. It utilized new and effective
partnerships between the community (represented by the Unity Council, a community
development group formed in 1964), the City of Oakland, and BART; for example, a land
swap was negotiated between the community and BART, giving the community
proprietary rights over the Fruitvale Transit Village site, while BART maintained the value
of its assets near the station. The City of Oakland also capped parking surrounding the
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
17 September, 2003

development, and relinquished a portion of its right-of-way alongside the project.
Creative financing was tapped throughout the project; for example, since the Unity
Council was ineligible for Federal Transit Administration grants for the child-care center,
BART accepted the funds and allocated them to the Unity Council. The sustained public
involvement in the project, led by the Unity Council, was creative and effective.
Furthermore, transit-oriented development was shown to successfully stimulate
economic development and promote environmental justice in a low-income urban
community.
As the City of Oakland develops its Citywide ITS Strategic Plan, the current traffic
impacts of the Fruitvale Transit Village itself should be considered, as should the
important lessons from the project process, articulated above.
Safe Routes to School Program (Example of LOCAL ACCESS)
California’s Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program allocates $25 million per year of
funding to safety-related transportation improvements in several categories, such as
sidewalk improvements, traffic calming and speed reduction, pedestrian and bicycle
crossing improvements, and traffic diversion improvements. The projects are intended
to reduce childhood injuries and fatalities, to reduce childhood obesity, to reduce risk of
later cardiovascular disease and respiratory illnesses, and to connect children with their
communities and natural environment.
The City of Oakland was awarded a SR2S grant for $459,000 in 1999, for modifying and
installing traffic signals, installing crosswalk lights, and constructing bulb-outs at 20
Oakland schools. The City was also awarded a SR2S grant for $449,500 in 2000 to
continue the program for 14 more Oakland schools. The Citywide ITS Strategic Plan
could provide more opportunities for continuing the SR2S initiative. For example, bicycle
detection technologies, such as video detection, have recently been evaluated in the
Bay Area. Video detection for bicycles provides bicyclists, especially left-turning cyclists,
a safe and protected method for crossing busy intersections. Signal timings can be
adjusted accordingly to accommodate the cyclists during school beginning and dismissal
times. The City is implementing video detection for vehicles at newly installed signals
citywide; thus, incorporating bicycles into the video detection would be cost-effective.
Other ITS technologies, such as mobile DMS discussed later in Section 4, safely reroute
vehicles around or away from schools during incidents or emergencies.
Coliseum AMTRAK Intercity Rail Station (Example of REGIONAL ACCESS)
A new Amtrak train station is being proposed for the Oakland Coliseum area across from
the Coliseum BART station on San Leandro Street. The station will be served by
Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor trains. The station will be multimodal, facilitating transfers
between Amtrak, BART, AC Transit, and eventually the BART connector to Oakland
Airport. A pedestrian ramp will connect to the existing elevated walkway between the
Coliseum BART station and the Coliseum.
The City’s ITS deployment surrounding the Coliseum area should take the presence of
this new Amtrak station into account. For example, pick-up and drop-off activity can be
facilitated by various ITS applications such as DMS during incidents or Coliseum events.
Traveler information kiosks can provide instant information regarding Airport travel and
incidents on the adjacent roadways.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
18 September, 2003

Port of Oakland Airport Roadway Project and other ITS Projects (Example of
REGIONAL ACCESS)
The Port of Oakland Airport Roadway Project started in 2001 and consisted of building
an arterial roadway from the I-880/98 th Avenue interchange to the Oakland Airport, then
through the Airport to Bay Farm Island in the City of Alameda. The Airport Roadway is
meant to serve as an alternate route for regional traffic generated by the Airport and by
the City of Alameda. The Airport Roadway will also accommodate projected traffic
growth at the Air Cargo Center, the Airport Passenger Terminals, and the Harbor Bay
Business Park.
The project consisted of the following three components:
• Contract A -- Improvements to Harbor Bay Parkway, Air Cargo Road, Airport Drive,
and Construction of Taxiway B Bridge
• Contract B -- Construction of Doolittle Drive and Airport Drive Interchange
• Contract C -- Widening of 98th Avenue West of I-880
The importance of this roadway will be reflected throughout the Citywide ITS Strategic
Plan.
Other Port of Oakland Projects, concentrated in the high traffic area surrounding the
Oakland Airport and the Oakland Coliseum, are detailed in the Oakland Airport –
Coliseum Area ITS Implementation Plan, and include:
• Port of Oakland HAR
• Port of Oakland DMS Deployment
• Airport Transit Systems
• Terminal Expansion Program
• CCTV installation
Port of Oakland Vision 2000 (Example of WORLDWIDE ACCESS)
The Port of Oakland Vision 2000 outlines the policies, infrastructure improvements and
public outreach involved in the expansion of the Port of Oakland. The Port will more
than double in size with the implementation of several projects including the following:
• Cargo will be moved more efficiently with the additional 5400 feet of facilities and
storage, including 250 acres of new marine terminals and container yards.
• A new 150-acre Joint Intermodal Rail Terminal will provide direct mainline access for
the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroads.
• The Port will address community concerns by spending $9 million to retrofit buses,
equipment, trucks, tugboats and factories to produce lower emissions.
• The Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, a new 30-acre shoreline park, provides the
community with a new educational center, beach, and recreational areas, while
providing a new ecological habitat for various plants and animal species.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
19 September, 2003

New roadways will be built, or existing roadways will be redesigned, to accommodate
heavy truck traffic throughout the Port area and to and from adjacent Oakland freeways.
As the Citywide ITS Strategic Plan is developed, several elements of the Plan can be
integrated with projects enumerated in the Port of Oakland Vision 2000.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
20 September, 2003

SECTION 3
Signal System
As part of the Citywide ITS Strategic Plan the City plans to upgrade its signal control
system. As described in Section 2, the City currently operates approximately 700
signals and does not currently have a signal control system to monitor these signals and
to implement timing changes from a centralized location. In order to more effectively
manage traffic throughout the City of Oakland, it would be advantageous for the City to
implement a centralized signal control system. This section reviews various traffic
control strategies available to the City, presents the functional requirements for the new
signal system, outlines the high priority corridors throughout Oakland for this new signal
implementation, details possible signal system alternatives, and concludes with specific
recommendations.
3.1 TRAFFIC CONTROL STRATEGIES
There are four main types of signal control: pretimed, actuated, responsive and adaptive.
Pretimed signals have fixed, pre-programmed timings based on historical or projected
traffic volumes at the intersection. Actuated, responsive and adaptive control all make
use of vehicle detectors, which are described in Section 4.2.2. With actuated control,
signal timings are modified according to certain pre-specified limits or thresholds, when
the detectors sense vehicles continuing to approach the intersection (thereby
lengthening the appropriate signal phase), or when the detectors no longer sense
vehicle presence on an approach (thereby changing to the following signal phase).
Signal timing adjustments may be governed by certain minimum and maximum
green/yellow/red times for each movement. Similarly, traffic responsive signal timing
uses current volumes and occupancy data to adjust signal timing. With traffic
responsive timing, appropriate signal timing plans are selected based on predetermined
thresholds or by using pattern-matching techniques. Thus if an incident occurs, a new
traffic signal timing plan is automatically selected for the affected corridor. With adaptive
control, prediction algorithms are used to forecast traffic volumes in real-time based on
current traffic activity. Thus, while actuated and responsive control respond to the
current traffic conditions, adaptive control takes the signal logic one step further and
attempts to optimize intersection operations.
Design and location of the detectors are an important aspect of actuated, responsive
and adaptive traffic control. In conjunction with the traffic signal controller, the detectors
play a key role in achieving the following goals:
• Reducing vehicle delays during peak hours;
• Reducing vehicle delays on cross streets;
• Reducing aggregate delay in the traffic network and improving travel times,
consistent with the posted speed limit;
• Balancing level of saturation among intersections;
• Improving travel conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians including longer green
times for crossing; and
• Accommodating railroad pre-emption and optimizing flows.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
21 September, 2003

It is recommended that the City of Oakland continue to use pre-timed and actuated
signal control and explore opportunities for traffic responsive signal control. Adaptive
traffic signal control is not recommended in the near term for the City of Oakland until
traffic adaptive systems have become more mature in the Bay Area. Thus, pre-timed,
actuated, and traffic responsive signal control shall all be covered in the signal system
functional requirements.
3.2 SIGNAL SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
The following high-level requirements for the users of a new signal system were
identified by the City:
• Transportation Services and Electrical Services shall have the ability to monitor and
control the City’s traffic signals from a central location on a real-time basis.
• Transportation Services, in coordination with the Fire Department, shall have the
ability to adjust signal timing in response to incidents and emergencies on a real-time
basis.
These high-level requirements address the City of Oakland ITS Program Goals and
Objectives described in Section 1, as shown in Table 3.1 below.
Table 3.1: City of Oakland ITS Goals and Objectives Mapped to
High-Level Signal System Requirements
Goals Objectives High-Level
Requirements
• Improve vehicle travel times in Transportation Services
congested corridors by and Electrical Services
coordinating traffic signals shall have the ability to
and responding to changing monitor and control the
traffic conditions.
City’s traffic signals from
• Provide travelers with good a central location on a
information to enable tripmaking
real-time basis.
decisions.
• Coordinate transportation
operations with other major
transportation agencies in the
Oakland area, including Port
of Oakland, SMART Corridors
and Caltrans.
Reduce congestion and
improve traffic flow by
developing an integrated
roadway and traffic demand
management system that
provides an appropriate mix of
mobility and accessibility
throughout the City.
Improve the environment by
reducing fuel consumption and
air pollutants caused by
vehicles.
Provide safe streets. • Improve safety and security of
motorists, transit users,
bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Coordinate transportation
operations with emergency
service providers in response
to incidents and emergencies.
Transportation Services,
in coordination with the
Fire Department, shall
have the ability to adjust
signal timing in response
to incidents and
emergencies on a realtime
basis.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
22 September, 2003

In the Needs Assessment workshop, several functional requirements for the central
signal system were discussed to help achieve each of the above high-level
requirements. These requirements are described below.
High-Level Requirement: Transportation Services and Electrical Services shall have
the ability to monitor and control the City’s traffic signals from a central location on a
real-time basis.
Functional Requirements:
• The central signal system shall provide real-time map display of traffic signal
controller status on a citywide and corridor basis.
• The central signal system shall perform the following modes of operation: time of
day, actuated, traffic responsive and free operation.
• The central signal system shall provide real-time alarms and reports of malfunctions,
with the capability to automatically or manually institute maintenance functions.
• The central signal system shall provide a database management system with upload
and download capabilities of complete controller databases.
• The central signal system shall graphically display intersection layouts.
• The central signal system shall provide security options.
• The central signal system shall provide for remote access interface options. Access
to the central system will be possible not only from the TMC, but from staff
workstations elsewhere in the building, the MSY or directly from the field.
• The central signal system shall be able to collect, report and store traffic volume,
occupancy and speed data from vehicle detection systems.
• The central signal system shall interface with other software and systems. At a
minimum, it shall have the capability for data transfer between software such as
Synchro, Traffix, HCM, and traffic count database management programs, as well as
GIS and CAD software such as ArcView and AutoCAD.
High-Level Requirement: Transportation Services, in coordination with the Fire
Department, shall have the ability to adjust signal timing in response to incidents and
emergencies on a real-time basis.
Functional Requirements:
• The central signal system shall have the capability for communicating with
neighboring agencies, such as the following capabilities and features:
• Incident Management and Detection to allow staff to have a semi-automated
or an automated means to detect incident and to take appropriate action.
• Caltrans inter-tie to allow data and video sharing with Caltrans.
• CHP inter-tie to allow data and video sharing with CHP.
• MTC’s TravInfo® inter-tie to allow data sharing with the regional traveler
information system.
• AC Transit and BART Inter-ties to allow data sharing between the City of
Oakland and the transit agencies operating in the region.
• The central signal system shall interface with ATMS elements such as CCTV,
trailblazer signs and DMS to improve incident management capabilities.
• The central signal system shall have the ability to implement incident management
plans, such as an “Evacuation Plan” for large-scale emergencies.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
23 September, 2003

• The central signal system shall comply with national standards, especially National
Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) standards. Such
standardization will facilitate use of the technologies and data by different systems or
users.
• The central signal system shall be integrated with the SMART Corridor ATMS
Server.
• The central signal system shall be linked to the EOC on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way,
and the Oakland Airport TMC. At a minimum, traffic data should be accessible from
these locations.
• The central signal systems shall provide Global Positioning System (GPS) options to
interface with advanced vehicle tracking systems, already in use by Oakland
emergency service agencies such as the Police Department.
3.3 HIGH PRIORITY CORRIDORS
The City identified and then prioritized corridors throughout the City for signal system
implementation based on high levels of congestion, regional importance, and
commercial activity. Those corridors will be candidates for major signal system
upgrades and for installation of ITS technologies. During the ITS Needs Assessment
Workshop conducted with different departments from the City, corridors were listed and
prioritized by both transportation services personnel and by emergency services
personnel. The two resultant lists of high priority corridors were different, but several
corridors were common on both lists. Although all corridors discussed were considered
to be important, they were further ranked into two levels: “High” priority and “Medium”
priority.
Furthermore, the City of Oakland General Plan completed in 1998 highlighted several
corridors citywide which were candidates for general “revival” using thoughtful
deployment of new transportation technologies. Some of the corridors identified in the
“Traffic” and “Emergency” needs assessments have also been addressed separately in
the General Plan.
Citywide priority corridors are listed in Table 3.2 below along with their category or
categories (Traffic, Emergency, and/or Revival) and ranking (High or Medium).
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
24 September, 2003

Table 3.2 - High Priority Corridors
Corridor
Category
Ranking
Traffic Emergency Revival HIGH MEDIUM
5 th Ave.
7 th St.
16 th
23 rd Ave.
29 th Ave.
35 th Ave.
66 th Ave.
98 th Ave.
Adeline St.
Bancroft Ave.
Broadway
E 14 th St. /International Blvd.
Foothill Blvd.
Fruitvale Ave.
Hegenberger Expressway/73 rd Avenue
High St.
International Boulevard/Route 185
Lincoln Ave.
MacArthur Blvd./W MacArthur Blvd.
Mandela Pkwy
Maritime St.
Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Moraga Ave./Mountain Blvd.
Oak St.
Park Blvd.
San Leandro St.
San Pablo Ave.
Telegraph Ave.
West Grand Avenue
When funding becomes available, corridors ranked “High” should be studied further to
determine detailed design requirements.
It can be seen that many corridors on the above list were independently selected for
signal system upgrades by the workshop attendees, emphasizing the importance of
those corridors. Those corridors are illustrated in Appendix A, the City Structure
diagram, excerpted from the General Plan. It is noted that San Pablo Avenue is being
upgraded as part of the SMART Corridors program. The prioritization of City corridors
as part of the ITS Strategic Plan thus continues the spirit of the City’s General Plan.
3.4 SIGNAL SYSTEM ALTERNATIVES
The City currently uses a BI Tran central signal system, deployed along a limited stretch
of the San Pablo Avenue corridor only. Because the City wishes to now implement a
citywide centralized signal system as part of this ITS Strategic Plan, the City can select
from among three practical alternatives:
• Alternative 1: Expand the BI Tran System citywide.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
25 September, 2003

• Alternative 2: Select an entirely new system, thus replacing the BI Tran System. The
existing San Pablo, North CBD/Hegenberger Road, planned Broadway and other
Type 170 controllers would need to be integrated into the new system.
• Alternative 3: Implement a hybrid system which would allow the City to retain the BI
Tran System for its existing locations along San Pablo, Hegenberger, and Broadway
while applying a new signal system elsewhere.
In order to better understand these alternatives, the remainder of Section 3.3 is
organized as follows. First, state-of-the-art signal systems and corresponding controller
options in use today and feasible for citywide application in Oakland will be discussed
and compared. Next, the three alternatives outlined above will be discussed in greater
detail.
3.4.1 Signal System Analysis
The following signal systems are in common use today and should be investigated for
possible selection as Oakland’s citywide signal system:
• BI Tran Systems – QuicNet 4
• Eagle Control System – Actra
• Econolite - Aries
• Econolite/Eagle/Gardner Systems – Icons
• Econolite - Pyramid
• Natzec – Streetwise
These systems all meet the basic City requirements for traffic monitoring, operation and
control. The systems also meet the majority of functional requirements articulated in
Section 3.1 above. The different systems are compared in terms of controller types, ITS
functions, main strengths and weaknesses, standards compliance and costs below in
Table 3.3. This comparison is based on subjective analysis of the controller history,
performance and references.
Before comparing the standards compliance of the different signal systems, one should
understand NTCIP standards. NTCIP is the family of standards which defines “open,
consensus-based data communications standards” 5 for transmitting messages, data and
video among ITS devices. These common standards and protocols allow interoperability
(communication between different agencies using different devices) and
interchangeability (combining products from different manufacturers and software
developers). Interoperability and interchangeability allow for future expansion of the
system, and for future technologies to be incorporated into the City’s latest system.
Currently, NTCIP only addresses:
• Center-to-field (C2F) communications, such as between the planned central signal
system in Oakland and the various traffic signal controllers at particular
intersections, or between the planned Oakland TMC and the various ITS devices
such as CCTV cameras and DMS; and
• Center-to-center (C2C) communications, such as between the planned Oakland
TMC and the EOC, or between the planned Oakland TMC and other local transit
5 AASHTO/ITE/EMA, “NTCIP Guide”, 2002. (Available from NTCIP website, http://www.ntcip.org ).
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
26 September, 2003

agencies such as AC Transit and BART, or between the planned Oakland TMC and
neighboring jurisdictions such as City of San Leandro.
Standards addressing other categories of communications (such as vehicle-to vehicle
communications) already exist or are being developed by other organizations.
It is important to understand that NTCIP standards are still under development, and thus
there is no formal testing procedure possible to ensure compliance. A system or device
can conform to the latest NTCIP standards, but as other systems and devices are
developed, and as standards are updated, compliance levels can also change.
FHWA requires that agencies comply with the “latest available” standards. Thus,
when developing technical specifications for the ITS program, the City of Oakland can
require a vendor or manufacturer to comply with the latest NTCIP standards at the end
of a project. The specifications can also require that the system(s) comply with NTCIP
standards when those standards become formally available. Furthermore, as part of any
project deliverables in the ITS program, the City of Oakland should require:
• NTCIP awareness training for those involved with the ITS program and its elements
• An NTCIP manual for the particular project (for example, for the centralized signal
system, or for the TMC, or for each particular ITS device) documenting the NTCIP
features of the system, and specific standards used
Table 3.3 categorizes the “maturity” level of NTCIP compliance for the various signal
systems as being “low”, “medium”, or “high”. Again, since system development is
ongoing, these categories could change.
The City and vendors are encouraged to research the latest NTCIP standards as the
various elements of the ITS program draw near the stages of design, procurement and
implementation. The USDOT ITS standards web site http://www.its-standards.net/ is a
good source of current information on the status of each standard and how they can be
obtained. The NTCIP website http://www.ntcip.org/ is also an up to date source of
standards information.
System costs will vary depending on the number of intersections, complexity of software
options and other ATMS functionality.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
27 September, 2003

SIGNAL
SYSTEM
COSTS
(Order of Magnitude
only; depends on
desired features)
CONTROLLER TYPES
(Base options – existing
integrated controllers)
TABLE 3.3 - SIGNAL SYSTEM EVALUATION
ITS FUNCTIONS
STRENGTHS
INSTALLATION
HISTORY
NTCIP COMPLIANCE
(Maturity Level)
BI Tran
QuicNet
(McCain)
$15,000 (server)
$150,000 for Base
System
• Type 170
• Type 2070
• McCain Vector (NEMA)
• Capability for ATMS functional
integration
• Traffic adaptive
• DMS/CCTV integration capability
• Mature system
• Extensive deployment history
• Capable of interfacing with 170/2070
and McCain NEMA controllers
• Currently used on
San Pablo Avenue
as part of SMART
Corridors Program
• Medium
Eagle
Actra
$25,000 (server)
$100,000 for Base
System
• Eagle EPAC300
(NEMA)
• Eagle EPIC140
(NEMA)
• 2070 with EPAC
firmware
• Capability for ATMS functional
integration
• Traffic adaptive
• DMS/CCTV integration capability
• Backed by Siemens and Eagle
• Long history of traffic control system
• Traffic adaptive SCOOT (Split Cycle
Offset Optimization Technique)
interface
• Limited systems in
Bay Area • Medium
Econolite
Aries
$10,000 (server)
$25,000 for Base
System
• Econolite ASC/2
(NEMA)
• Limited • Inexpensive
• Simple to use
• Limited in
expandability
• Not an open
architecture
• Low
Econolite/
Siemens/
Gardner
Systems
Icons
$15,000 (server)
$150,000 for Base
System
• Econolite ASC/2
(NEMA)
• Type 2070 with Next
Phase firmware
• Traconex
• Capability for ATMS functional
integration
• Traffic adaptive
• DMS/CCTV integration capability
• Traffic adaptive Rhodes interface
• Limited systems in
place
• High
Econolite
Pyramids
$15,000 (server)
$150,000 for Base
System
• Type 170 with Wapiti
firmware
• Type 2070 with Oasis
firmware
• Capability for ATMS functional
integration
• CCTV integration capability
• Incident Management module
• Modular architecture allows features
and functions to be added as desired
• Limited systems in
use
• Medium
Naztec
Streetwise
$15,000 (server)
$150,000 for Base
System
• Naztec 980, 981
(NEMA)
• Type 2070 with Naztec
Firmware
• Naztec 970 (NEMA for
332/336 cabinet)
• Capability for ATMS functional
integration
• Traffic adaptive under development
• DMS/CCTV integration capability
• Mature system
• Over 10 deployments in the Bay
Area
• More NTCIP features developed
• Currently works with
Naztec firmware or
controllers only
• High
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
28 September, 2003

In addition to selecting a signal system, the City can also consider options for
replacement of signal controllers. In the Needs Assessment workshop, it was
determined that the City is moving towards implementation of Type 170 controllers.
Type 170 controllers are based on the State of California’s traffic controller specification,
and are already in use with existing BI Tran firmware along San Pablo Avenue and
Hegenberger and planned for Broadway. Firmware is simply the vendor-specific
software that is installed on a signal controller.
To provide additional alternatives for controller selection, the following traffic controllers
and software were evaluated:
• Type 170 Controller
• Type 2070 Controller
• Eagle EPAC 300 (NEMA TS2)
• McCain Vector (NEMA TS2)
• Econolite ASC2 (NEMA TS2)
• Naztec 981 and 970 (NEMA TS2)
These controllers meet nearly all of the functional requirements developed in Section
3.1. The Type 170 controller is a mature, standardized controller that was initially
developed for Caltrans. Type 170 controllers will operate with firmware from many
vendors as long as that firmware is compatible with the central signal system. The main
disadvantage of the Type 170 controller is that it is not NTCIP compliant. The Type
2070 controller is the newer advanced transportation management controller developed
by the State of California, which is currently being adopted at the national level as
Advanced Traffic Controller (ATC). A number of different vendors can provide 2070
controllers and these controllers will work with most signal systems. The 2070 controller
is NTCIP compliant. The Eagle, McCain, Econolite and Naztec controllers listed above
are NEMA type controllers. NEMA controllers come as either TS1 or TS2 standards.
These options are discussed in more detail below. Any of these controllers would be
viable for citywide implementation in Oakland, provided that the signal controllers can
communicate with the central signal system.
The different systems are compared in terms of controller types, ITS functions, main
strengths and weaknesses, NTCIP compliance and costs below in Table 3.4. This
comparison is based on subjective analysis of the controller history, performance and
references and other information that identified the performance and capabilities of the
controller type.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
29 September, 2003

TABLE 3.4 - CONTROLLER REPLACEMENT OPTIONS
CONTROLLER OPTIONS COSTS CABINET OPTIONS ITS FUNCTIONS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES NTCIP COMPLIANCE
Type 170/179 $1,500 • Model 332
• Model 336
• Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Emergency priority
• Standard Caltrans Controllers
• Many choices in software
• Inexpensive
• Multiple vendors for hardware
and software
• Currently used by Caltrans
• Older Technology • Not compliant
Type 2070
$5,000 • Model 332
• Model 336
• NEMA with adapter
• Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Traffic adaptive
• Emergency priority
• Modular and Expandable
• In line with Caltrans and national
trends
• ATMS capabilities
• Multiple vendors for hardware
and software
• Comes with less expensive
options (LITE and ULTRA LITE)
• Expensive
• Specifications may be
modified in the future
• NTCIP compliant
Eagle
EPAC 300
(NEMA)
$3,500 • NEMA
• Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Traffic Adaptive with
SCOOT module
• Emergency priority
• Long History of Deployment
• SCOOT traffic adaptive built-in
• Currently used by Fremont
• SCOOT option is
expensive
• In development
McCain
Vector
(NEMA)
$3,000 • NEMA • Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Emergency priority
• Can be modified to fit smaller
cabinet
• Powerful Advanced Traffic
Control logic
• Currently used by Santa Clara
Valley Transportation Authority
• Limited number in use • In development
Econolite
ASC/2
(NEMA)
$3,500 • NEMA • Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Emergency priority
• Many good features
• Currently used by Hayward and
San Leandro
• NTCIP compliant
Naztec
981 and 970
(NEMA)
$3,500 • NEMA for the 981
• Model 332 and 336 for the
970
• Signal priority
• Traffic responsive
• Traffic adaptive in
development
• Emergency priority
• Many good features
• 981 currently used in Alameda
and Santa Clara County
• 970 currently used in Cupertino
• Unproven traffic adaptive
function
• NTCIP compliant
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
30 September, 2003

TS-1 and TS-2 Options
In addition to the controller types described above, the National Electrical Manufacturing
Association (NEMA) has new standards for controller and cabinet options. The current
standard is TS1, which is mostly proprietary and provides hardwired connection to the
controller. Two new standards have been adopted by NEMA, TS-2 Type 1, and TS-2
Type 2.
TS1 standard has set minimum requirements for safe and effective controllers, conflict
monitors, loop detectors, load switches, flashers and terminals and facilities for a NEMA
based system. These requirements encompass environmental and AC power
specifications, functions specifications and for the actuated controller option and
connections to the controllers, through A, B, C and D connectors. TS1, however, does
not have auxiliary functional specifications, such as coordination, preemption, time base
control, automatic flash, diagnostics and telemetry. These functions have been
implemented and available in a TS-1 standard in different ways by different
manufacturers using a proprietary D connector and a telemetry connector, resulting in
lack of interchangeability of the equipment between manufacturers. TS1 also does not
specify the user interface, diagnostics or event logging. Currently, most of the City of
Oakland traffic signal controllers and cabinets are NEMA TS1 controllers.
NEMA approved the TS-2 standards in 1992. TS-2 specifies controllers and cabinet by
covering auxiliary functions such as coordination, preemption, time base control, and
automatic flash. The TS-2 advantage is that there is no longer a proprietary item based
on a manufacturer specific D connection. System level communications with devices
outside of the traffic cabinet can be fully specified by the NTCIP protocols.
The higher level of standardization provided by the TS-2 makes it easier for the multiplesource
controllers and cabinets to upgrade from one model to another, and to
interconnect cabinets from different manufacturers on the system via standardized
telemetry.
The TS-2 Type 1 is the pure TS-2 cabinet and controller. The standard A, B, C, D
cables are replaced by a SDLC serial data bus, which provides two-way communication
between all cabinet components. The serial bus interfaces it connector to the detectors
and load switch via Bus Interface Units (BIUs). The TS-2 Type 1 offers standardized
interface. The bus interfaces also allows cabinet level diagnostics.
The TS-2 Type 2 is a hybrid cabinet and controller, which retains some of the TS-1
features. The cabinet provides both the SDLC serial interface of TS2 and the A, B, and
C connectors of TS-1. As a minimum, the serial data bus is used to interconnect the
controller and the conflict monitor (called Malfunction Management Unit – MMU in the
TS-2 standard). The serial bus can be connected to the detector units as well. The A, B
and C connectors are continued to be used to interface the controller to detectors, load
switch and auxiliary equipment.
The disadvantage of a TS-2 cabinet is potential maintenance costs. A typical TS-2
cabinet will require an oscilloscope for diagnostics and maintenance functions. These
features will result in an increase in the initial training requirement by City staff and
familiarity with the TS-2 standard. However, a TS-1 cabinet can still provide similar
functional capabilities as the TS-2 controller/cabinets.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
31 September, 2003

3.4.2 Signal System Alternatives for Oakland
The above analyses provide preliminary comparisons of possible centralized signal
systems and controller types for deployment in Oakland. With this background, once
funding is secured, the City should conduct detailed studies and cost analyses for the
three alternatives below.
The three most logical alternatives for the City of Oakland’s signal system are described
below. The main advantages and disadvantages of each alternative are discussed and
then summarized in Table 3.5. Detailed costs are dependent on vendor selection and
the range of citywide deployment desired. More detailed cost analyses can be
conducted by the City in the future, as more funding becomes available for citywide ITS
implementation.
Alternative 1: Expand Existing BI Tran System
The existing BI Tran System being used for the signals along San Pablo Avenue can be
retained and expanded to serve as the citywide system. The City would work with the
vendor to design customized software for citywide deployment for the 700-1000 signals
expected to be managed by the system. Customization is typical for the centralized
signal system, and not always necessary at the intersection level. The firmware at the
intersection level can be customized with different desired features, if desired. For
example, a transit patch to neighboring transit agencies was developed as part of the
SMART Corridors program.
If they choose Alternative 1, the City would receive a return on their investment into
designing and installing the existing Bi Tran system since the system would be deployed
for its entire useful life. The BI Tran system could work with existing or expanded Type
170 controllers with BI Tran 233 firmware, Type 2070 controller with BI Tran firmware, or
McCain Vector NEMA controllers. The City can negotiate enhancements to the system,
based on functional requirements and City needs. The City can make any portion of the
citywide system NTCIP compliant; however, this will require upgrading to 2070 or NEMA
TS2 controllers at the intersections.
If the City chooses this option of retaining and expanding the existing BI Tran system,
the process of issuing a “Public Interest Finding” to Caltrans could allow the City to
qualify for federal funding for the signal system. If approved, the City would be allowed
to negotiate directly with Bi Tran instead of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP). Upon
negotiating, the City should discuss their NTCIP requirements with McCain/Bi Tran to
determine a logical migration path.
Alternative 2: Select New Vendor/Upgrade Citywide System
The City can start with an entirely new and cohesive system. The BI Tran System could
be replaced with a new system, so this new system could be deployed citywide while
being implemented in and customized for the new Oakland TMC. This alternative would
require issuing an RFP, preparing functional specifications, going through a formal
bidding process for a new vendor and arranging vendor demonstrations of the system
and software. However, if they choose this alternative, the City can be sure that it is
taking advantage of the latest software and technologies and features.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
32 September, 2003

Alternative 3: Hybrid System
A third possible alternative for the citywide signal system would be a hybrid system. The
BI Tran system can be retained for the existing corridors (San Pablo, Hegenberger,
Broadway, etc.), but a new vendor can be selected for other systems. While such a
hybrid system would allow the City to recoup the initial investment in the existing BI Tran
System, this approach would have the disadvantage of needing to maintain two
disparate systems (possibly needing the use of two separate software implementations)
and needing to deal with two separate vendors.
Table 3.5 - Comparison of Signal System Deployment Alternatives
OPTIONS ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Option 1:
Expand Existing BI
Tran System
Option 2:
Upgrade Entire Signal
System
Option 3:
Hybrid System
• City retains initial BI
Tran System
• Does not require formal
procurement process
• City would obtain
completely customized
software for citywide
deployment
• City may choose from
multiple vendors
• City benefits from latest
technologies and
features
• City retains initial BI
Tran System
• City benefits from latest
technologies and
features
• May not benefit from latest
technologies and features
• Only one vendor to choose
from
• Would lose investment
value in BI Tran system
• Requires formal
procurement process
• Maintenance difficult for two
disparate systems
• Operators would have to be
familiar with two software
programs
• Requires formal
procurement process
3.5 SIGNAL SYSTEM RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the analyses above, it is recommended that the City of Oakland pursue Option
1 or 2. The City should wait to evaluate BI Tran QuicNet system after full deployment as
a part of the East Bay SMART Corridors. Since the system is not fully functional yet,
City staff has not fully utilized this system to evaluate its capability fully. Once the
system is fully installed and used by City staff, staff should evaluate if the system is
providing the capabilities desired by the City. If so, the City should negotiate with BI Tran
for enhancement and full deployment of the system, based on multiple controller
configurations (Type 170, 2070, and Vector NEMA controllers). Upon negotiating with Bi
Tran, the City should discuss their NTCIP requirements to determine a logical migration
path.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
33 September, 2003

SECTION 4
ITS Program Areas
This section first identifies the ITS requirements for the City of Oakland and then
describes a number of ITS alternatives that can be implemented to meet the City’s
requirements. The ITS alternatives have been grouped into the following program areas
identified by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Report Intelligent
Transportation Systems Benefits and Costs: 2003 Update:
• Arterial Management Systems;
• Traveler Information Systems;
• Transit Management Systems;
• Emergency Management Systems; and
• Event and Incident Management Systems.
4.1 ITS GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS
In the citywide workshop, City of Oakland stakeholders expressed a need to have
enhanced transportation management capabilities along with their signal system. There
are a number of ITS technologies and strategies that can provide the City with this
capability. This section documents the operational requirements for the users of the City
of Oakland’s ITS system.
4.1.1 Arterial Management Requirements
Arterial management systems build on the central signal system functionality discussed
in Section 3 by adding enhanced capabilities such as video monitoring and the ability to
disseminate real-time traveler information to motorists via filed equipment. The following
arterial management requirements were identified at the City workshop:
• Transportation Services and Electrical Services shall have the ability to monitor and
control the City’s traffic signals and other field equipment from a central location.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to video monitor real-time traffic
conditions at intersections of key corridors via field equipment.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to monitor, collect, and report real-time
traffic volume, occupancy and speed data along key corridors via field equipment
and probe vehicles.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to disseminate real-time information
regarding traffic conditions along key corridors to travelers via field equipment.
• Transportation Services hall have the ability to disseminate real-time information
regarding parking availability garages and surface lots to travelers in Showcase
Districts via field equipment.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to monitor at-grade railroad crossing
along key corridors.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to exchange traffic data and video
among traffic management centers, including Port of Oakland, Caltrans District 4
TMC and the East Bay SMART Corridors TMC, to support a regional control
strategy.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
34 September, 2003

4.1.2 Traveler Information Requirements
The following traveler information needs were identified at the City workshop:
• Travelers shall have the ability to obtain real-time, pre-trip arterial and transit
information from public-accessible Internet sites located at high-pedestrian locations
in the Showcase Districts and TODs (Transit-Oriented Districts).
• Travelers shall have the ability to obtain real-time, pre-trip arterial and transit
information from personal information access, such as Internet, telephone and cable
TV.
• Transportation Services shall integrate broadcast information dissemination via the
Internet and telephone with MTC’s 511/TravInfo®, the regional traveler information
system.
4.1.3 Transit Management Requirements
The following transit management needs were identified at the City workshop:
• Transportation Services shall provide access to real-time video images to AC Transit
to help improve on-time performance of the transit system.
• Traffic signals shall provide transit priority for AC Transit’s Enhanced Bus and Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) Services along transit streets identified in the General Plan.
4.1.4 Emergency Management Requirements
The following emergency management needs were identified at the City workshop:
• Traffic signals shall provide preemption and priority to emergency vehicles along key
corridors and evacuation routes.
• Emergency vehicles shall have automatic vehicle tracking to help track and route
vehicles to incident locations.
4.1.5 Event and Incident Management Systems
The following event and incident management needs were identified at the City
workshop:
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to detect and verify incidents by
monitoring key corridors from a central location.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to respond to incidents by adjusting
signal timing and activating other field equipment to disseminate information along
key corridors.
• Transportation Services and Police Department shall have the ability to manage
planned events by scheduling signal timing adjustments and other field equipment
activation to disseminate information along key corridors.
• Transportation Services and Police Department shall have the ability to respond to
incidents by adjusting signal timing and activating other field equipment to
disseminate information along key corridors.
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• Transportation Services and Fire Department shall have the ability to exchange realtime
traffic data and video with each other’s management center to respond to
incidents and emergencies using coordinated traffic control strategies, including predetermined
evacuation routes.
• Transportation Services shall have the ability to exchange real-time traffic data and
video among traffic management centers, including Port of Oakland TMC, Caltrans
District 4 TMC and the East Bay SMART Corridors TMC, to respond to incidents and
emergencies using coordinated traffic control strategies.
4.2 ARTERIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The application of Arterial Management Systems, also known as Advanced Traffic
Management Systems (ATMS), is generally considered to be one of the most critical
components of ITS deployment. ATMS includes a number of ITS components such as
CCTV, vehicle detection systems, DMS, TBS, HAR, parking guidance systems (PGS)
and advanced railroad crossings. The purpose of ATMS is to enhance the City’s basic
traffic management capabilities beyond typical traffic signal control. The ATMS
technology alternatives for the requirements identified by the City of Oakland are
described below.
4.2.1 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras
The purpose of CCTV cameras for the project area is to
be able to monitor the traffic flow at selected locations
along the key corridors. By being able to see the traffic
flow through the entire corridor, effective decisions can
then be made as to how to best deal with the situation.
To this end, cameras located at major intersections will
afford the City and other agencies with access to the
video the ability to effectively monitor the traffic at the
usual congestion points around the City.
The use of CCTV cameras is generally limited to two
different system installation types, fixed or dynamic. The
use of fixed cameras typically requires several cameras to
cover the same viewing area as a single dynamic camera
that has Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) capabilities. Fixed cameras
are typically mounted on street light mast arms with one camera for each direction of the
main street. If desired, additional cameras can be installed for each direction on the side
street.
The use of CCTV cameras with PTZ will require the following considerations:
• The use of CCTV cameras will require special equipment to permit video signals to
be carried on the City’s existing twisted pair network or high bandwidth
communications technology such as fiber optic cable or microwave to support video
transmission.
• Dynamic cameras will require a communication data link from a central control
station to the camera to operate the PTZ functions.
• The use of dynamic cameras to see all of the required viewing area will require
manual camera operation, hence an operator in the TMC.
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• Cameras mounted with a pan-tilt unit can either be pole top mounted or mounted on
a small arm, depending on the location. Those cameras mounted on arms should be
dome models.
CCTV Recommendations - Based on the requirements set during the project
workshop, cameras with PTZ functions should be installed at major intersections
throughout the City with a focus on the priority corridors. PTZ capability will reduce the
number of cameras required to view a corridor and provide the City’s operators more
capabilities and control when monitoring traffic.
4.2.2 Vehicle Detection Systems (VDS)
A primary purpose of the VDS is to detect an unforeseen reduction in arterial capacity or
an inefficient use of signal time allocation. The detectors provide input to a process that
initiates the appropriate procedures to restore the arterial streets to full capacity. Speed
and volume data will be collected at mid-block, ramp, and cross street locations, as well
as some strategic intersections. Recent advances in non-intrusive detection equipment
have resulted in technically sound and financially viable alternatives to conventional
methods of detection. Because of this, non-intrusive detection technology is often used
for applications where inductive loop detectors are not as feasible.
Detection of presence, volume and speed most commonly has been accomplished by
using in-pavement inductive loops. In recent years there has been considerable testing
of non-intrusive (overhead and sidefire) mounted detectors. Several detector
technologies have emerged from these projects as being good candidates for detection
at both intersections and freeway implementations. These technologies include Radar
Detection, Laser Detection, Video Image Detection Sensors (VIDS), and microwave
sensors.
Inductive Loops - Inductive loop detector technology has changed very little in recent
years. In-pavement inductive loops are used in both freeway and intersection
installations. At an intersection, multiple loops are placed in each lane to detect the
presence of a vehicle. Although implementation methods vary (e.g., circular, square,
diamond), it requires that wire be embedded into the roadway at the detection location.
This process is expensive, causes the need to implement traffic control measures for
lane closure during installation and can lead to premature roadway surface failure.
Inductive loops are combined with field located controllers in order to compute presence.
Loops provide the contact closure information to the controller to make this calculation.
This technology is considered the most proven and appears to be the benchmark of
performance that non-intrusive detectors use for comparison. More sophisticated
inductive loops use higher frequencies to not only compute vehicle presence but also to
identify specific metal sections of the vehicle and thus determine vehicle classifications.
Inductive loops can also be installed at mid-block locations to act as system detectors.
System detectors are used to calculate volume, occupancy and speed. The detectors
are typically located 500 feet downstream from a signalized intersection. One loop is
placed in each lane to count volume and occupancy, and to estimate speed. The loop
detector data is then run back to the upstream controller cabinet.
Radar Detection - Radar traffic sensors possess wide area detection capabilities in
addition to traditional traffic counting and presence detection. A single sensor can be
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utilized to collect speed and count data over several travel lanes when mounted in an
overhead configuration to limit occlusion. Radar sensors are particularly good at
measuring relative motion (speed) and operating in inclement weather. However, radar
sensors may be susceptible to radar jamming/altering systems on automobiles, and
have questionable ability to provide occupancy and presence data. Due to radar’s
inability to reliably detect presence it is generally not applied to intersection detection.
Laser Detection - Laser traffic sensors are point measurement devices. In order to
detect a wide area detection pattern, sensors must be set up in an array. This type of
sensor is extremely accurate at measuring speed and often is used in conjunction with
CCTV cameras for speed enforcement. Vehicle classification is a strong capability of
laser technology that has been found very effective in toll management systems. Similar
to radar, it is questionable whether laser detectors are able to provide reliable occupancy
and presence data. Only recently has this technology evolved to provide multi-lane
capability. Even so, laser detectors must be mounted to an overhead structure
(downward looking) and can only cover two lanes each. Laser detectors are susceptible
to degradation during inclement weather.
Video Image Detection - Video Image
Detectors (VID) have been installed and
successfully implemented at a number of
locations across the country at both
intersections and along major urban
freeways and roadways. VIDs are capable
of supplying presence, speed, volume, and
occupancy data per lane to a controller.
Traditionally they have been used to help
manage traffic incidents, congestion on
roadways, vehicle identification,
intersection monitoring, and signal
actuation.
Video is first collected with closed-circuit
cameras, which are generally mounted on
the vertical member of a traffic signal pole to reduce vibration. VIDs are capable of
covering multiple lanes and depending on the location of the camera, several hundred
feet (approximately 500) in length from an overhead mount (forward or rear looking
configuration). Image processing equipment digitizes the images and extracts relevant
information from the video camera and evaluates the various data collected. Vehicles
are detected by analyzing the digitized images and observing changes in the pixel
imagery between successive frames. More sophisticated VID systems can track a
particular vehicle or platoon over time by searching for unique connected groups of
pixels. These pixel groups are then tracked over several frames to extract trajectory
data for that vehicle or group of vehicles. Processing equipment can either be located at
a centralized traffic operations center or in the field, adjacent to the cameras.
Microwave Sensors - Microwave detectors have been successfully installed at several
locations around the country mostly on freeway installations but have been used at
some locations for intersection detection. Microwave detectors provide speed,
occupancy, and volume with a high level of accuracy.
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These detectors can be installed in both an overhead (forward looking) and in a side-fire
mode. However, each comes with a tradeoff. In a sidefire configuration, multiple lanes
(up to eight) can be detected, but the detector must be mounted at least 10 feet away
from the nearest detection zone. In an overhead “forward-looking” configuration the
highest accuracy is achieved, but each sensor can only detect one lane. Signal bending
around objects (e.g., trucks) has been claimed but not proven.
Vehicle Detection Recommendations - For the City of Oakland, it is recommended
that VID systems be implemented to gradually replace loop detectors at signalized
intersections. This will ease the maintenance burden associated with loop detectors.
In addition, it is recommended that the City of Oakland implement vehicle detectors at
mid-block locations on key corridors to collect real time speed, volume and occupancy
data. VID systems could be used for this purpose as they have proven to be very
effective performing this function. However, for detecting vehicles at mid block locations,
microwave sensors are another good alternative that should be considered. These
sensors are also referred to as microwave vehicle detection systems (MVDS).
MVDS are recommended for mid block vehicle detection since they have proven to be
reliable and accurate and since they are being implemented on San Pablo Avenue, San
Leandro Boulevard and International Boulevard as part of the SMART Corridors
Program. Since the City of Oakland is already operating the software that is required to
access MVDS data through SMART Corridors ATMS, additional MVDS locations could
be integrated into the existing SMART Corridors ATMS at a minimal cost. There is no
need for the City to purchase additional computer hardware or software to access mid
block vehicle detectors. In addition, it may be more efficient for City of Oakland staff to
have just one software program to access mid block speed, volume and occupancy
data. Finally, if additional MVDS locations are integrated into the SMART Corridor
ATMS, the City of Oakland will be benefiting traffic management on a regional level as
well since other SMART Corridor partner agencies will have access to these new MVDS
locations.
The Port of Oakland has expressed as desire to access real time speed, volume, and
occupancy data from the City of Oakland’s MVDS, specifically for sensors on
Hegenberger Road, 98 th Avenue, and Doolittle Drive. This could be accomplished by
either providing the Port of Oakland with a SMART Corridor workstation or by
establishing a C2C connection between the City of Oakland TMC and the Port of
Oakland.
4.2.3 Dynamic Message Signs (DMS)
DMS can be used to convey real time messages to motorists on freeways or on city
streets. DMS installed on freeways tend to be much larger than those installed on city
streets. All DMS are usually controlled by an operator located in a TMC.
DMS installed on city streets can be used to provide advanced information to drivers on
current traffic conditions or to communicate other community information such as special
events at the Coliseum. DMS can provide dynamic information to motorists regarding a
variety of conditions, including:
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• Congestion – DMS can be used to warn
motorists of congestion that lies ahead as a
result of an incident, bottleneck, or special
event. The DMS also can be used to provide
warnings when unexpected queuing occurs in
areas of restricted sight distance such as
around a curve or over a road crest.
• Diversion – DMS can be used to inform
motorists of available or required alternate
routes.
• General Guidance Information – DMS can be
used to provide directions and information on
ways to obtain additional information through
other means (e.g., radio).
• Maintenance and Construction Work Sites –
DMS can be used to warn motorists of lane
closures in order to avoid abrupt weaving. End
of queue warnings and alternate route
information can also be provided to motorists
approaching work sites.
• Roadway Status – DMS are used extensively to provide information regarding the
status of road conditions.
There are several sign technologies available for use in DMS. These technologies, and
characteristics of each, are summarized below:
• Light-Bulb Matrix – A light bulb matrix is a very basic DMS that uses light bulbs to
create text or graphic messages. Light bulb matrix signs are becoming obsolete to
other DMS technologies. Light bulb technology has higher maintenance
requirements, high energy usage, degradation in visibility, and limitations on
messages that can be displayed.
• Reflective Flip-Disk – A Reflective flip-disk sign consists of magnetized pivoted
disks that are attached by a pair of pivoting points along the central axis of the disk.
Flip disks are either open or closed depending on the characters that are displayed.
A short current pulse controls the flip disk. The disk is typically matte black on one
side and a yellow/green on the other side when viewed by motorists. Legibility of the
sign is generally good during daylight conditions but can be difficult to see after dark,
even with internal sign illumination. Flip disks are prone to occasional sticking and
require more frequent maintenance.
• LED – Clusters of light emitting diodes (LEDs) make up each pixel on an LED sign.
Characters are formed using a matrix of pixels, each of which can be turned on or
off. Sign legibility is generally good, except when the sun shines directly on the front
of or behind the sign. When the sun is at that angle to the sign, LED characters can
become “washed out” and harder to see. However, LED pixel brightness can be
very intense. Because the LED displays don’t have any moving parts, maintenance
is generally low. The life of an LED sign can be extended if the inside of the sign is
ventilated.
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• LED Hybrid – LED hybrid signs join the technologies of LED with conventional flipdisk
signs. Each reflective disk has a small hole in the center. When the colored
side of the disk is displayed, it opens up the pixel of the LED which provides internal
illumination of the message. LED hybrid signs are typically more visible than
conventional flip-disk signs and offer good day and night visibility. Flip disks are
prone to occasional sticking.
• Fiber Optic – Fiber optic signs use a cluster of light emitting fibers attached to a light
guide. The fibers from one or more light guides are used to make a pixel that is
illuminated by a halogen lamp. The light guide passes the light from the lamp to all
its fibers. To make a particular character, selected lamps or small rotating shutters
are energized to create the character pattern. Brightness of pixels may be partially
controlled by adjusting the number of fibers per pixel. A standby lamp is used when
extra brightness is needed and as backup to the halogen lamps. The text or
graphics are displayed in pure white light. Colored displays are obtained by sending
the white light through colored filters to achieve the desired color.
• Fiber Optic Hybrid – A fiber optic hybrid sign joins the technologies of optical fiber
display with conventional flip-disk signs. Each reflective disk has a small hole in the
center. When the colored side of the disk is displayed, it opens up the pixel of the
illuminated fiber which provides illumination of the message. Fiber optic hybrid signs
are typically more visible than conventional flip-disk signs and offer good day and
night visibility. Flip disks are prone to occasional sticking.
DMS Recommendations - Based on the currently available technologies, LED Hybrid is
recommended as the preferred option for DMS displays in the City of Oakland since it
combines the attributes of LED and reflective flip-disk displays to offer good day and
night visibility. DMS should be located on major routes near heavily traveled areas such
as the Airport, Coliseum, Convention Center and Jack London Square in advance of
major decision points. Signs should be placed such that the motorist can read the
message, make a decision, and perform the required traffic movements safely.
4.2.4 Trailblazer Signs (TBS)
TBS are essentially limited-message capability DMS. They
provide immediate information to a high volume of traffic at
major decision points, enabling drivers to make quick route
selections. TBS are generally deployed in urban areas at
freeway ramps and on parallel surface routes, and on smart
corridors to suggest alternate surface routes for motorists to
use during an incident. TBS are typically left blank, and when
the need arises, a message indicating the alternate freeway or
roadway, along with text and an arrow signifying the direction
of traffic on the freeway, are displayed.
The City of Oakland and the Oakland Fire Department
expressed the desire for TBS in the immediate areas
surrounding the Oakland Airport and the Oakland Coliseum
and along predetermined evacuation routes throughout the
City. The TBS could quickly reroute traffic after special
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events, or during unforeseen incidents, or along evacuation routes during siren
emergencies.
TBS Recommendations - Based on the stakeholder input, TBS could be an effective
traffic control device around the Coliseum area, along detour routes during major
incidents or along predetermined evacuation routes during emergencies. During
incidents on the freeway, TBS could be used to guide motorists along a detour route and
direct them back to the freeway downstream of the incident. TBS could be implemented
as a low cost alternative to DMS or could be used in conjunction with DMS.
4.2.5 Highway Advisory Radio
HAR systems are usually located at roadside stations and communicate locally relevant
traveler information to all vehicles in the vicinity of the station. They are commonly
"broadcast only" (infrastructure to vehicle) systems using the conventional AM broadcast
band radio in the vehicle; however, FM broadcasts are becoming more prevalent. HAR
can provide travelers with information regarding construction activities, special events,
road closures or hazards, inclement weather, traffic congestion, incidents, alternate
route guidance, and traveler information concerning local attractions. The transmission
range of traditional HAR systems is limited to a few kilometers.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), initially authorized traveler information
stations (TIS) which include HAR, for use in the United States in 1977. These systems
also are used by airports, train and bus stations, national, state and regional parks,
counties and local municipalities, sports arenas, convention centers, and other
entertainment venues, for disseminating traveler information. HAR uses AM or FM radio
frequency spectrum. Until approximately two years ago, the AM broadcast band
encompassed 530 kHz to 1610 kHz. Many automobile AM radios operate only within this
range. Manufacturers are now modifying their equipment and most radio models sold in
the last two years tune from 510 to 1710 kHz which are the new limits of the AM
broadcast band since an FCC ruling in April 1992. All 1993 and later new vehicle radios
will tune from 510 to 1710 kHz.
HAR Recommendations - HAR has already been implemented on 1700 AM by the
Oakland International Airport to provide parking information and information on
construction conditions. The Port of Oakland has indicated that it would not be feasible
to share this HAR station for other traffic information purposes. HAR has also been
implemented for Coliseum events on 1530 AM to help guide motorists into and out of the
Coliseum area at the beginning and end of special events. It is not recommended that
the City of Oakland to implement any more HAR stations at this time.
4.2.6 Parking Guidance Systems (PGS)
Results of the City workshop identified the need for a PGS for the Oakland International
Airport and possibly the downtown Convention Center parking garage. The Airport has
a main garage near the Airport Terminals and a large remote lot that are ideal
candidates for PGS.
PGS have been used in Europe and Asia for nearly fifteen years but are relatively new to
the United States but they are gaining in popularity. In fact, the City of San Jose has
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ecently completed the design of a PGS for their downtown area but its implementation
is pending further funding.
Through advanced computer technology and electronic signs, a PGS informs motorists
in real-time of the availability of parking. A PGS is comprised of three major elements:
• Central Computer
• Garage Electronics
• Parking Guidance Signs
Central Computer System
The operation of the PGS occurs at a central computer system typically located at city
offices. The central computer system communicates with computers in parking facilities
and electronic signs located along major streets. A typical central computer system
includes a server, modems, workstation, graphics terminal, printer, and software that
allow for central control and management of the system.
Garage Electronics
Each parking facility has a computer that tracks the number of vehicles in the facility and
then sends the information to the central computer system. Occupancy data can be
collected using inductive loops, electrical impulses from barrier gates, or direct
connection to the revenue control system in the facility. Operators at the parking facility
can access a user interface to reset or update the occupancy data if needed.
Parking Guidance Signs
Parking guidance signs provide the real-time
parking information about spaces available and
direct drivers to the parking facility. Signage and
graphics are located where they can provide the
driver with sufficient advance notice that a
decision point is approaching.
Parking guidance signs are a combination of
conventional static signing with a small
electronic sign insert, similar to DMS used in
Europe (see figure to right). The size of each
sign panel is commonly about 60” long, 18” tall,
and 6” deep. The electronic part of the sign
uses technology similar to large freeway
message signs, except on a much smaller scale.
Small parking guidance signs are also commonly placed at the entrances to the parking
facilities to confirm to drivers the number of available spaces.
PGS Recommendations - The Port of Oakland already has plans to implement a PGS
in their new parking structure. The City of Oakland should also consider implementing a
PGS for their downtown Convention Center or possibly at the Oakland Coliseum.
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4.2.7 Advanced Railroad Crossings
The Assessment Needs Workshop highlighted safety concerns regarding the highwayrailroad
intersections in Oakland. Both passenger-related and freight-related railroad
activity take place throughout Oakland, especially surrounding the following railroad
facilities:
• Amtrak - the existing train station at Jack London Square
• Amtrak - the planned train station in the Oakland Coliseum area
• Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroads - the Joint Intermodal Rail
Terminal at the Port of Oakland
ITS technologies can provide benefits at highway-railroad intersections or along
segments where trains operate in the center of city roadways (referred to as “street
running” operation). Different ITS elements and applications can improve vehicle and
pedestrian safety at grade crossings, while enhancing railway operations and decreasing
delays for street traffic. Where crossings are protected with standard railroad warning
devices, the following are examples of the hazards that could exist where additional
mitigating design treatments or warning devices, including ITS elements, need to be
considered:
• Inadequate sight distances as a result of the track alignment or obstructions which
limit the view for motorists and pedestrians of approaching trains in the vicinity of the
crossing;
• Varying advance warning times, an important factor for railway lines where there is
mixed passenger and freight train traffic;
• Complex intersection geometric configurations, especially where there are streets
running parallel to the tracks on one or both sides of the tracks or where streets
intersect the tracks at oblique angles;
• Inadequate or confusing traffic signal coordination such as where turning movements
made into and out of the track area are not handled as separate phases, where there
are multiple traffic signal heads and railroad warning devices arrayed together, or
where traffic may back up into the track area from nearby traffic signals or stop signs;
and
• Two trains at the same time, especially where there are not constant warning times
for approaching trains or where visibility for the approaching trains and waiting
motorists is limited.
Various ITS applications provide audio and visual alerts to motorists, as well as physical
barriers to stop or slow access to the track area. Design treatments and warning
devices which have been successfully applied at highway-railroad crossings are listed
below. It is important to note that coordination between Oakland traffic staff and railroad
officials is needed in order to maximize public safety at highway-railroad intersections,
and this is often more difficult to achieve than might be expected. Some of the various
ITS applications for railroad crossings are discussed below.
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• Full closure or four quadrant
railroad crossing gate systems
with track area vehicle detection,
such as the system in place at the
Metro Blue Line/Union Pacific
Railroad Wilmington Branch 124th
Street crossing in Los Angeles.
This system has been in operation
for over two years to date and for
nearly 180,000 gate closure calls.
The system provides four gates to
block vehicles from entering the
track area while the system is
activated. Vehicle detectors are
installed in the track area to keep
the gates up until all vehicles have
cleared the danger area. Inductive loop detectors or VID can be used for track area
vehicle detection. The City of Oakland may prefer the use of video-based detection
systems for highway-railroad crossings, such as those currently being tested at five
grade crossings in the City of Pomona as part of the Alameda Corridor East Safety
Improvement Program in Southern California.
• 35mm film and digital photo enforcement systems, such as in Los Angeles
where an impressive 92 per cent reduction in the number of traffic violations at grade
crossings where photo enforcement cameras are installed has been measured.
Reductions in red light running violations have also been measured by several cities
in California and elsewhere through the use of photo enforcement cameras.
• Traffic signal control system enhancements to maximize coordination. These
include protected left turn phases for motorists making left turns from streets running
parallel to the tracks so that the turning movements can be completed left without
having to stop and wait on the tracks to complete the left turn. Adaptive advance
traffic signal preemption strategies, such as being developed for railway operations
in Salt Lake City and for the Pasadena Blue Line Extension, also can be used
effectively at complex intersections where there is railroad preemption.
• Long train advance warning systems, perhaps more applicable for at grade
crossings where the crossings may be blocked for extended times due to long freight
trains, can provide for changeable message signs and other means to inform
motorists of alternative routes to avoid long delays. These are being tested in
Houston and are under development in the Pomona, California downtown area by
the Alameda Corridor East Construction Agency.
• Adaptive traffic signal control systems, employing algorithms designed to
minimize motorist delay times based on the real-time determination of queue lengths
and traffic volumes, can be used to minimize traffic delays at highway-railroad
intersections, clear out in advance traffic movements that will be impacted by train
operations, and effectively clear out queued traffic after the train has passed through
the intersection.
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• Station platform and web-based train arrival information, based on the
application of Global Positioning System – (GPS) based train location systems. This
is currently being implemented by commuter rail operators in Southern California and
Florida. Similar applications, for bus operations are being implemented in San
Francisco and other California cities.
• In-vehicle advisory and emergency warnings, especially for school buses,
emergency vehicles, and trucks carrying hazardous materials.
• Real-time health monitoring of traffic signal and crossing protection
equipment. Currently, health monitoring is done independently for each system, if at
all, yet safe operation of the crossing is dependent on both systems functioning
together in a coordinated manner. Tragic accidents resulting from a breakdown in the
coordination between the systems could be prevented by improved health monitoring
capabilities.
• Train-actuated active warning signs,
including "no left turn", "no right turn",
"second train", and "train direction" signs.
Signs conveying additional train warning
information for motorists and pedestrians
may require train advance warning
systems which provide more information
concerning train location than can be
obtained from track circuits.
Advanced Rail Crossing Recommendations - The City of Oakland expressed safety
concerns regarding the highway-railroad intersections in Oakland. There are a number
of ITS applications that can improve safety and traffic flow near highway-railroad
intersections. Therefore, it is recommended that the City of Oakland consider
implementing some of the advance railroad applications discussed in this section at
railroad crossing in areas surrounding the following railroad facilities:
• Amtrak - the existing train station at Jack London Square
• Amtrak - the planned train station in the Oakland Coliseum area
• Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroads - the Joint Intermodal Rail
Terminal at the Port of Oakland
The actual choice of technology to be used and the exact crossings where these
systems should be installed will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
4.3 TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Traveler information systems, also referred to as advanced traveler information systems
(ATIS), disseminate transportation-related information to the traveling public. This is
typically done in one of two ways: either prior to the beginning of a trip or while the
traveler is en-route. Pre-trip information can be disseminated through the use of media
outlets such as television or radio, or through telephone services or the Internet. En-
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oute information is typically disseminated through roadside elements such as DMS,
TBS or HAR or through in-vehicle devices such as the radio or cell phones.
Most of the en-route methods of disseminating traveler information were discussed in
Section 4.2 above since these methods also fall under the arterial management systems
program area. Pre-trip dissemination methods for traveler information via the telephone,
kiosks, Internet, and cable television are described below in greater detail.
4.3.1 Traveler Advisory Telephone (511)
Traveler Advisory Telephone (TAT) can provide up-to-the-minute traffic information in
the form of voice messages delivered to motorists before or during a trip. TAT functions
include the ability to provide traffic conditions, real-time traffic information for trip
planning, public transit information (i.e., transit fares and schedules), and operational
information (i.e., roadway construction and ramp closures). Users of TAT can access
information simply by dialing a telephone number either from their home, office, or
automobile. Upon calling a TAT system, the user is guided through voice menus
enabling them to access the desired information.
TAT is the ITS implementation of a telephone call-in information service. Telephone callin
information service has proven to be a very cost-effective means of information
dissemination, because telephone access is very convenient, no special equipment is
required by the public to access the information, there is little or no cost to the public for
use of the service, and there is no need for live operators to provide the service. Due to
the decreasing cost of computer processing, and the increasing availability of devices
such as voice synthesizers and touch-tone decoders, TAT systems are becoming less
expensive and increasingly feasible for various applications.
The FCC recently dedicated 511 as a national traveler information number. The MTC
has recently launched 511 service in the Bay Area in conjunction with their TravInfo®
project. This system now provides travelers with relevant local information about traffic
conditions, closures, special events, multi-modal information, etc., from one centralized
number. Starting this fall, the system will provide callers with estimated travel times
between user selected origins and destinations based on real time traffic information.
The 511 call-in system uses voice-recognition and a series of phone trees that direct the
caller to the information he or she is seeking. The information provided by 511 is
obtained from a number of sources including Caltrans, CHP and transit agencies such
as BART, AC Transit and MUNI.
TAT Recommendations - It is recommended that the existing 511/TravInfo® system be
used to transmit traveler information to the public via telephone. Since MTC is the lead
agency responsible for this service, the City of Oakland should coordinate with MTC if
there are any major events or incidents that they would like to be included in the system.
For instance, if there were a major event at the Coliseum or a new store opening (such
as IKEA) that would impact regional traffic, the City should contact MTC to arrange to
have this information available on 511. This information could be provided as either a
floodgate (where all callers requesting traffic information receive the message) or an
incident (where only the callers requesting information on a specific route or location
receive the message) depending on the judgment of MTC. The MTC contacts for
coordinating with 511/TravInfo® are Michael Berman (510-817-3281) and Jim McCrae
(510-817-3214).
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
47 September, 2003

4.3.2 Kiosks
Kiosks are becoming an important traveler information communication device and have
been adopted by many transportation agencies. Kiosks can allow travelers to access
current data on road and weather conditions, directions to destinations specified, and
current news regarding local events.
An automated kiosk is a stand-alone unit most commonly containing a computer terminal
and some form of user interface (e.g., keyboard, touch screen). The Port of Oakland
has expressed a desire to install a kiosk in one of their Airport terminals. Kiosks also
could be installed at major transit centers near the Coliseum. Although a kiosk could be
installed in a completely stand-alone facility it is unlikely that a traveler would stop just to
use the kiosk, for both convenience and safety reasons.
A kiosk consists of four primary components: interactive presentation software; a
personal computer; user interfaces such as the display, keyboard, touch screen and
telephone; and the physical enclosure. Because the public has physical access to the
kiosk and is able to interact with a remote system, topics not always associated with
information systems must be addressed. Some of these topics are physical security,
data security, identification of the user, use by untrained operators, and compliance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
These last two topics present opportunities for state-of-the-art technology to aid the user
community. Hearing-impaired persons can use standard touch screens. For the visually
impaired, a telephone can be provided that uses audio prompts to activate kiosk
commands via a Braille-like telephone keypad. Additional Braille-like menus can be
mounted on the kiosk surface to aid in the communication. All users, whether physically
impaired or not, desire a positive feedback to know that they have successfully engaged
an interactive button or other input device; therefore, the kiosk must react with positive
visual and audio responses to all input by the user. Moreover, effective use of graphics
and sound provides an engaging presentation that makes the kiosk experience not only
informative but also entertaining.
Given the potentially high costs of implementing and maintaining kiosks, careful
consideration should go into their planning. It is anticipated that optimal benefits of
kiosks will be derived by those travelers with limited accessibility to traveler information
(e.g., travelers without Internet access).
Kiosk Recommendations – It is recommended that traveler information kiosks be
considered for medium- or long-term deployment in the City of Oakland. Unfortunately,
MTC has discontinued their TravInfo® kiosk initiative so there are currently no
opportunities to share in regional efforts to develop kiosks. However, the City should still
consider developing kiosks that would be based on a City traveler information web site
(see next section). The kiosks could be linked to the web site and provide the same
information including traffic maps, incident updates, traffic images and transit
information. The kiosks could also have a link to other regional traveler information
systems such as East Bay SMART Corridors and 511/TravInfo®. Kiosks should be
deployed at locations where many people are likely to pass them while traveling such as
Oakland Airport terminals, major transit hubs and the Downtown Convention Center.
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48 September, 2003

4.3.3 Internet Access
The Internet is fast becoming a popular method for travelers to access pre-trip
information about road conditions, traffic, transit options or incidents. Many people,
especially in the Bay Area, now have access to the Internet via computers both from
home and at work. There are a number of web sites or Information Service Providers
(ISP) that provide traveler information to the Bay Area such as www.SFGate.com,
www.Bayinsider.com, www.KPIX.com, and www.ETAKtraffic.com.
In addition, MTC is scheduled to launch their web-based version of 511/TravInfo®
service in the Bay Area this fall. This system will provide the same type of information
as the 511/TravInfo® telephone system described above. The information will be
accessed through the following website: www.511.org.
Also, the East Bay SMART Corridors Program will be developing a public web site that
will provide travelers with real time information about traffic conditions on the project
corridors including San Pablo Avenue, San Leandro Street and East 14 th
Street/International Avenue. The traffic information will be based on the real-time speed
data captured by the project’s 43 MVDS sensor locations. The information will be
available through the following website: www.SMARTCorridors.com.
Internet Access Recommendations – In the near term, it is recommended that the
existing 511/TravInfo® system and the planned SMART Corridors web site be used to
transmit traveler information to the public via the Internet. Since MTC is the lead agency
responsible for the 511/TravInfo® service, the City of Oakland should coordinate with
MTC if there are any major events or incidents that they would like to be included in the
system. As with the TAT system, the MTC contacts for coordinating with 511/TravInfo®
regarding the web site are Michael Berman (510-817-3281) and Jim McCrae (510-817-
3214). For traffic information, the City of Oakland can disseminate information to the
public via the SMART Corridors web site which will broadcast travel speeds captured at
all MVDS locations along its project corridors. The contact for coordinating with the
SMART Corridors Program and its web site is Cyrus Minoofar of Alameda County CMA
(510-836-2560).
For the medium or long term, the City should consider developing a City of Oakland
traffic web site, which would have a direct interface with the City of Oakland ATMS. The
web site could provide traffic maps, incident updates, traffic images and transit
information. The web site could also have a link to other regional traveler information
web sites such as East Bay SMART Corridors and 511/TravInfo®.
4.3.4 Cable Television
The television can aid in disseminating traveler information through community access
or cable television (CATV) channels. CATV can transmit graphical, textual, and audible
information during specific time periods or 24 hours per day if allotted a dedicated
channel. This form of traveler information requires a cooperative effort between the
transportation agency distributing the information and the local cable television
franchise. In areas where penetration of cable in the market is high, CATV can be an
extremely cost-effective way to disseminate information. For example, the Arizona
Department of Transportation (ADOT) has made arrangements with a local CATV
channel in the Phoenix metropolitan area to broadcast a tour of traffic cameras deployed
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
49 September, 2003

throughout the City. This is enabled through a direct video feed between the ADOT
TMC in Phoenix and the cable television station.
KTOP Cable Channel 10 is a community access television program that is currently
broadcasting in the City of Oakland. KTOP’s mission is to “provide quality programming
that seeks to mobilize the Oakland community toward civic participation, promotes civic
pride and showcases the cultural diversity that makes our city a unique and exciting
place to live and work.” Most current programming consists of coverage of City Council,
Council Committee, and other City Agency meetings but other stated KTOP priorities
include providing emergency information and serving the public information
dissemination needs of City Departments and city sponsored public agencies.
Cable Television Recommendations:
It is recommended that the City of Oakland pursue an arrangement with KTOP to
broadcast local traveler information to Oakland residents. This could involve
establishing a morning time slot on the channel dedicated traveler information for
Oakland commuters. The traveler information could be provided through a direct link
with the Oakland TMC and may include a tour of City traffic cameras at key locations or
display of a citywide traffic map similar to one that would be displayed on a web site.
The CATV agreement would most likely be a medium- or long-term initiative since it
would require first having an operational TMC and ATMS.
4.4 TRANSIT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Accommodating multiple modes of travel in the City of Oakland is important to the
overall project objectives. There are a number of ITS applications that can enhance the
efficiency of public transportation systems and improve the flow of transit information to
riders. The following discussion identifies methods or applications that can help
maintain and enhance the transit services within the City of Oakland.
4.4.1 Transit Signal Priority (TSP)
TSP is an operational strategy that facilitates the movement of buses through trafficsignal
controlled intersections. TSP can reduce transit delay and travel time by reducing
the time transit vehicles spend at intersections. This also improves transit service
reliability which increases the transit system’s quality of service.
TSP modifies the normal signal operation process without significantly impacting other
traffic. There are several possible signal treatments to provide priority to the transit
vehicles. This includes, but not limited to “early green” which shortens the green time of
a preceding phase to return to a green phase where the transit vehicle has been
detected. Another strategy is to have a “green extension” which increases the green
time for the phase where a transit vehicle has been detected. Both of these strategies
have been effectively applied throughout Bay Area communities.
TSP works at the local intersection by detecting the approaching transit vehicle
upstream of the signalized intersection and sending a call to the traffic signal controller.
Depending on when the transit vehicle is detected in relation to the controllers cycle it
may or may not trigger a signal priority event. The signal controller would then decide to
use an “early green” strategy, “green extension” or stay on the current cycle plan.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
50 September, 2003

A more sophisticated approach operates by using AVL to determine if the transit vehicle
is behind schedule. The transit vehicle would then only make a call if it is behind
schedule by some predetermined amount. AVL is discussed in more detail in the
following section.
Transit Priority Recommendations – AC Transit is implementing a rapid bus program
on a number of key City corridors and they have expressed a desire to implement transit
priority on these routes. They have recently implemented transit priority on the San
Pablo Avenue corridor as part of the SMART Corridors project. TSP will greatly
enhance the operations of the rapid buses by allowing them to stay on schedule and
experience less delay at traffic signals.
TSP is recommended for the City of Oakland on the priority corridors identified by AC
Transit. While AC Transit should contribute significantly to the funding of TSP projects,
the City will need to oversee the design and construction of these projects and contribute
to project funding as well since many of the improvements will be to City owned
infrastructure. Another alternative is for the City to partner with ACCMA on TSP projects
that are planned for corridors that are a part of the SMART Corridors Program.
4.4.2 Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and Arrival Sign Information
AVL is a system that utilizes GPS satellite technology, wireless communication and
advanced computer modeling to locate transit vehicles. This allows transit system
operators to gain more control over their fleet of vehicles. Current systems use proven
technologies, public data networks and the internet to convey information from the buses
to central computers.
Tracking is accomplished through the use of GPS receivers. These receivers are
located on the transit vehicles. The transit vehicle utilizes Cellular Digital Packet Data
(CDPD) to transmit the location (provided by the GPS receiver), vehicle ID, current route
assignment and other data to the tracking system. The tracking system will then use this
information to estimate the vehicle arrival to the future transit stops.
After compiling all this information the systems can relay this information to a host of
products including bus shelter information displays and transit information kiosks. The
shelter information displays can get the real-time transit information from the AVL tracker
by CDPD.
This information can provide useful information to transit riders to help plan their trips. It
provides transit riders with a higher level of confidence in the transit system. This is
especially important for people taking trips to the Airport where there is the time pressure
of a connecting flight awaiting them.
NextBus Information Services (or similar) is a provider of these systems. They provide
the equipment such as the GPS receivers, communication systems, transit tracker
system and shelter signs. They also provide operational service on a monthly usage
fee.
AC Transit has begun installing AVL in their buses and is in the process of deploying
NextBus information displays at 14 bus stop shelters in the City of Oakland on San
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51 September, 2003

Pablo Avenue and Broadway. AC Transit has verified the accuracy of the AVL data and
the 14 displays are scheduled for construction in September 2003.
AVL and Arrival Sign Information Recommendations – AVL will help AC Transit
better manage their fleet and NextBus displays will enhance transit service from the
riders’ perspective. Therefore, it is recommended that AVL be installed in all new AC
Transit vehicles and NextBus displays be installed at all AC Transit bus shelters on its
priority corridors.
AC Transit will be the lead agency responsible for deployment of AVL in their fleets and
construction of NextBus displays at bus stops. The City of Oakland’s main role should
be in coordinating with AC Transit on construction issues and facilitating the permit
process required for NextBus Display installation. Since the City of Oakland is not
responsible for transit operations, it will not be necessary for the City to have access to
the AVL information; however, the information could be fed to a traveler information
system such as a City web page, kiosk or TravInfo®. This will require coordination
between the City and AC Transit regarding the sharing of the information. In addition,
AC Transit should be given access to traffic images on priority corridors to complement
their AVL and help them manage their fleet better. This will be facilitated through the
SMART Corridor ATMS since AC Transit will have a SMART Corridor ATMS
workstation.
4.5 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
More than half of highway travel delay is caused by traffic incidents – anything from a flat
tire to a multi-vehicle crash. To clear the road more quickly, transportation and public
safety officials need to work together more efficiently. Partnerships between
transportation agencies and public safety agencies such as law enforcement, fire
departments and towing services will serve the public every day by relieving traffic delay,
while improving community preparedness should a major disaster strike.
Advanced information and communications technologies, such as EVP and AVL
technologies offer opportunities of real-time coordination of transportation operations
and emergency response operations. This equipment will help shorten incident
detection, verification and notification times and improve public safety agencies’ ability to
respond to emergencies faster. This equipment is described in greater detail in the
following section.
4.5.1 Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP)
The goal of an EVP system is to allow the
emergency service providers (fire departments
and ambulances) to respond faster to incidents,
saving lives and minimizing congestion. An EVP
system includes the transmitter and detection
units on emergency response vehicles and
traffic signals to request and authorize priority
treatment for emergency vehicles. The traffic
signal will provide a priority in the direction of the
emergency vehicle when a request has been
validated.
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EVP Recommendations – The Oakland Fire Department and City of Oakland
expressed the need for EVP on major emergency routes. EVP is recommended for
intersections and corridors that are in direct proximity to fire stations, police departments
or major hospitals to facilitate safe emergency egress for fire personnel from the station
and to improve safety and emergency response time of emergency vehicles.
4.5.2 AVL for Emergency Vehicles
As stated in Section 4.4.2, AVL systems use GPS to pinpoint the precise location of
vehicles. This satellite based technology provides real-time location, latitude and
longitude coordinates, and direction of traveling vehicles. Combining AVL with
technologies for displaying information, automatic routing, and communicating between
dispatch and vehicles, can provide many benefits to public safety agencies.
For instance, AVL systems can relay the positions of emergency vehicles to a central
location, allowing dispatchers to:
Quickly find the closest available unit to respond to the call;
View all vehicles as they travel emergency routes and evaluate the routes
efficiency; and
Adjust directions to accommodate real time traffic conditions.
Depending on presently available resources, installing a working AVL system can be as
sophisticated as installing a complete CAD system with geographical information system
(GIS) software. It can also be as basic as purchasing individual transponders for each
vehicle, which can then be used as components to an existing system, possibly owned
by other public agencies.
AVL Recommendations – The Oakland Fire Department has indicated that they are
currently using an AVL system along with a CAD system for managing their vehicle fleet.
The City of Oakland Fire Department should also consider integrating their AVL and
CAD systems with similar systems in neighboring jurisdictions such as Emeryville and
Berkeley to facilitate coordinated emergency response, if needed. This initiative is being
headed by the East Bay SMART Corridors Program and the specifics are being worked
out in the Program’s Incident Management Subcommittee. The City of Oakland should
participate in this subcommittee to pursue coordination with other fire departments in the
East Bay.
4.6 EVENT AND INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
This program area is closely related to the Arterial Management Systems and
Emergency Management Systems. It is related to Arterial Management Systems
because managing an event or incident involves the process of using information
collected by CCTV cameras and system detectors to identify impacts to the typical traffic
flow. Information about the incidents can be then used to determine what actions need
to be taken to respond to and manage an incident, as well as manage the congestion
that results from the incident.
Signal coordination is another traffic management technique that can be used during
incidents. For instance, a City can monitor traffic during events or incidents from the
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53 September, 2003

TMC and then select an appropriate signal-timing plan to improve the flow of traffic along
a corridor. Signal timing along a corridor can be coordinated between agencies across
jurisdictions. This can be especially useful during an event at the Coliseum or to
manage holiday traffic near the airport. It is also important when a major incident on the
freeway diverts traffic onto local arterials.
Additionally, if DMS have been implemented throughout the City, messages could be
transmitted to motorists to help them navigate around incidents or to help them enter or
leave the Coliseum during special events.
Incident and event management is related to Emergency Management Systems
because it requires coordination between the City of Oakland Transportation Services
Division and public safety agencies such as Oakland Police Department, Oakland Fire
Department, and CHP whenever an incident requires emergency response or
emergency assistance. This is usually the case if there is an injury crash, fire or spill on
the City streets. In addition, coordination with City of Oakland police is usually required
during special events with respect to on site traffic control.
Event and Incident Management Recommendations – It is recommended that the
City of Oakland use the CCTV cameras and system detectors proactively to help identify
incidents in the project area, especially during Coliseum events, holidays, and peak
periods. If incidents are detected, the City should respond to these incidents by taking
appropriate measures such as adjusting signal coordination plans as needed and
coordinating with appropriate agencies responsible for incident management. The City
should also use DMS as required to help inform motorists of unusually traffic conditions
in the project area.
The City of Oakland should coordinate with public safety agencies such as police and
fire departments during incidents or planned events. This coordination could be
facilitated through an integrated TMC/EOC center or at least by having a direct link
between the two centers. Additionally, representatives from either the Oakland Police
Department or Fire Department could be temporarily located in the Oakland TMC to
assist with management of major events or incidents.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
54 September, 2003

SECTION 5
High-Level System Architecture
The City of Oakland ITS system will be managed by the City of Oakland as part of their
overall traffic management operations. A number of other agencies will also be an
integral part of making this system successful. Much of the success depends on
interfaces with other existing and planned transportation systems in the area to provide
an integrated, seamless network of transportation management between the City of
Oakland, Oakland Police and Fire Departments, Port of Oakland, Caltrans, and other
adjacent cities.
A number of agencies are involved in various aspects of transportation management and
provision of transportation services in the City of Oakland. To promote the overall
mobility in the area and make this project a success, the City of Oakland will need to
coordinate with the following agencies:
• BART;
• AC Transit;
• Alameda County CMA (for East Bay SMART Corridors);
• Port of Oakland;
• Caltrans District 4 TMC;
• Oakland Police and Fire Departments;
• Adjacent jurisdictions such as City of Alameda, City of San Leandro, City of
Emeryville, City of Berkeley and Alameda County;
• CHP who is responsible for incident management on freeways; and
• Local media and ISPs that provide traveler information services to the public via the
Internet and television and radio broadcasts. This includes coordination with MTC
regarding their 511/TravInfo® system.
The City of Oakland’s plan for ITS deployment in the City needs to consider how the
City’s system will be integrated into the regional ITS architecture. MTC’s regional ITS
architecture initiative was discussed in Section 2. The Oakland area is relatively new to
ITS deployment but its local and regional partner agencies have a number of ITS
technologies and systems already deployed throughout the Bay Area as discussed in
Section 2. It will be important for the City of Oakland to deploy an ITS system that can
be integrated with the various regional systems to provide more comprehensive services
to the public and to complement previous ITS efforts in the Bay Area.
A series of stakeholder meetings and interviews have been conducted through MTC’s
regional architecture project and this project and a regional consensus has begun to
take shape. This section outlines the general elements of the City of Oakland’s ITS
Architecture and recommends the steps needed to ensure that the City of Oakland’s
architecture is consistent with the Bay Area Regional ITS Architecture.
5.1 NATIONAL ITS ARCHITECTURE
In June of 1996, the FHWA and Joint Program Office (JPO) completed the development
of the National Architecture for ITS. It defines the framework around which different
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
55 September, 2003

design approaches can be developed while maintaining the benefits of a common
architecture. The National ITS Architecture provides a standard vocabulary, a
description of options to consider for local and regional ITS functions and activities, and
a general set of tools to assist with systems integration. In addition, it identifies and
specifies the requirements for the standards needed to support national and regional
interoperability, as well as product standards needed to support economy of scale
considerations in deployment. An architecture is not a design. Several different system
designs or implementations can fit within the same architecture. An architecture defines
the framework and functionality, while a design defines the specific plans for
implementation.
The National Architecture for ITS is essentially a tool to assist in the development of
specific architectures. The use of the National ITS Architecture reduces the time and
costs required to develop architectures by providing a framework and process to follow.
It allows for developing architectures in which future expansion, information exchange,
and integration of systems (both existing and future) are inherent.
There are two levels of architecture in the National ITS architecture model: regional
architecture and project-level architecture. The Architecture Conformity Final Rule
requires project-level architectures be developed for all ITS projects receiving federal
funding and the project architectures must be consistent with a regional architecture. As
mentioned in Section 2, MTC is currently in the process of developing the regional
architecture for the San Francisco Bay Area. Hence, all future City of Oakland ITS
projects should include a project architecture in the design documentation. Also, the
project architecture should be based on the existing regional architecture (if one exists)
and be provided to MTC so that the regional architecture can be updated to reflect the
new City of Oakland ITS project.
5.2 ITS USER SERVICES, SUBSYSTEMS AND MARKET PACKAGES
One function of the National ITS Architecture documentation is to provide a common
vocabulary for the development of individual system architectures around the nation.
The basic building blocks of this architecture are user services, subsystems and market
packages.
User services document what ITS should do from the user's perspective. A broad range
of users are considered, including the traveling public as well as many different types of
system operators. Thirty-one user services formed the basis for the National ITS
Architecture development effort.
Based on the results of the City workshop, the City of Oakland’s architecture will consist
of the following seven user services as detailed in the National Architecture:
• Pre-Trip Travel Information
• Traffic Control
• Incident Management
• Highway-rail Intersection
• Public Transportation Management
• En-Route Transit Information
• Emergency Vehicle Management
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
56 September, 2003

These seven user services can be expanded to develop physical and logical
architectures. An ITS architecture consists of two portions, the logical architecture and
the physical architecture. The logical architecture defines what has to be done to support
the ITS User Services. It defines the processes that perform ITS functions and the
information or data flows that are shared between these processes. The physical
architecture defines "how" information is transferred between transportation systems
(Communication Layer), what transportation systems transfer what information
(Transportation Layer), and the supporting institutional structure, policy and strategies
(Institutional Layer) so that the desired user services are implemented. Most
transportation agencies focus on the physical architecture when presenting their project
or regional architecture since it tends to be more intuitive and easier to communicate.
Subsystems, comprised of market packages and equipment packages, are the
foundation of the physical architecture. Equipment packages implement transportation
services and architecture flows allowing the exchange of information between the
subsystems and terminators within the Oakland area. A related element of the
architecture is market packages. A market package is a collection of equipment
packages and architecture flows grouped together to implement a transportation service.
The complete architecture for the region will be developed for the Bay Area in a future
project by MTC. Future City of Oakland ITS projects should include a project-level
physical architecture consistent with the regional architecture. The logical architecture is
not required to be developed as part of the ITS Architecture Conformity process as
outlined in the final rule issued by the United States Department of Transportation
(USDOT).
The stakeholder process conducted as part of this project has identified several
subsystems that will be included in the City of Oakland ITS program. These subsystems
are shown as the solid-lined elements in Figure 5.1. The interconnect diagram in
Figure 5.1 is often referred to as the “sausage” diagram, which is included in the ITS
National Architecture. All three layers (transportation, communications, and institutional)
are inherent in this view of the architecture. The subsystems correspond to the
transportation layer. The agencies and other regional components correspond to the
institutional layer. The connections joining each subsystem form a top-level version of
the communication layer. The City of Oakland’s proposed communications network is
discussed in greater detail in Section 6.
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57 September, 2003

Figure 5.1 – Subsystems and Communications for the Oakland ITS Architecture
Travelers
Personnel
Information
Access
Remote
Traveler
Support
Centers
Information Service Provider
Traffic Management
Emergency Management
Transit Management
Parking Management
Emissions Administration
Fleet and Freight Mgt.
Commercial Vehicle Admin.
Toll Management
Planning
Wide Area
Wireless Communications
Wireline Communications
Vehicle to Vehicle
Communications
Vehicle
Transit
Emergency
Commercial
Vehicles
Dedicated Short
Range Comm
Roadway
Parking Mgt.
Toll Collection
Commercial Vehicle Check
Roadside
5.3 HIGH-LEVEL CENTER-TO-CENTER ARCHITECTURE
The stakeholder process identified a number of centers and agencies that need to be
included in the City of Oakland high-level architecture. Figure 5.2 shows a “high-level”
center-to-center architecture diagram for the City of Oakland ITS program. This figure
expands on Figure 5.1 by showing the relationship between the five center subsystems
(ISP, Traffic Management, etc.) and their respective owning agencies. This figure is not
intended to depict a physical representation of the architecture but merely to show how
all the different agencies fit into the architecture from a conceptual perspective.
The major partners in the City of Oakland ITS program are the neighboring cities such
as Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville and San Leandro, Alameda County, AC Transit,
emergency responders such as City of Oakland Fire and Police and CHP, Caltrans, and
regional agencies such as MTC. These partners may have multiple roles. The roles of
these partners are generally described in the following paragraphs.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
58 September, 2003

Figure 5.2 – High-Level Center-to-Center Architecture
City of Oakland
Other Agencies
Traffic
Management
ATMS
Emergency
Management
City 911
Traffic
Management
Berkeley
Signals
Emergency
Management
Central Signal
System
City Police
San Leandro
Signals
City 911
Smart Corridors
Program
City Fire
Emeryville
Signals
City Police
City Police
Parking
Management
City Parking
Guidance
System
Information
Service
Provider
City Web Site
Data
Exchange
Network
Port of Oakland
Operations
Alameda County
Signals
City of Alameda
Signals
Transit
Management
AC Transit
City Fire
State of California
Traffic
Emergency
Management
Management
Caltrans
District 4 TOS
CHP
Planning &
Research
Partners
Planning
Universities
Regional Agencies
Information
Transit
Service
Management
Provider
511/TravInfo
BART
Various
Media
PATH
The City of Oakland has the role of the lead agency for ITS development in Oakland.
The City’s Transportation Services Division is responsible for traffic management and its
related subsystems. There are several subsystems that will be operated from the City’s
TMC as part of the traffic management function. These include the central signal
system, SMART Corridor workstation and the City’s ATMS elements. The SMART
Corridor system will enable real-time data sharing and exchange among all participating
partners. The ATMS elements were defined in Section 4 and include CCTV, VDS, DMS,
and other ITS elements. In addition, the City of Oakland Police Department will be part
of the traffic management subsystem.
In addition to traffic management subsystems, the City of Oakland will also have a
number of emergency management subsystems operated by the police and fire
departments. The City’s EOC will have a direct communications link with the City of
Oakland TMC. There could also be a dispatch station in the TMC in the future if space
allows. The TMC will have a direct line of communications to the City Police, Fire, and
the 911 dispatch center. The traffic operations staff and the emergency operations staff
could be collocated during major incidents in the TMC to better facilitate communications
and cooperation.
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In addition to the traffic management and emergency management subsystems, the City
of Oakland could also develop parking management and ISP subsystems. These two
efforts, if implemented, would most likely be managed by the City’s Transportation
Services Division and would tie into the City’s ATMS.
Two California State agencies, Caltrans District 4 and CHP are an important part of the
high-level architecture. Although it is not currently planned, representatives from these
agencies could be located in the Oakland TMC during planned events and major
incidents. Since Caltrans District 4 operates the freeway system in the City of Oakland,
it will be important to have a link to Caltrans. This will be accomplished through the
SMART Corridors Program, which will have a direct connection and workstation located
in the Caltrans District 4 TMC. This will allow the City of Oakland to share data with
Caltrans through the SMART Corridors ATMS.
There are other Cities and agencies that should be part of the City of Oakland’s ITS data
exchange network. A number of agencies will already be connected to the City of
Oakland via the East Bay SMART Corridors Program. The neighboring agencies that
will be connected to the SMART Corridor system include City of San Leandro, City of
Emeryville, City of Berkeley, Alameda County, AC Transit and Caltrans. The Port of
Oakland has also expressed an interest in sharing information related to traffic
management around the Airport so they should also be part of the City’s data exchange
network (DEN). In addition, other Cities’ emergency management subsystems could be
coordinated with the City of Oakland’s emergency management subsystems to facilitate
better sharing of information during joint incident response. Also, AC Transit, which
serves the transit management function for the Oakland area, is an important part of the
high-level architecture since AC Transit will need real-time traffic data from the City to
better manage their fleet.
There are also regional agencies that are part of high-level architecture. The City of
Oakland ITS program should coordinate with the MTC 511/TravInfo ® program on major
events or incidents as discussed in Section 4. The 511/TravInfo ® system is the San
Francisco Bay regional ISP managed by the MTC. The 511/TravInfo ® system will
assimilate data gathered from the SMART Corridor (and several other sources
throughout the Bay Area) and disseminate traveler information through a variety of
media such as a web site, telephone services, cable television, and potentially in-vehicle
devices. Information obtained from other centers in the Bay Area that could affect
operations in the East Bay can be accessed through either the 511/TravInfo ® phone line
or web site. MetroNetworks and other private ISPs also could obtain the travel
information and repackage it for distribution through various outlets that they may offer.
BART is another regional agency that would be included in the City’s DEN if the City
decides to develop its own web site. BART information including schedule changes or
delays would be accessible through a link to the 511/TravInfo ® system.
Finally, one subsystem that wasn’t addressed in the workshop but should be considered
for the City’s high-level architecture is the planning subsystem. The City of Oakland’s
ITS data could be made available to the California PATH program in Berkeley or other
universities in the area. PATH and these other universities could conduct research
using the real-time data form the Oakland system.
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60 September, 2003

5.4 ARCHITECTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
As mentioned previously, MTC is taking the lead in developing a regional ITS
architecture for the Bay Area. This process requires considerable stakeholder
involvement so the City of Oakland is encouraged to continue their cooperation with this
effort by attending stakeholder meetings and keeping MTC informed of the City’s ITS
deployment plans as they are developed.
In addition, the ITS Architecture Conformity final rule also lists requirements for project
implementation as individual projects are identified and programmed in the
Transportation Improvements Program (TIP). The final rule regarding project
implementation states that all ITS projects funded with highway trust funds shall be
based on a systems engineering analysis on a scale commensurate with the project
scope. Therefore, it is recommended that all major ITS projects for the City of Oakland
are based on a systems engineering analysis. This strategic plan is the first step in
following an overall systems engineering process.
In addition, the final rule requires that the final design of all ITS projects funded with
Highway Trust Funds (HTF) accommodate the interface requirements and information
exchanges as specified in the regional ITS architecture. However, since the Bay Area
regional ITS architecture has not been completed yet, the federal rule only requires all
major ITS projects include a project-level ITS architecture that is coordinated with the
development of the regional ITS architecture. Therefore, it is recommended that the City
of Oakland complete a project architecture for all major ITS projects where federal funds
are used and coordinate this architecture effort with the regional ITS architecture effort.
Finally, the final rule states that all ITS projects funded with HTFs shall use applicable
ITS standards and interoperability tests that have been officially adopted through
rulemaking by the DOT. For the City of Oakland, this rule will be most applicable when
they begin to procure their citywide signal system and other ITS equipment. It will be
important for the City to ensure that the specifications written for the procurement of
these systems include provisions for applicable ITS standards such as NTCIP and
federally adopted testing procedures.
5.4.1 ITS Standards
ITS standards define how system components interconnect and work within the overall
framework of the National ITS Architecture. Standards allow for different components,
technologies, and infrastructure to interact together to support a seamless transportation
system. The National ITS Architecture is, essentially, a “standard” framework and
foundation for ITS interoperability.
Several national and international standards organizations are working toward
developing ITS standards for communications, field infrastructure, messages and data
dictionaries, and other areas. The organizations developing standards most applicable to
ITS include:
• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO);
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI);
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM);
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• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE);
• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE);
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA);
• National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol Joint Committee (NTCIP);
and
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Within the National Architecture, specific national standards developed by these
organizations are associated with each data flow. As specific project architectures are
developed for each City ITS project, it is important that the City document all of the
relevant ITS standards for that project so that they can be considered during the project
design.
The national ITS standards are in various stages of development, testing, and
formalization. As appropriate standards are finalized and published, these standards
should be incorporated into City of Oakland ITS projects to the extent possible. To be
eligible for federal funding for ITS projects, conformance with the National ITS
Architecture as well as use of USDOT adopted ITS standards (where applicable) are
required. The USDOT ITS standards web site (www.ITS-Standards.net) is a good
source of current information on the status of each standard and how they can be
obtained.
5.4.2 Architecture Development Process
As the City of Oakland moves forward with future ITS projects, they will be expected to
develop project architectures for all ITS projects that receive federal funding. One tool
that can assist with the development of project architectures is Turbo Architecture.
Turbo Architecture is a “high level, interactive software program that aids transportation
planners and system integrators, both in the public and private sectors, in the
development of a Regional and/or Project Architecture.” The resulting architecture is in
a Microsoft Access database-compatible file that can be easily utilized in the future to
further enhance and modify this first version.
The architecture development process used in Turbo Architecture basically involves four
major steps:
• Project Inventory
• Market Packages
• Interconnects
• Standards
The first step is to develop a project inventory. The inventory consists of the physical
entities, including agencies, vehicles, systems and field elements that are involved in the
project. The inventory includes both existing and planned components.
The next step is to determine the applicable market packages for the project. A market
package is a group of technologies and data flows based on functionality. Each market
package represents a function that can be deployed as an integrated capability. Many
market packages can be deployed incrementally so advanced packages can be
efficiently implemented based on earlier deployments. The market package selection
process is typically performed after an inventory has been created. National ITS
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Architecture Version 3.0 includes 63 Market Packages, which are listed in Table 5-1.
From this list, relevant market packages are selected to ensure that the architecture
meets the all of the project requirements.
Table 5-1 – National ITS Architecture Market Packages
Market Package
ad1
ad2
ad3
apts1
apts2
apts3
apts4
apts5
apts6
apts7
apts8
atis1
atis2
atis3
atis4
atis5
atis6
atis7
atis8
atis9
atms01
atms02
atms03
atms04
atms05
atms06
atms07
atms08
atms09
atms10
atms11
atms12
atms13
atms14
atms15
atms16
atms17
atms18
atms19
avss01
avss02
avss03
avss04
avss05
Market Package Name
ITS Data Mart
ITS Data Warehouse
ITS Virtual Data Warehouse
Transit Vehicle Tracking
Transit Fixed-Route Operations
Demand Response Transit Operations
Transit Passenger and Fare Management
Transit Security
Transit Maintenance
Multi-modal Coordination
Transit Traveler Information
Broadcast Traveler Information
Interactive Traveler Information
Autonomous Route Guidance
Dynamic Route Guidance
ISP Based Route Guidance
Integrated Transportation Management/Route Guidance
Yellow Pages and Reservation
Dynamic Ridesharing
In Vehicle Signing
Network Surveillance
Probe Surveillance
Surface Street Control
Freeway Control
HOV Lane Management
Traffic Information Dissemination
Regional Traffic Control
Incident Management System
Traffic Forecast and Demand Management
Electronic Toll Collection
Emissions Monitoring and Management
Virtual TMC and Smart Probe Data
Standard Railroad Grade Crossing
Advanced Railroad Grade Crossing
Railroad Operations Coordination
Parking Facility Management
Reversible Lane Management
Road Weather Information System
Regional Parking Management
Vehicle Safety Monitoring
Driver Safety Monitoring
Longitudinal Safety Warning
Lateral Safety Warning
Intersection Safety Warning
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avss06
avss07
avss08
avss09
avss10
avss11
cvo01
cvo02
cvo03
cvo04
cvo05
cvo06
cvo07
cvo08
cvo09
cvo10
em1
em2
em3
Pre-Crash Restraint Deployment
Driver Visibility Improvement
Advanced Vehicle Longitudinal Control
Advanced Vehicle Lateral Control
Intersection Collision Avoidance
Automated Highway System
Fleet Administration
Freight Administration
Electronic Clearance
CV Administrative Processes
International Border Electronic Clearance
Weigh-In-Motion
Roadside CVO Safety
On-board CVO Safety
CVO Fleet Maintenance
HAZMAT Management
Emergency Response
Emergency Routing
Mayday Support
The third step in the process is to draw the interconnect diagram. Turbo Architecture
maps all of the interconnections identified for the project. The interconnections establish
the relationships between system elements and identify which elements will exchange
data. The interconnections do not establish the direction of data flow, only that there is a
connection between two elements. Interconnections are either identified as “existing” or
“planned”.
The final step in the process is to identify the relevant ITS standards for the project.
Turbo Architecture has an automated tool that does this for each project architecture
based on the market packages and interconnects selected. Once this automated list
has been generated by Turbo, an important final step is to check the status of the
relevant standards (as discussed in Section 5.4.1) and document those standards and
their status so that they can be used in the design process.
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SECTION 6
Communications Network
6.1 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OVERVIEW
The City of Oakland is an important and strategically located community in the heart of
the East Bay. Major traffic generators such as the Oakland Airport, Coliseum, Port of
Oakland and the CBD are located in the City and are growing or are being redeveloped.
Traffic management is the key to the successful growth of Oakland and has a direct
impact on the quality of life of East Bay residents and the success and efficiency of
businesses operating in the City.
One of the key elements of a successful traffic management system is the
communication capability and interconnectivity of the citywide ITS system. The traffic
management system requires communication infrastructure to control and communicate
with the ITS field elements and to share data and communicate with other agencies in
the Bay Area.
In the following sections of this document, the citywide communication alternatives will
be presented and recommendations will be provided. The objective of this section is to
ensure that the City of Oakland has a reliable and expandable communications
infrastructure for its citywide ITS system and that compatibility exists between the
various communications networks within the City.
6.2 EXISTING COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
The use of existing communications infrastructure ensures cost efficiency and allows for
major gains in the deployment of the citywide communications infrastructure. The
following existing communication infrastructure has been identified and could be utilized
if the conduit is found to be in satisfactory condition. This information is based on
existing reports and is not meant to be a complete inventory of all existing infrastructure.
A more detailed study of the existing communications infrastructure and their condition is
required before major network architecture decisions are made.
6.2.1 Traffic Signal Interconnect
Traffic signal interconnect conduit accounts for the majority of existing transportationrelated
infrastructure. This conduit typically has copper TWP or fiber optic interconnect
and could be reused or replaced to facilitate network requirements. The existing and
planned City of Oakland traffic signal interconnect projects discussed in Section 2.7.1
are an important part of the City’s communications infrastructure. They are summarized
again below with a focus on their connectivity to the TMC.
• Downtown Signal Interconnect - On San Pablo Avenue, TWP interconnect exists
between 14 th Street and Alcatraz and to the City of Oakland Building located at 250
Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, which will house the planned TMC. On the north side of the
CBD, there is existing or planned TWP interconnect on West Grand/Grand Avenue
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from San Pablo Avenue to Harrison Street; Broadway Avenue from Grand Avenue to
3 rd Street; and 20 th Street from Broadway Avenue to Telegraph Avenue. All of the
downtown conduit will tie directly into the planned TMC in the City of Oakland
Building.
• South Oakland Signal Interconnect - On Hegenberger Road/73 rd Street,
interconnect conduit exists from Doolittle Drive to Coliseum Way but the TWP
interconnect cable has not yet been connected to the controllers. There is also
interconnect conduit on 98 th Street between Airport Drive and I-880. Additionally, on
E. 14 th Street/International Boulevard, there is intermittent interconnect conduit with
TWP. Finally, fiber optic interconnect exists on two corridor segments: San Leandro
Boulevard between 37 th Avenue and Fruitvale Avenue and Fruitvale Avenue
between East 12 th Street and San Leandro Street. None of this conduit is tied into a
central facility.
6.2.2 Existing Fiber Optic Network
The City also has an existing fiber network that spans radially from the planned TMC.
Appendix C shows the fiber routing through the downtown network connecting the
following facilities:
• City Hall (One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza)
• Main Oakland Library (125 14 th St.)
• Fire Alarm Building (310 Oak St.)
• PAB (455 7 th St.)
• EOC (1605 Martin Luther King Way)
• Dalzial Building (250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza)
The City plans to upgrade the existing downtown fiber cable from a 12-strand multimode
fiber optics cable to a new 24-strand single-mode fiber optics cable. The
Transportation Services Division will be allocated two fibers from this new cable for
traffic management purposes.
The City is also currently in negotiations with Comcast for a fiber sharing agreement
between the City and Comcast. Comcast is planning to connect all major City of
Oakland facilities with a fiber optic network over the next five years.
6.2.3 Other Communications Infrastructure
The City also has existing connections between their facilities on Edgewater Drive and
their facilities downtown. There is an existing DS-3 leased line between the City’s 911
Call Center at 8201 Edgewater and the Dalzial Building. There is also a T-1 leased line
connection between the MSY at 7101 Edgewater and the Dalzial Building. Finally, there
is an existing 10 MB microwave link between 8201 Edgewater and the PAB downtown.
There is no existing hardwire link between 7101 Edgewater and 8201 Edgewater.
6.3 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK EVALUATION
There are a number of different alternatives to choose from within the basic
communication components, and in most cases an alternative selected in one group will
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have an effect on the alternatives available in the other basic components. In most
cases, there is not a single alternative within either of the basic categories that will fit all
the needs of a network that covers the entire City of Oakland. For this reason, a wide
area communication system may employ the use of multiple technologies and topologies
to best meet the requirements of the entire system. Fortunately, with current technology
and maturing communication standards, a “hybrid” system that utilizes the best
alternatives available can be feasibly built. For this reason, it is recommended that all
communication links within the network be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for the
best alternative available. This dynamic must be balanced by maintaining a certain level
of consistency to avoid designing and building a system so diverse that it becomes
unmanageable.
In an effort to develop a reasonable level of consistency within the Oakland citywide
communications network, this section will provide a discussion on what the practical
communication alternatives are for both the communications backbone and the field
distribution network (FDN).
6.4 COMMUNICATIONS BACKBONE ALTERNATIVES
The communications backbone is defined as the high-speed communications for C2C
data, and the high-speed communication linking the TMCs with field hubs that are used
to collect and multiplex data from the FDN. Three communication backbone alternatives
are presented below for the Oakland citywide TMC network.
• Agency-owned Fiber Optic Backbone - A fully agency-owned fiber optic backbone
is a cost effective and appropriate solution to link the Oakland TMC to the field hubs
and Airport/Coliseum area.
• Agency-owned Microwave Backbone - A microwave alternative can be considered
a cost effective solution compared to the costs of installing an underground
infrastructure. However, for the City of Oakland, this alternative is less desirable due
to line of sight restrictions, distance limitations, potential interference, and concerns
about its ability to function in the event of an earthquake.
• Fully Leased Backbone - A network that is completely comprised of leased
communications is a quick solution and is initially relatively inexpensive and easy to
implement. However, as a long-term solution, this alternative quickly gets expensive
as the recurring costs continue to accrue.
6.4.1 Communications Backbone Technology
The two emerging candidates for the backbone technologies are: SONET (Synchronous
Optical Network) and Gigabit Ethernet (GigE). The City of Oakland currently has the
beginnings of a SONET standard plan. This fact will be taken into consideration in the
final technology recommendations. This section briefly describes the two technologies.
6.4.1.1 SONET
SONET is an open standard for communicating digitally over fiber optics. It was
developed in the 1980s and enhanced in the 1990s by the telephone industry to provide
high bandwidth communications with a high quality of service, along with the added
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enefit of worldwide standards to standardize the equipment. SONET provides both a
usable standard for ITS and a recent example of a successful standards process.
SONET currently provides standards for a number of line rates approaching 20 Gbps.
SONET is considered to be the foundation for the physical layer of the broadband
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)..
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) runs as a layer on top of the SONET transport for
communicating over a fiber optic medium, so some of the SONET bandwidth can be
used for interconnecting ATM nodes together and the remaining SONET bandwidth can
be used for high quality video node equipment.
6.4.1.2 Gigabit Ethernet (GigE)
Although 100Base-T has captured the market for servers and PCs within the LANs, it
does not provide enough bandwidth for today’s typical backbone or wide area network
(WAN) needs. In order to rectify this problem, the 1000Base-T (Gigabit Ethernet)
standard (802.3z) was ratified by the IEEE 802.3 Committee in 1998. This latest 1000
Mbps Ethernet standard is gaining momentum as the backbone technology of choice
due to the lower cost associated with Ethernet and the availability of products that
support distances in excess of 50 km (~30 miles) via Single Mode Fiber Optic (SMFO)
cable. As 1000/100/10 auto-sensing products become widely available, it is anticipated
that GigE will move down to the server and PC side of the LAN in the same manner as
the 100Base-T (FAST Ethernet) migration path of existing 10Base-T LANs.
6.4.2 Communications Topology
When dealing with the agency-owned alternative (fiber or wireless) communication
infrastructure, there are three primary communication topologies to consider: point-topoint
(star), daisy-chain, and ring. Point-to-point topologies dedicate a communication
path between two points (in this case the field device and the hub). A daisy-chain link
has multiple field devices sharing the communication medium with a single path back to
the node. The ring topology also shares the communication medium with several
devices but has two communication paths to the hub, reducing the effects of a single
communication failure. The ring topology is more robust (fault-tolerant) relative to pointto-point
and daisy-chain topologies.
A diagram of each topology is shown in Figure 6.1.
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Figure 6.1 – Communications Topologies
Field
Device
POINT-to-POINT
NODE
Field
Device
DAISY-CHAIN
NODE
Field
Device
Field
Device
Field
Device
RING
NODE
Field
Device
Field
Device
Field
Device
6.4.2.1 Star Topology (Point-to-Point)
The star topology is comprised of a main hub point with many point-to-point
communication links extending from it. The point-to-point communication links provide
quick response times due to a dedicated channel between each point; however this
presents a reliability problem such that if the medium/connection is cut, the channel has
no other path to maintain the connection. Most microwave communication technologies
(and leased services) use point-to-point topology. In the case of fiber optics, point-topoint
topology requires more fibers than daisy-chain or ring topologies because one or
more fibers are dedicated to each field device. In the case of microwave, separate pairs
of microwave antennas are required for each path.
If the field devices were connected in a star topology, the hub would serve as the central
collection point, through which all communication would be routed. The advantage of a
star topology is the simplicity of design and configuration.
The disadvantages of the star topology include:
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• Lack of fault tolerance; in the event of a link failure (i.e., a cut fiber), communication
would be disrupted;
• Inefficient use of the fiber optic cable, requiring high fiber counts to service the
system; and
• More equipment to maintain and higher total equipment cost due to the fact that each
field element would get transceivers at each end of the link, as opposed to a single
master transceiver for an entire circuit of several devices.
6.4.2.2 Daisy-Chain Topology
The daisy-chain topology is comprised of a main hub point with a single communication
path to the first field device on a circuit. Several other field devices are then connected
to the circuit in series, with each device communicating through all the other devices that
precede it on the communication circuit. The daisy-chain provides for a more efficient
use of the fiber optic cable although a potential reliability problem still exists. If the
communication path is interrupted anywhere on the daisy-chain (i.e., cable break or
failed optical component), all data from devices connected downstream of the
interruption is lost.
The advantages of the daisy-chain topology include simplicity of design and
configuration and minimized use of fiber (only 2 fibers are required). The disadvantage
of a daisy-chain topology is the lack of fault tolerance.
6.4.2.3 Ring Topology
The ring topology was created primarily to increase system reliability and can be used
with either a fiber optic or a microwave/wireless network. A wireless ring through the
use of several microwave antennas/towers/transceivers is feasible, but it is generally an
expensive proposition. The overall intent is to provide fault tolerance for individual
equipment failures and cable cut protection. Two fibers in the forward and return paths
are generally used to create a ring. The self-healing nature of the ring is provided by
equipment that is able to select the best communication path (particularly in the case of
a fiber or transceiver/switch failure).
A folded ring consists of one single cable routed along a single path that uses several
fibers to create a ring. Generally, two fibers are used for the forward path and two are
used for the return path. Because the forward and return fibers share the same physical
cable, it is not as effective in safeguarding against a cable cut as a physical ring,
although it does allow for protection against a mid-ring device failure, which in a daisychain
configuration would have ceased communication to elements downstream of the
failure.
A physical ring comprises separate cable paths (also known as path diversity) from end
to end. This affords a highly reliable fiber-based topology by protecting against both
equipment and fiber failures. In comparison to a folded ring, two fibers could be routed
around the two separate paths instead of four fibers along one path, thereby reducing
overall fiber requirements in each cable route.
The advantages of the ring topology include:
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• Fault tolerance. If a communication device were to fail, all other devices would be
able to communicate with each other (but not with the failed device). If a link fails in
a non-folded portion of the ring, the communication equipment would instantly route
data around the fault with no loss of functionality. A cable break on the folded
portion of the ring would result in loss of communication to the devices at the end of
the folded segment.
• Minimize fiber usage. Full ring functionality could be provided with only two fibers in
some areas (true ring), and four fibers (folded ring) in others.
The disadvantage of the ring topology is that it is most expensive of the options due to
the expense of the equipment involved and the required communications media for the
path redundancy.
6.5 FIELD DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ALTERNATIVES
The following basic communication infrastructure alternatives are presented for the FDN
in this section:
• Agency-owned infrastructure;
• Leased infrastructure; and
• Virtual private network (Internet).
6.5.1 Agency-Owned Infrastructure
6.5.1.1 Fiber Infrastructure
Fiber optics provides the capability of transmitting large amounts of voice, data, and
video over extremely long distances. Two types of fiber optic cables are available for
use: single-mode fiber optics (SMFO) and multi-mode fiber optics (MMFO). SMFO is
considerably less expensive than MMFO (2–5 times less), and is more popular, but
requires more expensive terminal equipment due to the smaller optical core and precise
lasers needed. Despite the higher equipment costs for SMFO, it is recommended over
MMFO due to its lower attenuation and ability to transmit data over much greater
distances, negating the higher equipment cost.
Loose tube cable construction is recommended because loose tube cables have a high
propensity to withstand contraction/expansion cycles that result from changes in outdoor
temperatures. This is because the optical fiber actually floats within the tube. Ribbon
fiber is not recommended due to the problems of servicing a single fiber. Fusion splicing
is recommended for high-quality, low-attenuation connections.
6.5.1.2 Twisted-Wire Pair Infrastructure
Copper TWP is the most common method used to establish communications for traffic
signals and other low speed ITS field elements. The cost of the TWP is reasonable, and
its universal application makes this medium the standard by which other
communications methods are judged. The TWP bandwidth is generally between 1200
and 2400 bps for copper-based signal systems and ITS infrastructures, as is the case
with existing City of Oakland controllers, but the trend is moving toward the 19.2 Kbps in
support of NTCIP requirements. Additional bandwidth can be achieved on TWP by
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upgrading the modems to 19.2 Kbps or higher but this is not generally necessary for
typical traffic signal communication.
TWP can be used for interconnect of traffic controller cabinets and to connect to hub
nodes on the communications backbone. The TWP bandwidth is more than sufficient to
meet the traffic controller’s system requirements.
6.5.1.3 Wireless Infrastructure
The two methods of wireless infrastructure applications are microwave and spread
spectrum radio.
Point-to-point traffic applications have used microwave links primarily as a
communications trunk between offices and/or remote work centers (i.e., maintenance
building) to carry video, voice and data. Microwave links can be used to communicate
with field device controllers or transmit data and video information in CCTV applications.
Microwave signals radiate through the atmosphere along a line-of-sight path between
transmitting and receiving antennas. Both technical and frequency utilization
requirements dictate highly directional microwave frequency antennas. Because
microwave radio uses simplex transmission (transmission in only one direction), a
frequency pair allows transmission in both directions at the same time. The FCC makes
several frequencies available for Private Operational Fixed Microwave Service (POFMS)
ranging from 928 MHz to 40 GHz. Frequencies that have been the most prevalent
include 18, 23, 28 and 31. The recent re-allocation/auction of frequencies in the 28 and
31 GHz bands to new services, such as Local Multipoint Distribution Services (LMDS),
means some ITS users will be faced with changing their communication links. Point-topoint
microwave in the 5.7 GHz frequency range is becoming a popular communications
technology for reasonable quality video applications and operates within a frequency
range that does not require FCC licensing on a per site basis.
Spread spectrum radio (SSR) is a common technique used with radio transmission to
reduce interference during communication. A SSR transmitter uses a code that spreads
a signal over a wide range of frequencies; the same code is used in the receiver that
works synchronous to the transmitter to condense the received signal so that the original
data sequence may be recovered. Because SSR frequencies lie in an unprotected
channel space, FCC approval is not required in the 902-928 MHZ, the 2400-2483.5
MHz, and the 5725-5850 MHz frequency bands. Although microwave adheres to line-ofsight
restrictions, some level of bending around obstacles is possible in the 902-928
MHz frequency range.
6.5.2 Leased Infrastructure
Many telecommunication service providers in the area can provide a broad range of
communication links. The desired connectivity level and bandwidth needed depends on
the specific application of the communication link. The use of telecommunication service
providers translates to lower up-front costs, but there is typically a substantial per-month
charge for each service point that needs to be factored into the operating budget for the
network. Table 6.1 gives an approximation of how much data/video can be transported
using the most common types of telecommunication services. A description of these
types of services is provided following the table.
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Table 6.1 – Bandwidth Comparison
D L V L D L &V L D L &2 V L D H &V H D H &2 V H D H &4 V H
CDPD X
POTS X – – – – – –
ISDN X X X – – – –
DSL X X X X – – –
T1 (DS-1) X X X X – – –
Dual T1 X X X X X – –
Quad T1 X X X X X X –
D L :
D H :
V L :
V H :
Low speed data, data transfer at 19.2 kbps;
High speed data, data transfer at 1.544 Mbps;
Low quality video, digital video and CCTV control compressed to 128 kbps;
High quality video, digital video and CCTV control compressed to 1.544 Mbps.
6.5.2.1 Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) and other Wireless Services
Wireless networks have two primary clients, “Voice” users and “Data” users. The City of
Oakland would be considered a Data user with regard to ITS applications. CDPD is the
current industry standard for data transmission over wireless networks. It uses the
Advanced Mobile Phones Service (AMPS) networks already in place in the United
States. CDPD provides two-way data communications for users of devices such as
notebook computers and personal digital assistants. AMPS has been modified to allow
digital information to be transmitted in packet form on a “not to interfere” basis with
voice. Digital data packets fill the time slots where voice is not transmitted and this
service can support transmission rates up to 19.2 kbps (AMPS only supports up to 9,600
bps). This capability is available in selected urban areas; however, the amount of data
transfer to occur and the corresponding operational cost of service may become an
issue.
CDPD can be an effective medium for semi-urban data communication distribution links
by using several low-cost remote radio modems to connect controller cabinets to a
slightly higher cost master modem at a communication hub or at the TMC. The data
throughput for CDPD is enough to support data communications for NTCIP, but it cannot
provide an acceptable level of quality for video demands.
The telecommunication industry is currently going through major changes in wireless
network technology to achieve the goal of providing faster and more reliable wireless
connectivity. The CDPD networks that are provided by major wireless operators such as
Alltel, AT&T Wireless, Cingular, and Verizon are being phased out by end of 2004 and
early 2005. The new and emerging wireless standards are General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS) of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) family and
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The GPRS/GSM standard is provided by AT&T
Wireless, Cingular and T-Mobile. The CDMA standard is provided by Verizon and Sprint.
These new wireless networks have a higher bandwidth than CDPD allowing data to
transfer faster. The cost and availability of these new standards is an ongoing issue with
prices coming down as the number of users and competition increases.
Since both CDPD and the newer wireless standards utilize the TCP/IP protocol for
communications, migration from CDPD to the new technology is only a matter of
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upgrading equipment and changing the service plan. Current CDPD contracts in the
Bay Area are based on AT&T government rates and services. AT&T is currently offering
attractive migration plans from CDPD to GPRS/GSM that include free equipment
exchange. It is also important to note that the cost of wireless modems is under $500.
Further, TCP/IP is a standard protocol that works with all the new wireless technologies;
therefore limiting the risk of this technology.
6.5.2.2 Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)
POTS has capabilities similar to TWP connections that are common in many traffic
signal systems, except that the connections are provided by the telephone company
instead of by the operating agency. In most cases, the type of modem that is deployed
to interface the POTS is not directly compatible with private copper networks. POTS
links are dial-up connections; the communication channel is normally off (“on hook,” as
with an in-home telephone) and requires time to dial and make a connection. Lowcapacity
leased lines that are always connected also are available, but cost considerably
more because dedicated bandwidth for point-to-point connection must be continually
maintained by the telephone company.
6.5.2.3 Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
ISDN lines provide relatively low-cost voice and moderate-speed data pathways to the
ITS market. ISDN combines phone service with some basic equipment to create three
separate digital channels (two B channels at 56/64 kbps and one D channel at 16 kbps).
Basic rate interface ISDN (ISDN BRI) outperforms today's POTS technology by enabling
simultaneous voice, data, video, and fax communications with data transmission speeds
up to 128 kbps, and throughput exceeding 500 kbps using compression techniques.
With primary rate ISDN, speeds of 1.54 Mbps can be achieved and are selectable in
increments of 64 kbps with the dialable wideband service feature.
ISDN is available in most metropolitan areas across North America, and is deployed in
over 30 different countries. ISDN forms the foundation for an array of low-cost solutions,
such as video conferencing, image processing, network-to-network connectivity, and
private branch exchange connectivity to the public network.
6.5.2.4 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
DSL was developed for the telephone industry to deliver high-bandwidth digital
communication to homes and businesses over the phone companies’ existing copper
networks. It is capable of speeds in excess of 1 Mbps; however, the actual guaranteed
data rate may be significantly lower depending on the service provider in the area. DSL
technology is a transport technology like SONET, and a variety of different network
standards (such as Ethernet and ATM) can be transported between two or more points
using DSL links from a communication service provider.
It is important to note that some DSL technologies are not fully standardized. By not
being fully standardized it is possible that DSL equipment purchased for use with one
telecommunications service provider might not work with a DSL link being provided by
another telecommunications service provider. This might also be the case within the
same telecommunications service provider’s coverage area, but at different locations
within that area.
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There are three different types of DSL technology. The first is Asymmetric DSL, which is
most cost-effective in point-to-point CCTV applications where the bandwidth intensive
CCTV video goes in one direction and the non-intensive CCTV control data goes in the
other direction. The second is Symmetric DSL, which provides symmetric (equal)
bandwidth availability on both the upstream (transmit) and downstream (receive) paths.
The third is High Bit Rate DSL, which is one of the most common DSL technologies
deployed within a telecommunication service providers’ infrastructure; since it provides a
fixed bandwidth of 1.544 Mbps (T1 bandwidth equivalent) at distances greater then the
standard T1 service.
6.4.2.5 T1 (based on North American Digital Hierarchy, DS-#)
The North American Digital Signal Hierarchy is comprised of a series of circuits that are
commonly referred to by the number of voice channels that they can support and the
total bandwidth of the circuit. The circuit naming convention used is the Digital Signal
Level (DS-#), where DS stands for Digital Signal and the value of the number identifies
the type of circuit. DS-1 (T1) is the most commonly used digital signal line in the United
States, Canada, and Japan. A T1 circuit can provide 1.544 Mbps of data communication
bandwidth and is commonly used in the ITS world for carrying compressed video signals
at a relatively high quality. T1 circuits work well over fiber or copper circuits.
6.5.3 Virtual Private Network
Virtual Private Networking (VPN) uses the Internet in lieu of agency-owned or leased
lines for communications. The C2C communication can be accomplished via agencyowned
fiber, therefore VPN is not the recommended alternative. In certain situations,
VPN can be effectively utilized for C2C communications.
With VPN, interagency data are encrypted and sent over the Internet. The following
measures are taken to keep the data secure:
• Authentication – Prior to opening a virtual connection over the Internet, the data
source is verified to make sure the access is legitimate.
• Encapsulation – The private network’s data (whether it is TCP/IP, AppleTalk, Novell,
NetBEUI, or other format) is placed in a “wrapper” and transported over the Internet.
At the other end, the wrapper is removed, leaving the data intact in its original format.
• Encryption – The data inside the wrapper is always encrypted, or scrambled, to keep
unauthorized people from discerning the contents.
VPN-based connections provide real-time (second-by-second) communication much as
an agency-owned system would. The latency (or lag time) of a VPN connection would
be dictated by the ISPs system, but this latency is generally measured in the millisecond
range.
The advantages of using VPN, as compared to leased lines, would be significant for the
following reasons:
• Most agencies in the Bay Area already have a high-bandwidth Internet connection
that could be utilized for providing the interjurisdictional interface at no additional
cost. This would save the cost of a leased line for each agency. (It is important to
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note that if an agency does not have an existing Internet connection and one needs
to be added, VPN would not be as cost-effective as leased lines, because the
connection would need to be at both ends.)
• The Oakland TMC would be able to interface with all VPN sites with one Internet
connection, rather than paying for and interfacing with the second end of all the
leased lines from each agency.
The disadvantage of using VPN is that the network is based on open standards that are
still emerging. The market leader today is Microsoft, which has implemented a protocol
called PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol). PPTP is a proprietary protocol;
meaning if implemented for the Oakland citywide network, only Microsoft-compatible
products could be specified. One open standard for VPN, called IPSec (or “IP
Security”), has recently been developed, and products supporting it are now being
shipped. Unlike PPTP, IPSec offers the benefits of an open standard that is highly
desirable for most public agencies.
6.5.4 FDN Considerations
Using a conduit and TWP/fiber infrastructure, if readily available, can carry tremendous
amounts of data at a fraction of the operational cost of leased services, even if
maintenance services are contracted on an on-call basis. The cost of installing fiber
optics or twisted pairs, if conduit is not readily available, can be prohibitively expensive;
therefore, the communication alternative selection process assumes that fiber or twisted
pair will be used wherever conduit is pre-existing. Where conduit is not pre-existing, an
evaluation needs to be performed to decide whether or not to install new conduit and/or
fiber optics, build a wireless link, or make use of leased telecommunication services.
6.6 FIELD DEVICE REQUIREMENTS
The ITS field elements require different bandwidths for communications. Most ITS
elements such as VDS and DMS require lower bandwidth. CCTV cameras are the most
demanding and require high bandwidth. This section presents a discussion on relevant
ITS elements that would be deployed in the City of Oakland.
6.6.1 Low Bandwidth Devices
Low bandwidth devices require lower speed connections and can generally utilize TWP,
or low bandwidth wireless communications such as CDPD or dial up to transit data from
a field cabinet to a hub. Fiber optics can also be used to transmit data to and from low
bandwidth devices, if available, but it is not required. Some of the low bandwidth
devices being recommended in this Strategic Plan are traffic signal controllers, VDS,
DMS and TBS.
When using TWP or fiber optics to connect to traffic signals, two twisted wire pairs or
fiber strands are required from the backbone (one to transmit data and one to receive
data). Numerous traffic signal controllers can be connected in a daisy chain or ring
configuration (see Figure 6-1) with the same two twisted wire pairs or fiber strands.
Generally, no more than six or eight controllers are interconnected on same circuit. Two
twisted wire pairs or fibers enter each controller cabinet and two twisted wire pairs or
fibers leave each controller cabinet except for the controller on the end of the chain.
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This same hardwire configuration can be used for other low bandwidth devices such as
DMS, TBS and VDS, if desired.
6.6.2 High Bandwidth Devices
High bandwidth devices require a higher speed connection and can generally utilize fiber
optics, microwave or leased lines such as DSL, T1-T3. The two high bandwidth devices
being recommended in this Strategic Plan are CCTV cameras and kiosks.
When using fiber for CCTV communication, one fiber strand is required from the
backbone to connect to each CCTV camera. This single fiber strand is used to transmit
video in one direction and PTZ data in both directions. However, due to the high
bandwidth requirements of CCTV, the devices must be configured in a point-to-point
topology (see Figure 6-1). In this configuration, one fiber strand is dedicated to each
CCTV camera.
6.7 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK RECOMMENDATIONS
This section introduces short-, medium-, and long-term communications to deliver the
needs of the City into the 21 st century. The main considerations for communications are
derived from the need for low and high-speed connections. High bandwidth ITS
elements such as CCTV will utilize fiber optics. Some of the low bandwidth ITS
elements will utilize existing conduit and TWP when it is more cost effective than
upgrading to fiber. TWP can be tied directly into the TMC or into field communications
hubs where it is connected to the City’s fiber backbone. Conduit and fiber infrastructure
should be built on the priority corridors mentioned in Section 2. The fiber cable should
be sized to accommodate future communications needs. At a minimum, a 96-strand
fiber cable is recommended on each priority corridor. In the remote areas of Oakland,
where building conduit infrastructure may be costly, CDPD wireless modems or 2.5 GHz
Spread Spectrum (802.11 A/B) would be cost effective solutions to transmit data back to
the TMC. A top-level phased approach to the communications requirements is provided
below.
6.7.1 Short-Term Communications Plan (0 to 5 years)
In the short-term plan the focus should be on the Airport/Coliseum area and some of the
high priority corridors (see Section 8 for specifics). The high priority corridors near
downtown such as Broadway and Telegraph should be tied directly into the TMC. The
high priority corridors near the Airport/Coliseum area should be connected to the MSY
communications hub. From the MSY, a leased T-1 line should be utilized to provide a
high-speed connection to the TMC for the near term. This T-1 line should be dedicated
to the Transportation Services Division and be used for traffic management purposes
only.
CCTV cameras should utilize a fiber network installed in existing or new conduits.
Traffic signals should utilize existing TWP interconnect, if available. If no TWP
interconnect exists, fiber could be used to interconnect signals and transmit CCTV
images. All other low speed ITS elements such as DMS and VDS should utilize wireless
connections or phone drops. Based on the actual deployment and commissioning
schedule of the City’s ITS projects, the best wireless network and service plan should be
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selected for that time frame. As the new wireless networks are deployed, prices will
come down and more competitive service plans will be offered.
The City should connect its TMC to downtown the fiber loop in the near term. The City’s
Transportation Services Division should explore options for how to best utilize its two
allocated fibers on the existing downtown fiber loop. This will require performing a more
detailed Communications Study that builds on the recommendations in this Strategic
Plan. In order to optimize the use of its two fibers, the City will need to implement one of
the backbone technologies discussed in Section 6.4.1. Alternatively, Transportation
Services could install a larger SMFO cable in the same conduit and use that as its
backbone.
Utilizing the existing downtown fiber loop, a C2C connection should be established
between Oakland TMC and EOC in the near term. A new fiber connection between
Oakland TMC and Caltrans District 4 TMC should also be evaluated for a potential C2C
connection. Since the City of Oakland will already be connected to Caltrans via the
SMART Corridors Program, this C2C connection is not a priority but should still be
evaluated since it would facilitate more extensive data and video sharing between
Oakland and Caltrans.
The City of Oakland should explore opportunities to connect to the regional C2C system
being developed by MTC. This will most likely occur through the East Bay SMART
Corridors system via a tie-in to the TravInfo® system.
A schematic diagram of the near-term proposed communications network is depicted in
Figure 6.2.
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August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
SHORT TERM PROJECTS
FIGURE 6.2

6.7.2 Medium-Term Communications Plan (5 to 10 years)
In the medium term, a ring topology backbone should be developed around the Oakland
CBD connecting all major downtown facilities such as the EOC, TMC and PAB. This
C2C backbone, which may build on the existing downtown fiber loop, will create a highspeed
connection to all City agencies and also creates an opportunity for field
communication hubs to connect to remote locations that reach the hubs through TWP
and other low-bandwidth mediums. The backbone will be developed based on the
recommendations of the detailed Communications Study performed in the near-term
phase.
The T-1 leased line between the MSY field hub and the Oakland TMC should be
discontinued and replaced by a permanent City-owned connection. The new connection
will utilize the existing microwave link between 8201 Edgewater and the PAB downtown.
This link will need to be upgraded to a higher bandwidth microwave link and a new fiber
connection will need to be established between the MSY and the 8201 Edgewater
building. From the PAB building, the existing fiber connection to the TMC could be
utilized. However, since the Transportation Services Division will only be allocated two
fibers from this connection, the City will need to either invest in one of the
communications backbone technologies discussed in Section 6.4.1 or install a larger
fiber cable in the existing conduit to complete the TMC to MSY connection.
In addition, a C2C link should be established between the Oakland TMC and the Port of
Oakland to enable sharing of data and video images. This could be accomplished by
extended the fiber along Hegenberger to the Port of Oakland TMC located at the
Oakland Airport.
Other medium-term projects should include an extension of conduits along the major
corridors and installation of fiber instead of TWP whenever possible.
Public/Private partnerships should be utilized to build additional infrastructure on the
citywide network. An example of this type of partnership is the agreement currently
being discussed between the City of Oakland and Comcast.
Medium-term projects should also include wireless interconnect to remote locations of
traffic signal controller cabinets. This wireless connection could utilize SSR or a leased
wireless service.
A schematic diagram of the medium-term proposed communications network is depicted
in Figure 6.3.
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August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
MEDIUM TERM PROJECTS
FIGURE 6.3

6.7.3 Long-Term Communications Plan (10 to 20 years)
In the long term, the complete installation of fiber along all of the major corridors and
their connection to the backbone will provide full connectivity throughout the City. With
Citywide fiber deployed on all major corridors and a high-speed microwave connection
between the MSY and the PAB, the City will have a redundant communications
backbone that traverses the entire City.
All signalized intersections should be interconnected to the TMC. Remote intersections
should be interconnected via SSR or leased wireless service.
The Oakland TMC should monitor and control traffic and CCTV cameras throughout the
City, as well as coordinate with other TMCs. The TMC will be expanded to
accommodate the expansion of field devices and additional equipment.
A schematic diagram of the ultimate proposed communications network is depicted in
Figure 6.4.
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August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
LONG TERM PROJECTS
FIGURE 6.4

SECTION 7
Transportation Management Center
The City of Oakland is planning to deploy a TMC for a traffic engineering interface to the
City’s traffic signal system, CCTV cameras, DMS devices, SMART Corridor ATMS
server, related peripherals, and other future equipment via its existing TWP signal
interconnect and proposed fiber optic and wireless communication systems. The
Transportation Services Division expects to use the Jack London Conference Room on
the 4 th floor of 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. It is envisioned that the new TMC will enable
effective and proactive management of the Oakland transportation system.
This document describes the basic requirements and operating concepts for a typical
TMC and addresses the operational characteristics of the City of Oakland TMC
workspace. Based on the City’s long-range needs and operational strategy, a
conceptual TMC floor plan is also provided. The conceptual floor plan layout provides a
preliminary plan for the building remodeling/reuse design. It does not contain building
construction details (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, electrical, wall surface
materials, etc.), but does include furniture and equipment needs, suggested lighting
types and levels, and requirements for external system interfaces. The construction
details will need to be developed as part of a detailed TMC design project.
7.1 OPERATING CONCEPTS
The TMC operating concepts define how a TMC should operate in accordance to its
operational needs and requirements. Other components which include the physical
environment, communications infrastructure, and security system are important
operating components which should also be considered in designing a TMC. These
considerations will be factored into the TMC design to provide the optimum system
physical configuration and an optimum working environment while fully supporting the
complex and sophisticated technology and equipment. An understanding of the
operating concepts will allow for the realization of the City’s goal with a truly practical
solution.
7.1.1 Operational Needs and Requirements
The Oakland TMC should be designed in such a manner that it satisfies the immediate
operational needs and requirements of the City and allows for future expansion to
include the City’s needs relative to future deployment strategies. The key functions of
the Oakland TMC are to provide traffic management staff with the capability to interface
with the traffic signal system, monitor traffic information, and be able to manage traffic
incidents in real time from the TMC. The traffic monitoring task will be performed using
video monitors which will be installed in the TMC.
The TMC will also provide the capability to disseminate and share traffic information with
other nearby agencies and the public. The operator console must be designed to
accommodate the duties and coordination activities performed by the traffic
management staff. The City also intends to deploy CCTV cameras for traffic
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surveillance purposes in the near future at critical locations, which accounts for the
addition of future video equipment in the TMC.
7.1.2 Physical Environment
The TMC’s physical environment consists of design elements presented below that allow
the system, both human and machine components, to function efficiently and effectively.
These elements include:
• lighting and power – primary and supplementary lighting;
• acoustic – background noise and interior acoustical properties;
• environmental – heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning;
• workspace layout – dimensions, access, and fixtures.
Some features of the physical environment are mandated by public law (e.g., access for
the disabled). Other features are based on established design practice (e.g., lighting
standards for designated work areas). The intent of this section is to provide ideal
characteristics for a TMC environment. The specific requirements for the proposed TMC
should be determined during the TMC design phase.
Lighting and Power – Lighting in the TMC workspace can include both natural and
artificial light. Artificial light is provided to illuminate the TMC. In general, the overall
lighting should be kept low to provide optimum viewing of the video and computer
monitors. Exterior natural light sources from corridors, exterior windows and adjacent
rooms should be avoided to minimize their impact on TMC operations. Interior windows,
if provided, should be treated for glare. The ambient light should be indirect with
recessed incandescent ceiling lighting or task lights provided at the operator console.
The selection of the type of fixture and its corresponding location should be such that
there is no glare or interference with other display facilities. All interior finishes should
be in medium-to-dark colors. Separate lighting controls should be provided for the TMC.
Dimmable or phased controls are desired.
An associated element of lighting is the overall electrical service for the TMC. Separate
circuits should be provided for lighting (approximately two) so that more control of
lighting levels can be achieved, if desired. Separate circuits should also be provided for
video monitors (one or two circuits) and equipment racks (one or two circuits per rack). If
video monitors are on the same circuits as general lighting, there is a risk that the
monitors can be affected as lights are turned on or off.
These electrical requirements should be reviewed during the detailed TMC design as the
Jack London Conference Room may need additional electrical circuits to accommodate
the proposed design. If more circuits are needed, they can be added as part of the TMC
build out.
Acoustics – A stand-alone air conditioning system, which frequently generates
significant operating noise, is generally not recommended for TMC application.
Consideration should be given to incorporate as much acoustic treatment into the TMC
as possible to aid in absorbing incidental noise. High quality ceiling treatments and antistatic
computer room carpet tile are recommended.
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The Jack London Conference Room does not operate on a stand alone air conditioning
system so noise is not a problem. It is not envisioned that the Jack London Conference
Room will require any of these acoustical enhancements.
Environmental – This includes the consideration of both ventilation and fire protection
requirements. Ventilation is an essential operating concern in a TMC environment for
the protection of equipment and for providing a comfortable working environment for
traffic management staff. Air conditioning must be provided to the area that houses
computers and equipment. Typically, all building air conditioning systems do not operate
24 hours per day, 7 days per week and some communication equipment may be
susceptible to damage if it becomes too hot. For this reason, it is usually recommended
to have a smaller dedicated HVAC system or segregate the larger building system to
accommodate special needs of the TMC. The TMC temperature and humidity controls
should also be connected to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system. To ensure
that the working environment for traffic management staff is optimal, fresh air intake is
preferred to recycled air.
A fire protection system is an important operating concern especially in areas where
equipment and computers are located. Depending on the sensitivity of equipment, a
sprinkler system could be used as a fire protection system. Although some equipment
may need to be replaced should the sprinkler system be activated, it is more important to
suppress the fire and curtail further damage.
The proposed equipment room and control room for the City of Oakland TMC meet
these environmental requirements.
Workspace Layout – Based on the requirements provided at the City workshop, the
TMC should provide space for at least two workstations and be large enough to house
all of the necessary computers and video display equipment. Supplemental space
should also be provided for the supervisor and visitors.
The following equipment will reside in the TMC control room:
• Two workstation computers (with monitors and keyboards) connected to the central
signal system, each with full ATMS functionality
• Two PTZ control keypads for CCTV system
• A video wall display with one large screen and possibly four smaller video monitors
• One conference table with chairs
• One small table or desk to house an area for signal controller testing and training
• Bookcases and filing cabinets as desired by the City
The Jack London Conference Room, which is approximately 26’ by 14’, should provide
adequate space for this workspace layout.
In addition, consideration should be given to accessibility for persons with disabilities.
To provide for accessibility clearance, doorways should be a minimum of 36 inches wide
by 6 feet 8 inches high. Doors should be hinged inward and solid to provide security and
resistance to fire.
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7.1.3 Communications Infrastructure
Telephone service should be supplied throughout the TMC. Telephone jacks should be
provided in both the control room and the equipment room. One data port and one
duplex electrical outlet (two plugs) should be provided for every networked device in the
TMC. Data ports should include 10/100 Mbps compatible cabling and RJ-45 jacks.
These infrastructure requirements should be reviewed during the detailed TMC design to
ensure that there are enough outlets and data ports available in the proposed TMC
room. If more outlets or data ports are needed, they can be added as part of the TMC
build out.
7.1.4 Security
Security measures should be provided for the TMC to avoid unauthorized access to
equipment and data. The entrance to the TMC should be equipped with a door lock with
self-locking features. The TMC and its associated equipment room should not be
shared with other building functions, if possible.
The City of Oakland’s proposed TMC equipment room will share space with other City
equipment. However, since it is the primary function of this room to store City
equipment, it is locked at all times and only authorized personnel are allowed access to
the room. Nevertheless, the City should establish a policy that would prohibit anybody
from touching the TMC equipment without a representative of the Transportation
Services Division being present.
The proposed TMC control room will initially be a joint-use TMC and meeting room.
While this is not an ideal arrangement, it is a City requirement until the City finds suitable
meeting space elsewhere. The City will need ensure that a City employee is present at
all times when unauthorized persons are using the meeting room adjacent to the TMC.
7.2 TMC REQUIREMENTS
This section builds on the operating concepts discussed in the previous section to define
the basic requirements for the City of Oakland TMC. More detailed requirements will
need to be developed during the TMC design phase.
The City’s current traffic management office area is generally inadequate to provide an
efficient and comfortable work area for managing and monitoring the City’s traffic signal
system. The City’s new TMC should be large enough to house the following:
• Console area that will accommodate two or three persons (with room to grow);
• Small conference table with chairs;
• Small desk or table for controller testing area;
• Equipment racks (up to four);
• Video wall display and monitors;
• System control equipment; and
• Communications equipment.
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The TMC will include two separate rooms: a control room for the operators and an
equipment room to house the servers and communications equipment. The City would
like to have their TMC viewable to the public so they require a window that will allow
visitors a view of the inside of the control room. It is also desirable that the TMC be
expandable by remodeling to allow for additional space in the future.
The TMC will be connected to the MSY on Edgewater Drive to provide a link to ITS
devices deployed in the Oakland Airport/Coliseum Area as described in the Oakland
Airport-Coliseum Area Implementation Plan. In the future, the TMC may have
connections to other area centers, such as the Caltrans TMC, Oakland EOC, Oakland
Airport TMC or TMCs of neighboring agencies.
7.3 TMC CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
The TMC will be located as close to the City’s communication trunk lines as possible to
minimize cable routing. From outside the building, the trunk line cables will enter the
termination room in the basement of 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. Typically, several 3” or
4” conduits are installed for the trunk connection between the termination room (located
in the basement) and the field devices. From the termination room, existing building
conduit will be used to route the communications cables to the equipment room located
on the fourth floor. From the equipment room, the cables will enter the control room on
the same floor through either a suspended ceiling or an access floor.
If the ceiling system is used, metal conduit, raceways, and/or flexible conduit cable
assemblies will be used to distribute power and data/communications wiring in the
ceiling plenum, or the space between a finished dropped or hung ceiling and the roof. If
the ceiling is an air-plenum ceiling, cable must be routed through conduit or must be firerated.
If the access floor system is used, cable raceways or conduit cable assemblies will be
used to distribute power and data/communications wiring through the floor.
Based on the operating concepts, it is recommended that the TMC be divided into a
control room and an equipment room for the following reasons:
• The TMC equipment will generate heat and noise continuously. A separate
equipment room will provide a more comfortable working environment for traffic
management staff.
• The installation of future additional equipment in the TMC can be done more easily in
a separate equipment room.
.A list of the equipment that will reside in the TMC control room and equipment room is
summarized in Table 7.1.
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Table 7.1 – TMC Equipment List
Control Room
Equipment Room
Description Quantity Description Quantity
Large Screen Display 1 19” Equipment Racks 4
Video Monitors 4 Central Signal System Server 1
Integrated Computer
2 SMART Corridor Server 1
Workstation (w/ 21” monitor)
PTZ Control Keypad to control 2 CCTV Server/Video Matrix 1
CCTV cameras
Switch
“L” Shaped Operator Console 2 DMS/TBS Server 1
(modular)
Conference Table (w/ chairs) 1 Shared 15” monitor and
1
keyboard for diagnostics on all
servers
Controller Testing Area
1 Communications Equipment various
(desk/table and small test box)
(modems, multiplexers, etc.)
Bookcase 2 Cables and Cable Raceways various
File Cabinet 1 or 2
Details of the control room and equipment room for the Oakland TMC are discussed in
the following paragraphs.
7.3.1 Control Room
The control room refers to the area where the operator carries out his traffic monitoring
tasks and other day-to-day duties. As the City desires, the primary function of the room
will be the TMC control room, but it should also function as a conference room. There
will be a window at one end of the control room to allow for public viewing of the TMC.
There will also be a small controller testing area which will allow a signal controller to be
connected to a workstation for testing and training purposes. The amount of floor space
(26’ x 14’) provided in the proposed control room will provide for two consoles as well as
the supplemental space for the supervisor and visitors. The amount of floor space will
also be adequate for the conference room.
Within the TMC control room, there are a number of physical items which need to
function together in order to form the basis of the TMC. These items are described
below.
Video Display – The City will have a video wall display system. A video wall display
system utilizes a large video screen and smaller monitors to display traffic information
and video images. Initially, the video display system for the Oakland TMC will include a
large screen display surrounded by four smaller monitors (two on each side) for video
monitoring. The video display should be visible to the supervisor and visitors. The video
display will be controlled from the operator consoles via a PTZ control keypad for the
CCTV system.
A video wall may require an additional 3 to 6 feet of room depth, depending on the
technology deployed. Currently the two major large screen display technologies are the
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
89 September, 2003

projector technology and the flat screen display technology. Projector technology
involves the use of a projector (front or rear) to reflect an image from a mirror onto a
large screen. The most common rear screen projectors are the Liquid Crystal Display
(LCD) type and the Digital Light Processing (DLP) type. Typically, flat screen system
utilizes gas plasma screens to display images. However, gas plasma screens are more
susceptible to “screen burn” from common images being displayed on a continuous
basis.
When CCTV surveillance cameras are installed in the future, the camera images can be
configured to be displayed on the large screen display to provide a focal point for the
TMC.
Operator Consoles – The operator console is where the TMC management staff will
perform the majority of their duties and should provide enough work space to
accommodate for both on-line and off-line activities and responsibilities. Therefore, when
an operator is not working with the traffic control system (typically non-peak hours)
he/she may perform other assigned day-to-day activities such as traffic analyses and
report writing. There will be one operator working at each console.
The consoles should be designed to support the video display systems and computer
monitors as well as to provide desk space and an area for a keyboard. The consoles
should be placed side-by-side, each in an “L” shaped configuration to facilitate
interaction between the operators. The console hosting the computer can have
keyboard trays and should have cable guides. A minimum of 3 feet by 3 feet of
horizontal table space for each computer monitor is recommended. The 3-foot minimum
depth will provide the operator with adequate tabletop space for other materials, and
allows for the monitors to be placed the appropriate distance away from the operator. It
is desirable to provide room for under-console CPU storage on a retractable shelf for
easy access. The keyboard trays should raise and lower so wheelchairs can get under
the trays.
A 27” vertical knee clearance should be provided at the console. The use of a
"submerged monitor" computer desk should be avoided since it limits legroom, has a
significantly higher cost, and places the monitor at too low a position for long-term
continuous use by an operator.
The console furniture should be modular to allow the accommodation of future
technology upgrades and be ergonomically adjustable to fit individual operator size and
preferences.
Other Furniture – A small table or desk will be provided on one side of the room to
house a controller testing area. The testing area will allow a signal controller to be
connected to one of the workstations for testing and training purposes. A supplementary
desk can be provided at the operator console area to supply additional workspace for
the operator. Book shelves and file cabinets can be used to provide storage for manuals
and reference materials. Additional chairs should be provided for visitors and the
supervisor. Since the City of Oakland intends to use the TMC room as a conference
room on occasion, a conference table and chairs should be provided in the back of the
control room as well.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
90 September, 2003

7.3.2 Equipment Room
The equipment room is the area which houses the different devices needed to operate
the TMC. These devices are usually housed in equipment racks or cabinets. Up to four
equipment racks/cabinets may be needed in the equipment room for the full build-out of
the Oakland TMC. Backbone cables from outside the building will be terminated in a
separate room in the basement and then routed to the equipment room. Cables are
connected in the equipment room to establish continuous electrical/communication paths
from the communications equipment to the equipment in the control room. The
proposed equipment room has been located as close as possible to the control room for
maintenance and wiring purposes. The amount of floor space (16’ x 8’) in the proposed
equipment room allows for both immediate and future needs.
The equipment room should not be shared with any other use such as storage, janitorial
equipment or other electrical or mechanical installations. There should not be any
plumbing fixtures in the room and pipes should not pass through, or above, the room
that could cause flooding or require continuous repair or replacement. The floor must be
free of dust and static electricity, thus it should be tiled instead of carpeted. If the floor is
left uncovered, it must be sealed and should be painted.
The doorway must be sized to provide adequate room for equipment and racks to move
in and out. Access to the equipment room could be through either the TMC control room
or another exterior door outside the TMC. If such a secondary door is provided, it should
be secured with door locks and an auto closing and locking mechanism.
The following paragraphs describe some of the essential components in the equipment
room.
Equipment Racks – The actual TMC equipment is housed within racks which have both
front and rear access with doors and exhaust fans for air movement in and between
equipment pieces for heat dissipation. The fiber optic cable will be terminated in a rackmounted
Fiber Distribution Unit (FDU) in the termination room in the basement. The
selection of the specific FDU type will be dependent on the total number of terminations
which are needed. This will be determined once the City prepares the master
communications plan for its signal system.
Equipment racks should be organized into logical groupings. For instance one rack may
house CCTV equipment, another rack may house the signal system equipment and
another rack may house the communications equipment. Up to four racks may be
needed in the equipment room for the full build-out of the Oakland TMC. Floor space in
front and behind equipment racks and cabinets should provide sufficient clearance for
service and maintenance and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. If
cable raceways are used, the raceway should be located under the access floor and
should be connected to the equipment on the same side as the equipment connection.
Equipment racks should be bolted to the access flooring, (if the access flooring is
anchored to the floor slab), to prevent any movement of the equipment.
Cables and Cable Raceways – The organization of cables in associated cable
raceways facilitates maintenance and future renovation of the facility. A simple guideline
to follow is to run power cables in separate cable raceways from communication cables.
An ideal raceway layout is alternating power and communication raceways. All vertical
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
91 September, 2003

and horizontal cable distribution should emphasize carefully planned cable management
to allow easy installation and identification of cables. All new cables provided in the
TMC should be specified as plenum rated. This type of cable coating resists burning
and smoke and does not generate harmful fumes.
If communication cables enter from the ceiling, “cable ladders” should be used to
support the cables and aid in cable management.
Signal System Server – The equipment room also houses the signal system server.
The server would be mounted in one of the equipment racks. Communication cables will
be connected from the server to the associated communications equipment (modems) in
the equipment rack and to the integrated workstations in the TMC room. An additional
rack will be required for signal system communications equipment as more intersections
are brought on line with future projects.
SMART Corridor Server – The equipment room also houses the SMART Corridors
server. The server would be mounted in one of the equipment racks. Communication
cables will be connected from this server to the associated communications equipment
in the equipment rack and to the integrated workstations in the TMC room.
CCTV System – The equipment room also houses the CCTV CPU and video matrix
switch which will be located in the equipment rack. Communication cables will be
connected from the CCTV system to the associated communications equipment (video
optical receivers) in the equipment rack and to the video displays and PTZ control
keypads in the TMC room. An additional rack may be required for CCTV
communications equipment as more cameras are brought on line with future projects.
DMS/TBS Server – The equipment room also houses the DMS/TBS server, which
would be mounted in one of the equipment racks. Communication cables will be
connected from this server to the associated CDPD modems in the equipment rack and
to the integrated workstations in the TMC room.
Monitor and Keyboard – Finally, the equipment room will need a 15” computer monitor
and keyboard to perform diagnostics on each of the above mentioned servers. This
monitor could be connected to each of the servers through a monitor switch to eliminate
the need for multiple monitors. The monitor, keyboard and monitor switch would be
mounted in the equipment rack.
7.4 CONCEPTUAL TMC FLOOR PLAN
A conceptual floor plan has been developed for the Oakland TMC. The proposed
layouts for the control room and equipment room are provided in Figure 7.1 and Figure
7.2, respectively. These layouts incorporate the minimal required elements for the TMC.
In this floor plan, the equipment room and control room are nearby each other on the
same floor. As shown in the drawings, the equipment room has enough space to house
at least three additional equipment racks and the control room is adequate to house the
necessary control equipment and TMC furniture.
The space for the control room layout is designed to accommodate two operators. Two
“L” shaped console systems are designed. Each console shall be modular and no more
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
92 September, 2003

than 5’6” wide by 7’ long. The consoles will provide space for one 21” computer monitor
and additional work space for the operator. An additional 21” monitor could be added to
either workstation to provide the operator the ability to view two different applications at
the same time. The consoles will house the CPUs and keyboards as well. The CPUs
would be mounted under the work area and the keyboards would be mounted on a pullout
tray.
One video wall display system is designed. A video wall may require up to an additional
three feet of room depth, depending on the technology deployed. The video wall display
will include one large screen display surrounded by four smaller monitors (two on each
side). The operators will have the ability to switch video images or computer displays to
any of the five possible displays. This will allow operators to view up to five images at
one time.
A standard 15” inch wide 4-drawer file cabinet will be placed behind each console. Two
standard 3’ high bookshelves will be placed against one of the walls for storage of
manuals and reference materials. In addition, a 2’6” by 3’6” table will be placed against
the wall opposite the bookshelves to house a controller testing area. The amount of
floor space (26’x14’) for the TMC room will provide adequate room for a conference
table and chairs.
The layout for the equipment room has been designed for up to three and half
equipment racks for Transportation Services - one and a half for immediate needs and
two for future addition. One of the racks will be shared with existing city network
equipment. A 3-foot clearance should be provided between the back of the rack and the
back wall to comply with ADA requirements as well as to provide room for maintenance.
A 6-inch clearance should be provided between each rack for maintenance purposes.
All servers and communications equipment to be installed in the equipment room will be
mounted in the equipment racks. The associated 15” monitors will also be mounted in
the racks. The keyboards will be put in retractable trays attached to the racks.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
93 September, 2003

August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
CONCEPTUAL TMC PLAN FIGURE 7.1

September 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
EQUIPMENT ROOM PLAN FIGURE 7.2

SECTION 8
Deployment Plan
In order to develop a logical and fundable deployment plan, based on the
recommendations contained in this report, a deployment plan has been developed for 5-,
10- and 20-year time frames. The deployment plans provide a means for the City to
replace groups of the traffic signal controllers, communications, and install new ITS
features, in a logical and fundable manner in order to reach full build out.
It is anticipated that the full deployment of the signal system will take up to 20 years to
accomplish. During at least some of this time period, it is anticipated that the City may
have to maintain more than one signal system until full build out has been reached. The
timing of the communications infrastructure build out will drive the schedule of ITS
deployment in various parts of the City since operation of the devices will require the
communications infrastructure to be in place. The actual ITS components can be
deployed in increments as budget allows. The deployment plan is flexible and can be
implemented over a longer period of time if necessary.
8.1 NEAR-TERM PROJECTS
This section represents near-term projects that should be considered for implementation
in the first five years of deployment. The intent of the near term projects is two-fold.
First, it is to build out the necessary communication network to allow for information to
be controlled remotely at the City of Oakland TMC. Second, it is to deploy devices in
critical areas or on priority corridors that my quickly benefit from the use of intelligent
transportation system deployment. Special consideration was used in the phasing of
these projects to take into account the user needs and planned projects in the area. The
focus of the near-term projects is on corridor management, specifically the priority
corridors. Though each of these projects can be constructed as a stand-alone project
and each would benefit the traveler and the City, the full benefit of the system will not be
seen until the completion of the full implementation plan. The corridors of focus for nearterm
projects are shown in Figure 8.1.
Near-term projects are separated into communications system projects, signal system
projects, arterial management system projects, traveler information system projects,
transit management system projects, emergency management system projects and
integration projects.
8.1.1 Communications System Projects
• Establish a leased line WAN (T1) connection between the downtown TMC and the
MSY on Edgewater Drive.
• Interconnect the traffic signals and CCTV locations on the following priority corridors
to the MSY via fiber optics:
o Hegenberger/73 rd Avenue
o 98 th Avenue
o East 14 th Street/International
o San Leandro Street
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
96 September, 2003

o High Street
o MacArthur Boulevard – 35 th Avenue to 98 th Avenue
• Interconnect the traffic signals and CCTV locations on the following priority corridors
to the TMC via fiber optics:
o Telegraph Avenue
o Broadway – Grand Ave to Route 24
• Establish CDPD or other wireless connection from TMC to DMS, TBS and MVDS
devices as necessary.
• Develop a detailed Telecommunications Master Plan for the City of Oakland ITS
network that builds on the recommendations in this Plan.
• Connect the Oakland TMC to the existing downtown fiber loop. This will involve
terminating the two fibers allocated to the Transportation Services Division in the
TMC.
• Establish a direct connection between the Oakland TMC and the Oakland EOC
utilizing the downtown fiber. This will need to be high speed C2C connection.
• Explore opportunities for a direct connection between the Oakland TMC and the
Caltrans TMC.
8.1.2 Signal System Projects
• Select and implement a new central signal system. If a system other than Bi Tran is
selected, maintain the Bi Tran system for the San Pablo, North CBD, 98 th Street,
Hegenberger and Broadway controllers until the complete transition to the new
central system is completed.
• Implement interconnected San Pablo, Broadway, North CBD, 98 th Street and
Hegenberger controllers on the new central signal system. These controllers will not
need to be replaced since they are Type 170 controllers. Firmware in these
controllers will not need to be updated assuming the City continues to use the
existing Bitrans software.
• Replace all the NEMA TS1 controllers and some NEMA cabinets (as necessary) with
new controllers and cabinets and implement them on the new central signal system
on the following corridors:
o Broadway – Grand Avenue to Route 24
o Hegenberger – Office Complex to International Boulevard
o 73 rd Avenue – International Boulevard to MacArthur Boulevard
o 98 th Avenue – I-880 to I-580
o East 14 th Street/International Boulevard – entire corridor (keep existing Type
170E controllers at some intersections)
o San Leandro Street – High to 98 th Avenue (Type 170E controllers and Type
332 cabinets exist between 73 rd Avenue and 98 th Avenue)
o Telegraph Avenue – Grand to Alcatraz
o High – I-880 to I-580
o MacArthur - High Street to 98 th Avenue
• Develop and implement signal timing coordination plans on the priority corridors
listed above.
• Implement VID systems at all traffic signals on the priority corridors listed above.
Note that VID already exists on some of San Pablo Avenue and Hegenberger.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
97 September, 2003

8.1.3 Arterial Management System Projects
• Design, build and operate a TMC in the Jack London Conference Room at 250
Ogawa Plaza in Downtown Oakland. Initial TMC design should accommodate 2-3
staff.
• Implement CCTV cameras at major intersections on priority corridors listed in
Section 8.1.2. Note that some CCTV already exists on San Pablo, San Leandro and
East 14 th Street/International as part of the SMART Corridors Program (see Figure
2.1).
• Implement MVDS or VID systems at mid block locations along priority corridors listed
in Section 8.1.2. Note that some MVDS already exists on San Pablo, San Leandro
and East 14 th Street/International as part of the SMART Corridors Program (see
Figure 2.1).
• Implement DMS at major decision points near the Airport/Coliseum area and
downtown near the Convention Center and Jack London Square.
• Research various railroad crossing technologies and deploy different systems at a
few critical at-grade crossing locations. Perform before-after evaluation at these
locations to document benefits of different systems.
• Begin planning for a Parking Guidance System for the downtown Convention Center.
8.1.4 Traveler Information System Projects
• Coordinate with MTC to establish a procedure for including City of Oakland major
incidents and planned events in the 511/TravInfo® system. This procedure will most
likely be a manual one in the near term.
• Implement traveler information kiosks at major transit hubs and tourist centers such
as the Oakland Airport, Oakland Coliseum, Coliseum BART/Amtrak Station,
Convention Center and Jack London Square.
8.1.5 Transit Management System Projects
• Team with AC Transit to monitor and evaluate existing transit signal priority system
on San Pablo and East 14 th Street/International and make operational improvements
as necessary.
• Team with AC Transit to extend limits of transit signal priority on East 14 th
Street/International to cover entire corridor. As part of the SMART Corridors
Program a small section of East 14 th Street/International is proposed to be
implemented.
• Team with AC Transit to implement transit signal priority on MacArthur Boulevard
and Telegraph Avenue.
• Oversee the design and construction of NextBus sign installation projects by AC
Transit.
8.1.6 Emergency Management System Projects
• Implement EVP at major intersections on priority corridors listed in Section 8.1.2.
Note that EVP already exists on San Pablo, San Leandro and East 14 th
Street/International as part of the SMART Corridors Program. Additionally EVP is
scheduled to be installed on Broadway.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
98 September, 2003

• The City of Oakland Fire Department should explore opportunities to integrate their
existing AVL and CAD system with similar systems owned by neighboring
jurisdictions to facilitate coordinated emergency response when needed.
8.1.7 Integration Projects
• Integrate new ITS devices with East Bay SMART Corridors Project where applicable.
For example new MVDS devices near Coliseum should be integrated with the
existing SMART Corridors system.
• Link City of Oakland TMC with City of Oakland EOC and consider opportunities to
have emergency response staff present in TMC during major events or emergencies.
• Link Oakland TMC with Caltrans TMC to enable data and video sharing.
• Provide AC Transit with ability to view City of Oakland CCTV images. This function
will most likely be provided through the SMART Corridor ATMS.
• Connect the Oakland TMC to the Port of Oakland’s Airport TMC.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
99 September, 2003

73rd Ave
August 2003
TMC
CITY OF OAKLAND
DOWNTOWN
TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT CENTER (TMC)
EOC
CITY OF OAKLAND
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER (EOC)
PAB
POLICE ADMINISTRATION
BUILDING
CAL CALTRANS TMC
MSY
CITY OF OAKLAND
MUNICIPAL SERVICE YARD
CB
COLISEUM BART STATION
AME EXISTING AMTRAK STATION
AMF FUTURE AMTRAK STATION
TRAFFIC SIGNAL
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(RECOMMENDED FIBER OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(RECOMMENDED MICROWAVE LINK)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED FIBER
OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED
TWISTED-WIRE PAIR)
San Pablo Ave.
Maritime Street
7th St.
CAL
TMC
EOC
INT ER ST ATE
PAB
AME
Grand Ave.
International
Blvd.
Foothill Blvd.
MacArthur Blvd.
Fruitvale Ave.
Broadway
E. 14th St.
Telegraph Ave.
35th Ave.
Foothill Blvd.
Bancroft Ave.
Alcatraz
MacArthur
INT ER ST ATE
INT ER ST ATE
CB
AMF
MSY
NEAR-TERM (0-5 YEARS) ITS AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT BY CORRIDOR
High St.
Blvd.
FIGURE 8.1
Airport Dr.
Hegenberger Rd.
San Leandro St.
98th Ave.
Bancroft Ave.
MacArthur Blvd.

8.2 MEDIUM-TERM PROJECTS
This section represents medium-term projects that should be considered for
implementation in the five to ten year time frame of deployment. The medium-term
projects will build on the ITS infrastructure developed in the first five years of
deployment. During this time frame, the City of Oakland should transition from a leased
WAN between the TMC and the MSY to a point-to-point fiber connection owned by the
City. Also, the City will implement the remaining priority corridors on the central signal
system and deploy more ITS devices in critical areas or on priority corridors where there
is a benefit. The main corridors where projects will be deployed by the end of the
medium-term time frame are shown in Figure 8.2.
Medium-term projects are separated into communications system projects, signal
system projects, arterial management system projects, traveler information system
projects, transit management system projects, emergency management system projects
and integration projects.
8.2.1 Communications System Projects
• Convert from leased line WAN to City owned WAN between the TMC and MSY on
Edgewater Drive. This WAN would be comprised of a new fiber connection from the
MSY to the 911 Center at 8201 Edgewater Drive. From the 911 Center, it would
utilize the existing (or upgraded) microwave communication to the PAB downtown.
From there, two fibers of the existing 24-strand cable that runs between PAB and the
TMC could be used to complete the connection to the TMC. This existing fiber optic
cable could be upgraded to either a 96 or 144 fiber cable to accommodate any
additional communication capacity required.
• Interconnect the traffic signals and CCTV locations on the following priority corridors
to the MSY via fiber optics:
o Fruitvale Avenue
o Bancroft Avenue
o Foothill Boulevard
o MacArthur Avenue – 35 th Avenue to Fruitvale Avenue
• Interconnect the traffic signals and CCTV locations on the following priority corridors
to the TMC via fiber optics:
o Maritime Street
o 7 th Street
o MacArthur Avenue – San Pablo Avenue to Broadway
o Remaining CBD intersections
• Establish CDPD or other wireless connection from TMC to DMS, TBS and MVDS
devices as necessary.
• Begin to interconnect remote locations of traffic signal controller cabinets through
wireless medium such as spread spectrum radio.
8.2.2 Signal System Projects
• Replace all the NEMA TS1 controllers and some NEMA cabinets (as necessary) with
new controllers and cabinets and implement them on the new central signal system
on the following corridors:
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
101 September, 2003

o Fruitvale
o Bancroft
o Foothill
o MacArthur – San Pablo Avenue to Broadway and 35 th Avenue to Fruitvale
o Maritime
o 7 th Street
o Remaining CBD intersections
• Develop and implement signal timing coordination plans on the priority corridors
listed above.
• Implement VID systems at all traffic signals on the priority corridors listed above.
8.2.3 Arterial Management System Projects
• Make improvements or upgrades to the TMC as necessary. Consider expansion of
TMC into neighboring room.
• Implement CCTV cameras at major intersections on priority corridors listed in
Section 8.2.2.
• Implement MVDS or VID systems at mid block locations along priority corridors listed
in Section 8.2.2.
• Enhance early DMS deployment by implementing more DMS at major decision
points throughout the City.
• Consider implementing trailblazer signs on detour routes or evacuation routes.
• Implement ITS at more railroad crossings based on the results of field tests
performed in near-term projects.
• Implement a Parking Guidance System for the downtown Convention Center.
8.2.4 Traveler Information System Projects
• Continue coordination efforts with MTC to establish a procedure (possibly
automated) for including City of Oakland major incidents and planned events in the
511/TravInfo® system.
• Enhance early kiosk deployment by implementing more kiosks at major transit hubs
and tourist centers throughout the City.
• Partner with KTOP to broadcast traveler information. Information would be provided
by a direct link from the Oakland TMC.
• Explore opportunities to develop a citywide traffic web page using a link to the City’s
ATMS elements.
8.2.5 Transit Management System Projects
• Team with AC Transit to monitor and evaluate existing transit signal priority systems
and make operational improvements as necessary.
• Team with AC Transit to implement transit signal priority on new corridors as
needed.
• Oversee the design and construction of NextBus sign installation projects by AC
Transit.
8.2.6 Emergency Management System Projects
• Implement EVP at major intersections on priority corridors listed in Section 8.2.2.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
102 September, 2003

• The City’s Fire Department should continue its AVL and CAD integration efforts with
other jurisdictions.
8.2.7 Integration Projects
• Integrate new ITS devices with East Bay SMART Corridors Project where applicable.
• Continue to explore opportunities to have emergency response staff present in TMC
during major events or emergencies.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
103 September, 2003

73rd Ave
Maritime Street
7th St.
Airport Dr.
Grand Ave.
San Pablo Ave.
MacArthur Blvd.
Broadway
Telegraph Ave.
Interconnect select isolated signals to
the TMC. Branch cable may be used to
connect nearby signals to the
communications trunk. Remote
locations may need to be connected via
a wireless link.
EOC
CAL
TMC
PAB
AME
Hegenberger Rd.
INT ER ST ATE
International
Blvd.
Foothill Blvd.
CB
AMF
MSY
Fruitvale Ave.
35th Ave.
Alcatraz
MacArthur
Blvd.
San Leandro St.
High St.
E. 14th St.
98th Ave.
Foothill Blvd.
Bancroft Ave.
Bancroft Ave.
INT ER ST ATE
INT ER ST ATE
N
Scale 1:4300
MacArthur Blvd.
August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
TMC
EOC
PAB
CAL CALTRANS TMC
MSY
CB
CITY OF OAKLAND
DOWNTOWN
TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT CENTER (TMC)
CITY OF OAKLAND
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER (EOC)
POLICE ADMINISTRATION
BUILDING
CITY OF OAKLAND
MUNICIPAL SERVICE YARD
COLISEUM BART STATION
AME EXISTING AMTRAK STATION
AMF FUTURE AMTRAK STATION
TRAFFIC SIGNAL
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(RECOMMENDED FIBER OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(RECOMMENDED MICROWAVE LINK)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED FIBER
OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED
TWISTED-WIRE PAIR)
MEDIUM-TERM PROJECTS SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED FOR THE CORRIDORS ABOVE.
PROJECTS ARE DETAILED IN SECTION 8.2
AND COVER COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNAL
SYSTEMS, TRAVELER INFORMATION,
TRANSIT MANAGEMENT, EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION.
MEDIUM-TERM (5-10 YEARS) ITS AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT BY CORRIDOR
FIGURE 8.2

8.3 LONG-TERM PROJECTS
This section represents long-term projects that should be considered for implementation
in the 10 to 20 year time frame of deployment. The long-term projects will build on the
ITS infrastructure developed in the first ten years of deployment. During this time frame,
the City of Oakland should implement their remaining isolated traffic signals on the
central signal system and deploy more ITS devices in critical areas or on priority
corridors where there is a benefit. The main corridors where projects will be deployed by
the end of the long-term time frame are shown in Figure 8.3.
Long-term projects are separated into communications system projects, signal system
projects, ATMS projects, ATIS projects, emergency vehicle and railroad crossing
projects, transit projects, parking guidance projects, and integration projects.
8.3.1 Communications System Projects
• Interconnect the remaining isolated traffic signals and CCTV locations to the TMC.
Remote locations may need to be connected via a wireless link.
• Establish CDPD or other wireless connection from TMC to DMS, TBS and MVDS
devices as necessary.
• Interconnect the traffic signals and CCTV locations on the following priority corridors
to the TMC via fiber optics:
o MacArthur Avenue – Broadway to 35 th Avenue
8.3.2 Signal System Projects
• Replace all the remaining NEMA TS1 controllers and some NEMA cabinets (as
necessary) with new controllers and cabinets and implement them on the new
central signal system.
• Implement VID systems at new traffic signals where applicable.
8.3.3 Arterial Management System Projects
• Make improvements or upgrades to the TMC as necessary. Consider expansion of
TMC into neighboring room.
• Implement CCTV cameras at major intersections on priority corridors as necessary.
• Implement MVDS or VID systems at mid block locations along priority corridors as
necessary.
• Implement additional DMS at major decision points throughout the City.
• Implement additional trailblazer signs on detour routes or evacuation routes.
• Implement ITS at more railroad crossings as necessary.
• Consider opportunities for implementing new parking guidance systems.
8.3.4 Traveler Information System Projects
• Continue coordination efforts with MTC on procedures for including City of Oakland
major incidents and planned events in the 511/TravInfo® system.
• Implement more kiosks at major transit hubs and tourist centers throughout the City.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
105 September, 2003

8.3.5 Transit Management System Projects
• Work with AC Transit to monitor and evaluate existing transit signal priority systems
and make operational improvements as necessary.
• Work with AC Transit to implement transit signal priority on new corridors as needed.
• Oversee the design and construction of NextBus sign installation projects by AC
Transit.
8.3.6 Emergency Management System Projects
• Implement EVP at major intersections on priority corridors as necessary.
• The City’s Fire Department should continue its AVL and CAD integration efforts with
other jurisdictions.
8.3.7 Integration Projects
• Integrate new ITS devices with East Bay SMART Corridors Project where applicable.
• Continue to explore opportunities to have emergency response staff present in TMC
during major events or emergencies.
• Explore new opportunities for integration with other agencies’ TMCs.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
106 September, 2003

73rd Ave
Maritime Street
7th St.
Airport Dr.
Hegenberger Rd.
International
Blvd.
Foothill Blvd.
San Pablo Ave.
MacArthur Blvd.
San Leandro St.
Fruitvale Ave.
High St.
Broadway
E. 14th St.
98th Ave.
Telegraph Ave.
MacArthur
Foothill Blvd.
Bancroft Ave.
Bancroft Ave.
Interconnect remaining isolated signals
to the TMC. Branch cable may be used
to connect nearby signals to the
communications trunk. Remote
locations may need to be connected via
a wireless link.
EOC
INT ER ST ATE
CB
AMF
MSY
AME
Grand Ave.
CAL
TMC
PAB
35th Ave.
Alcatraz
INT ER ST ATE
INT ER ST ATE
N
Scale 1:4300
Blvd.
MacArthur Blvd.
August 2003 City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
TMC
EOC
PAB
CAL CALTRANS TMC
MSY
CB
CITY OF OAKLAND
DOWNTOWN
TRANSPORTATION
MANAGEMENT CENTER (TMC)
CITY OF OAKLAND
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER (EOC)
POLICE ADMINISTRATION
BUILDING
CITY OF OAKLAND
MUNICIPAL SERVICE YARD
COLISEUM BART STATION
AME EXISTING AMTRAK STATION
AMF FUTURE AMTRAK STATION
TRAFFIC SIGNAL
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(RECOMMENDED FIBER OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED
MICROWAVE LINK)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED FIBER
OPTIC CABLE)
COMMUNICATIONS TRUNK
(PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED
TWISTED-WIRE PAIR)
LONG-TERM PROJECTS SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED FOR THE CORRIDORS ABOVE.
PROJECTS ARE DETAILED IN SECTION 8.3
AND COVER COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNAL
SYSTEMS, TRAVELER INFORMATION,
TRANSIT MANAGEMENT, EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION.
LONG-TERM (10-20 YEARS) ITS AND COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT BY CORRIDOR
FIGURE 8.3

8.4 SUMMARY OF PROJECT COSTS
The tables in this section summarize the near-term, medium-term, and long-term
projects and estimates of their associated costs. For signal controller upgrades, it was
assumed that all NEMA Type TS1 controllers would need to be upgraded with a new
controller (either Type 170, 2070 or NEMA TS2) and two-thirds of these controllers
would require a new cabinet. All new controllers will require a modem. Existing conduit
infrastructure and TWP interconnect are used wherever possible. For non-CBD
corridors with no existing infrastructure, fiber optics is utilized for signal interconnect and
CCTV communications. This eliminates the need to install both fiber and TWP. All
quantities are approximate and all costs are for budgeting purposes only. An inflationary
factor of 5% per year was applied for years 1 to 5 for the medium-term projects since
those projects would not start until the end of year five. Similarly, a 5% inflationary factor
was applied for years 1 to 10 for the long-term projects since those projects would not
start until the end of year 10.
Table 8.1 – Near-Term Deployment Plan - Estimate of Probable Costs
Item Quantity Unit Unit Price Total
Modify Cabinet and Install New Controller 110 EA $6,000 $660,000
Install New Cabinet 70 EA $10,000 $700,000
Modems 110 EA $500 $55,000
Central Signal System Hardware 2 EA $5,000 $10,000
Central Signal System License and Software 1 LS $350,000 $350,000
Corporate Service Yard Comm Equipment 1 LS $60,000 $60,000
TMC Central Equipment 1 LS $100,000 $100,000
TMC Modifications, Furniture, etc. 1 LS $25,000 $25,000
Signal Timing Improvements 110 EA $2,000 $220,000
Conduit and pull boxes (3" Conduit & 500' PB Spacing) 177200 LF $35 $6,202,000
Fiber Optic Branch Cable (12 Strand) 17720 LF $2.50 $44,300
Fiber Optic Trunk Cable (144 Strand) 177200 LF $4.00 $708,800
EVP 110 EA $10,000 $1,100,000
VID Implementation (per intersection) 110 EA $20,000 $2,200,000
CCTV 30 EA $25,000 $750,000
DMS 10 EA $40,000 $400,000
VDS (microwave or video) 30 EA $15,000 $450,000
Traveler Information Kiosks 8 EA $5,000 $40,000
Sub-Total $14,075,100
Contingencies at 30% $4,222,530
Sub-Total $18,297,630
Engineering and Construction Admin at 35% $6,404,171
Additional Planning (Detailed Telecommunications Master Plan) $150,000
Total (rounded) $25,000,000
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
108 September, 2003

Table 8.2 – Medium-Term Deployment Plan - Estimate of Probable Costs
(Adjusted for Inflation)
Item Quantity Unit Unit Price Total
Modify Cabinet and Install New Controller 190 EA $6,000 $1,140,000
Install New Cabinet 130 EA $10,000 $1,300,000
Modems 190 EA $500 $95,000
Central System Hardware (upgrades) 2 EA $5,000 $10,000
Central System License and Software (upgrades) 1 LS $100,000 $100,000
Corporate Service Yard Comm Equipment 1 LS $30,000 $30,000
TMC Central Equipment 1 EA $60,000 $60,000
Signal Timing Improvements 190 EA $2,000 $380,000
Conduit and pull boxes 106800 LF $35 $3,738,000
Fiber 50000 LF $4.00 $200,000
Fiber Optic Branch Cable (12 Strand) 10680 LF $2.50 $26,700
Fiber Optic Trunk Cable (144 Strand) 106800 LF $4.00 $427,200
TMC Expansion and Remodel 1 LS $25,000 $25,000
EVP 190 EA $10,000 $1,900,000
VID Implementation (per intersection) 190 EA $20,000 $3,800,000
CCTV 50 EA $25,000 $1,250,000
DMS 20 EA $40,000 $800,000
MVDS 30 EA $15,000 $450,000
Traveler Information Kiosks 4 EA $5,000 $20,000
Parking Guidance System w/ DMS 1 EA $400,000 $400,000
Sub-Total $16,151,900
Contingencies at 30% $4,845,570
Sub-Total $20,997,470
Engineering and Construction Admin at 35% $7,349,115
Inflation (5% per year) $6,108,866
Additional Planning (update to Strategic Plan) $200,000
Total (rounded) $35,000,000
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
109 September, 2003

Table 8.3 – Long-Term Deployment Plan - Estimate of Probable Costs
(Adjusted for Inflation)
Item Quantity Unit Unit Price Total
Modify Cabinet and Install New Controller 340 EA $6,000 $2,040,000
Install New Cabinet 230 EA $10,000 $2,300,000
Modems 340 EA $500 $170,000
Central Signal System Hardware (upgrades) 2 EA $5,000 $10,000
Central Signal System License and Software (upgrades) 1 LS $100,000 $100,000
Corporate Service Yard Comm Equipment 1 LS $20,000 $20,000
TMC Central Equipment 1 EA $80,000 $80,000
Signal Timing Improvements 340 EA $2,000 $680,000
Conduit and pull boxes (to remaining signals) 65050 LF $35 $2,276,750
Fiber 25000 LF $4.00 $100,000
Fiber Optic Branch Cable (12 Strand) 25000 LF $2.50 $62,500
Fiber Optic Trunk Cable (144 Strand) 15050 LF $4.00 $60,200
TMC Expansion and Remodel 1 LS $50,000 $50,000
EVP 100 EA $10,000 $1,000,000
VID Implementation (per intersection) 100 EA $20,000 $2,000,000
CCTV 50 EA $25,000 $1,250,000
DMS 10 EA $40,000 $400,000
MVDS 30 EA $15,000 $450,000
Traveler Information Kiosks 4 EA $5,000 $20,000
Parking Guidance System w/ DMS 1 EA $400,000 $400,000
Sub-Total $13,469,450
Contingencies at 30% $4,040,835
Sub-Total $17,510,285
Engineering and Construction Admin at 35% $6,128,600
Inflation (5% per year) $13,032,784
Additional Planning (updates to Strategic Plan) $400,000
Total (rounded) $37,000,000
Table 8.4 – Oakland ITS Deployment – Summary of Estimated Costs
Project Grouping
Cost Estimate
Near-term Projects (0-5 years) $25M
Medium-term Projects (5-10 years)
Long-term Projects (10-20 years)
Total Cost
$35M*
$37M*
$97M*
* Takes into account 5% annual adjustment for inflation
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
110 September, 2003

SECTION 9
Operations and Management Plan
The effectiveness of the City of Oakland ITS program, as with any ITS system, relies on
the quality of its operations and management (O&M) program. An O&M program
includes day-to-day operational tasks such as adjusting signal timing, routine
maintenance tasks such as cleaning CCTV camera lenses, emergency maintenance
tasks such as repairing fiber breaks and overall management tasks such as
configuration management.
There are five critical elements of an effective O&M program:
• O&M Policies;
• Performance Measures;
• Staffing and Training;
• Configuration Management; and
• O&M Funding.
Each of these elements is discussed below and then recommendations are provided to
help guide the City of Oakland with regard to managing their expected O&M needs.
9.1 O&M POLICIES
The City of Oakland has already identified some basic policies for operations and
management of their ITS Program. For instance, the City of Oakland plans to operate
and maintain all of the CCTV cameras, traffic signals, DMS, vehicle detectors and
related communications infrastructure installed along the project corridors. Also, it is
envisioned that the Oakland TMC will be operational 24 hours a day and seven days per
week; however, it will only be staffed on an as needed basis. In other words, there will
not be full time operators in the TMC. These are basic operational policies for the City’s
ITS program.
In addition, it will be important for the City to ensure that all elements of their ITS system
are functioning properly at all times to ensure effective local and regional traffic
management. Since the City of Oakland’s ITS system will have maintenance needs
after the project is constructed, system maintenance should be an on-going budget item.
This shall include both preventative maintenance and emergency maintenance of all
system components.
Preventive maintenance, or routine maintenance as it is sometimes referred, is defined
as a set of checks and procedures to be performed at regularly scheduled intervals to
ensure that equipment properly functions. It includes checking, testing, inspecting,
record keeping, cleaning, and replacing based on the function and rated service life of
the device and its components.
Emergency maintenance, or response maintenance, is defined as the repair of failed
equipment and its restoration to safe, normal operation. It requires action based on the
priority of the subsystem that has failed and takes precedence over preventive
maintenance activities for the duration of the emergency.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
111 September, 2003

An O&M Procedures Manual should be developed by the City to document the
requirements for operations and management of their ITS system. The O&M
Procedures Manual should cover procedures for day-to-day operations, routine
maintenance, emergency maintenance and overall management. The O&M Procedures
Manual could also cover procedures for incident and emergency management or a
separate Incident Management Manual can be developed.
Finally, the City’s O&M Policies should cover interagency and institutional agreements
that have been arranged for the ITS Program. One such agreement that is already in
place is the SMART Corridors O&M Agreement, which has been approved by all of the
SMART Corridors partner agencies including Oakland. This agreement makes the
agencies responsible for O&M of the equipment that has been installed in their
respective jurisdictions.
9.2 PERFORMANCE MEASURES
An effective way to focus on the needs of O&M is through defining a comprehensive set
of performance measures. Measuring performance of the ITS program will increase the
visibility of the importance of maintaining and operating the investments already made
and help to raise the funding priority.
The FHWA report titled Intelligent Transportation System Benefits and Costs: 2003
Update reports a number of typical benefits that have realized across the United States
from deployment of ITS technologies. The benefits are reported by ITS program area
and ITS benefit goal area. A sample of these benefits is provided in Table 9.1.
Table 9.1 – Typical ITS Benefits
ITS Program Area Goal Area Example Benefit
Arterial Management Systems Mobility Implementation of signal coordination along 76
corridors in California cities reduced vehicle delay
when traveling the corridors by 25%.
Traveler Information Systems
Customer
Satisfaction
In San Francisco, 45% of travelers receiving
information from the Travel Advisory Telephone
System changed their travel plans and 81% of
travelers receiving specific route information from
the TravInfo Internet site changed their travel
behavior. This compared to 25% of travelers
altering their plans based on television or radio
broadcasts.
Transit Management Systems Productivity After an extended analysis of travel times, Kansas
City, Missouri, used an AVL/CAD system to reduce
up to 10% of the vehicles required for some bus
routes with no reduction in customer service.
Emergency Management Systems
Customer
Satisfaction
The LifeLink project in San Antonio, Texas,
enabled emergency room doctors to communicate
with emergency medical technicians (EMTs) using
2-way video, audio, and data communications.
EMTs and doctors had mixed opinions about the
system; however, it was expected that this
technology would have more positive impacts in
rural areas.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
112 September, 2003

Incident Management Systems Safety In San Antonio, Texas, combined incident
management and freeway management systems
along the Medical Center corridor reduced crashes
2.8%.
Source: FHWA, Intelligent Transportation System Benefits and Costs: 2003 Update
As indicated in the table, there a number of different areas where ITS can produce
tangible benefits. These types of benefits should be documented as ITS systems are
deployed in the City of Oakland. Tracking such benefits will require first establishing a
good set of performance measures. Some typical performance measures used for ITS
Programs are provided in Table 9.2. Many of these performance measures can be
traced back to the goals and objectives that were presented in Section 1.
Table 9.2 – Typical Performance Measures
ITS Program Area Goal Area Performance Measures
Arterial Management Systems
Traveler Information Systems
Transit Management Systems
Emergency Management Systems
Incident Management Systems
Safety
Mobility
Capacity/Throughput
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity
Energy/Environment
Safety
Mobility
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity
Energy/Environment
Safety
Mobility
Capacity/Throughput
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity
Energy/Environment
Safety
Mobility
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity
Safety
Mobility
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity
Energy/Environment
• Crash rate; fatality rate
• System Delay; travel time predictability
• vehicles/hour; vehicles/day
• Customer service rating; compliant volume
• Cost savings; operational efficiencies
• Emissions levels, fuel use
• Crash rate; fatality rate
• System Delay; travel time predictability
• Customer service rating; compliant volume
• Cost savings; operational efficiencies
• Emissions levels, fuel use
• Crash rate; fatality rate
• System Delay; travel time predictability
• vehicles/hour; vehicles/day
• Customer service rating; compliant volume
• Cost savings; operational efficiencies
• Emissions levels, fuel use
• Crash rate; fatality rate
• System Delay; travel time predictability
• Customer service rating; compliant volume
• Cost savings; operational efficiencies
• Crash rate; fatality rate
• System Delay; travel time predictability
• Customer service rating; compliant volume
• Cost savings; operational efficiencies
• Emissions levels, fuel use
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
113 September, 2003

Performance measures such as these should be established for the City of Oakland’s
ITS program and used to track and quantify benefits resulting from ITS projects after
they are deployed. Such performance measures can assist the City in evaluating
progress and making decisions in the future regarding costs versus benefits of the
Citywide ITS Program.
9.3 STAFFING, TRAINING AND RESOURCES
Another important aspect of the City’s O&M Program is ensuring that the City has the
necessary resources required for operations and management of their ITS Program.
These resources, which include staff, training and equipment, are described in more
detail below.
9.3.1 Staffing Requirements
Qualified and experienced staff is required for both operating and managing the City of
Oakland ITS. The installation of new technology such as CCTV, DMS, MVDS and fiber
optics will increase the knowledge requirements and burden on existing staff within the
City of Oakland. The City has the option to either outsource the operations and
maintenance of the system to a private company, have their staff trained to perform
these duties or arrange for some combination of the two. If the City chooses to perform
any of the O&M responsibilities, training of existing staff will be required.
The Transportation Services Division of the Public Works Agency is responsible for
traffic signal operations and design. The following staff members are involved with these
activities, equaling one and a half (1.50) full-time equivalents (FTE):
• Supervising Transportation Engineer – 0.25 FTE
• Transportation Engineer – 0.50 FTE
• Assistant Transportation Engineer – 0.50 FTE
• Engineering Technician – 0.25 FTE”
Effective operation of the ITS and traffic signal system also requires more emphasis on
proactive management than responding to problems. Traffic signals and signal systems
should be routinely re-timed to keep the entire network operating efficiently. It is
recommended that one supervising engineer be responsible solely for ITS and traffic
operations in the City. This would not include responding to public complaints and
inquiries. It is recommended that two associate engineers work with the supervising
engineer: one responsible for ITS planning and operations and the other for traffic signal
timing. Finally, it is recommended that there should be two technicians or operators: one
for ITS devices and one for traffic signal timing. This results in a total of 5 FTEs for
operations, an increase of 3.5 FTEs over the current traffic operations staff.
Aside from Operations staff, the City also needs to consider adding to their Maintenance
staff. The City’s timing plans are currently uploaded to traffic signal controllers in the
field by the City’s Electrical Services Division. The Electrical Services Division of the
Public Works Agency is responsible for signal controller programming, testing and
installation as well as general traffic signal maintenance. The following staff is involved
with these duties, totaling 6.0 FTEs:
• Electrical Supervisor - 0.5 FTE
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
114 September, 2003

• Signal Technicians - 5.5 FTE
With an expected increase in the inventory of ITS equipment, the emphasis may tend to
shift to responding to malfunctions and failures rather than activities to prevent
malfunctions and failures. To adequately provide preventative and response
maintenance functions, the City’s traffic signal maintenance staff will need to be
increased. The City’s existing staff feels that an additional 2 FTEs should be adequate
to maintain the anticipated ITS devices and traffic signals. However, based on
experience in other agencies, it is recommended that the City ultimately have at least 14
FTEs dedicated to maintenance of ITS and traffic signals. This is an increase of 8
FTEs over the City’s current staffing level. For the near term though, until more ITS
devices and infrastructure are deployed, an additional two FTEs for maintenance should
be adequate.
These staffing recommendations are based on current staffing levels at similar sized
Cities in the Bay Area. For instance, the City of San Jose, which operates about 800
traffic signals and two dozen CCTV cameras, plus other ITS equipment, has 6 FTEs for
Operations and 17 FTEs for Maintenance. Furthermore, the City of Menlo Park
recommends one traffic signal technician for every 50 traffic signals and one traffic
signal engineer for every 100 traffic signals to ensure adequate O&M of their traffic
signal system. This is a common rule of thumb in the traffic industry for determining
O&M staffing requirements. This translates to approximately 14 technicians and 7 traffic
engineers for the City of Oakland’s 700 traffic signals, which is fairly consistent with the
previous recommendations.
For most of the ITS elements, the City should continue to staff their maintenance and
operations activities with in-house staff. This may require hiring new staff to meet the
recommended staffing levels or shifting City staff from other duties. If the City has
available maintenance staff but they are in need of training before assuming the role of
system maintenance, the contractor to be awarded the system deployment contract can
be required to provide operational support and training to City personnel for a specified
period of time. At the end of the operational support period, the City would assume full
responsibility for the maintenance of system. If the City does not possess the necessary
resources and is not in a position to commit to long term maintenance of the corridors,
contracting of maintenance operations is a viable option.
Table 9.3 illustrates some benefits and risks resulting from outsourcing O&M
responsibilities.
Table 9.3 – Outsourcing Benefits and Risks
Outsourcing Benefits
Risks
Clear separation between agency and
contractor responsibilities.
Agency can decide what tasks it wishes
for the contractor to perform with its
own forces.
Little flexibility to get services outside
the specific scope without extensive
administration and additional cost.
Little incentive for the contractor to
exceed performance standards of
accomplishment criteria.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
115 September, 2003

9.3.2 Training Requirements
Effective O&M requires an on-going commitment to training, especially in a rapidly
changing field of technology like ITS. The City of Oakland should develop and maintain
an on-going training program to provide a well-trained and cross-trained staff for both
operating and maintaining systems.
The first step in determining the training needs and whether staff is adequately trained is
to define the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are needed for each staff position within
an organization. A training plan or program should then be developed to identify training
opportunities to provide employees with the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities. The
program or plan should focus on gaps between minimum requirements for the position
and the requirements to perform in the position at an optimal level. Individual staff
members should know the optimal knowledge, skills, and abilities for his or her position.
Supervisors should include a review of optimal knowledge, skills, and abilities with the
employee during periodic performance reviews and identify areas where training is
needed to bring the employee up to the optimal level.
Since maintenance of fiber optics requires more specialized training, an on-call contract
should be considered to provide support in maintaining and enhancing the City’s fiber
optic network, specifically for installing new fiber and splicing fiber. If the City decides to
maintain their own fiber network, they will need to purchase special equipment such as
power meters, fusion splicers and splice cleavers, and attend an outside training course
to train staff.
9.3.3 Maintenance Equipment
Diagnostic and testing systems can improve system maintenance and enhance the
operation of the system. City maintenance staff currently has good diagnostic and
testing equipment for traffic signals and some equipment for diagnosing communication
problems. Most of the diagnostic and testing equipment required for maintaining traffic
signals is already owned by the City. This includes:
• Cabinet tester
• Controller tester
• Conflict monitor testers
• Detector tester
• Load switch tester
• Flasher tester
• LED tester
• Oscilloscopes
• Multimeters
• Bench-built simulators
• Computers used for database inventories and equipment diagnostics
Additional diagnostic systems and software should be considered for CCTV cameras,
DMS and communications. As the City installs new fiber optic cable, new optical
transmission equipment with built in diagnostic features should be procured if the City
plans to maintain the system. This will include:
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
116 September, 2003

• Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) - For testing, detecting and locating
faults or breakage in the fiber.
• Fiber Optic Power Meter - used to generate power on one end of the fiber and
test the end-to-end power attenuation at the other end.
• Fiber Optic Fusion Splice and Termination Kit – A fiber optic slice kit which
includes fusion splicer, thermal stripper, high-precision fiber cleaver, connector
termination tools etc., and heavy-duty transit case.
Table 9.4 summarizes the estimated costs for this equipment.
Table 9.4 – Estimated Costs for Fiber Maintenance Equipment
Description Item
Cost
Fiber Optic Fusion Splice and Termination Kit $1,500 – $3,000
OTDR $ 10,000 – $15,000
Fiber Optic Power Meter $ 500 – $1,000
9.4 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT
Configuration management is the process of formally tracking the replacement, repairs
and upgrades of ITS equipment and components on a citywide level. This type of a
structured, formalized maintenance program can reduce the costs of equipment
replacement. One tool to help with this is an integrated maintenance management
system, also referred to as an asset management system. The Electrical Services
Division is currently using a maintenance database for their traffic signals. This is a
good tool that should be built upon and enhanced to include ITS elements and
communications infrastructure. The existing database should be upgraded to a more
sophisticated, integrated software program as funds become available. A new
maintenance management system will enable City maintenance staff to better track
equipment failures and resource allocation. The integrated maintenance management
system could also be used to help the City staff better manage the communications
network as it grows.
By providing a comprehensive inventory of ITS elements, the maintenance management
system will help the City of Oakland to better manage their existing ITS infrastructure
and serve as an excellent tool to help plan future deployments. Many asset
management software programs use a GIS database to show visually all ITS
infrastructure elements in the region. These elements could be displayed on a map,
showing locations of all infrastructures, and then tied to a relational database to allow for
more information about the specific ITS element. Information to be listed for these
regional ITS elements could include specific location and jurisdiction owner, type of
equipment, manufacturer, cost, date installed, condition of infrastructure, maintenance
requirements or schedule, etc.
There are several programs to choose from for the City to employ an integrated
maintenance management system. Relational databases are quite commonplace, and
the format and level of detail will depend entirely upon the needs and computer platform
in use. The City should coordinate with the IT department for appropriate software
programs and database software.
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
117 September, 2003

The City of Oakland should use the integrated maintenance management system to plan
for ITS maintenance needs. An effective equipment replacement program, based on
expected equipment life-cycles, can reduce response maintenance costs. A planned
cycle of equipment replacement for each type of equipment in the inventory will be
recommended by the maintenance management system and these recommendations
should be followed by the City. Most equipment will need to be replaced in 10 to 20 year
cycles.
MTC is taking the lead on developing regional databases of ITS projects and traffic
signals. They are developing the Regional ITS Architecture, which will include an
inventory of ITS elements, and maintaining a regional traffic signal database for the Bay
Area. It will be important to keep both of these inventories updated; therefore, the City of
Oakland should coordinate regularly with MTC to ensure that the relevant City of
Oakland information is kept current in both databases.
Ready availability of spare parts is also critical to effectively maintaining ITS and traffic
signal systems; however, too large an inventory of spare parts is not cost effective.
Agencies often keep spares in a ready state in the shop or in the maintenance
technician’s truck so that they can be used to replace a failed device in the field. This
provides a means to affect a full and rapid repair in the field and permit the failed device
to be completely repaired in the shop where comprehensive diagnostic tools are
available and weather elements can be avoided. Spare components suitable to the
maintenance demand should be kept on hand for repairs to equipment.
The best way to determine appropriate numbers of spare parts is to track failures,
calculate mean time between failure (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR), and use
these statistics along with established maintenance practices to determine the number of
spare parts needed. However, until a track record is established, the City of Oakland will
have to determine their spare parts inventory based on experience from other agencies.
The spare parts inventory should be related to number of devices in the field.
Traditionally, a 10 percent figure has been recommended for inventory of ITS spare
parts; however, that figure is generally too high for traffic signal controllers. For
controllers, 2% is a better number to use.
Based on these percentages and the near-term recommendations for City of Oakland
ITS deployment (see Section 8), it is recommended that Oakland maintain a spare parts
inventory that initially includes:
• 14 spare traffic signal controllers
• 3 spare CCTV cameras
• 3 spare MVDS
• 1 spare DMS
This should be sufficient for the next five years until the near term projects are built out.
As more ITS elements are added to the system in future years, the size of the spare
parts inventory will need to increase proportionally.
9.5 O&M FUNDING
The recommendations presented to this point cannot be effective without the proper
funding level. Funding is required to provide the appropriate staffing levels, purchase
City of Oakland ITS Strategic Plan
118 September, 2003

diagnostic equipment, maintain an adequate spare parts inventory, and pursue an
effective equipment replacement strategy.
A major challenge for transportation agencies of all sizes is adequately funding O&M.
Additional performance measures for O&M activities could be added to the overall
Program performance measures to help provide the needed focus on O&M funding.
Measuring performance of O&M activities will increase the visibility of the importance of
maintaining and operating the investments already made and will help to raise the
funding priority. Specifically measuring the performance of management and operations
activities will also provide quantitative needs when budgets are prepared.
Some specific measures that can be used for O&M performance are:
• Mean-time-to respond;
• Mean-time-to-repair;
• Percent of devices meeting visibility and operational guidelines;
• Percent of devices that have had preventive maintenance tasks performed within
the prescribed time frame;
• Percent of arterials with traffic flows at optimum efficiency;
• Percent of transportation system with appropriate traffic controls installed;
• Percent traffic signals installed within 12 months of funding approval;
• Percentage of signals that are re-timed at appropriate intervals;
• Percent signs and markings installed within 21 days of initial study request; and
• Core service cost to budget ratio.
Another way to help establish and demonstrate the need for O&M funding is by
establishing a life cycle cost model for replacing existing system elements and
components. This model could be part of the integrated maintenance management
system. The results of the model should be used to establish a capital improvement
program budget for system preservation.
The Federal government continues to recognize the need to provide O&M funding for
ITS investments and is continuing to commit to making Federal funds available. They
alone, however, are not likely to offset the full amount of funds required to implement a
comprehensive operations and maintenance plan. Funding opportunities for O&M are
discussed in greater detail in Section 10.
9.6 RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are for the City of Oakland to consider with respect to
operations and management of their citywide ITS system.
9.6.1 Develop a Staffing, Training and Resources Plan
The City of Oakland should develop and adopt a staffing plan that provides for sufficient,
qualified, and experienced staff for both operating and maintaining systems. This task
includes the following sub tasks:
• Maintenance Staffing – Hire 2 FTEs for the City of Oakland Electrical Services
Division for the near term and then another 6 FTEs as the system expands. This
may involve hiring new City employees or shifting duties among available staff to
ensure more time is dedicated to ITS and traffic signal maintenance.
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• Operations Staffing – Hire 3.5 FTEs for the Transportation Services Division.
This would result in a total of 5 FTEs dedicated to traffic and ITS operations. This
may involve hiring new City employees or shifting duties among available staff to
ensure more time is dedicated to ITS and traffic signal operations.
• Hardware Maintenance Contracts – Obtain an annual maintenance contract on
all computers and other hardware that is not easily supported by agency
maintenance staff.
• Training Needs – Incorporate and plan for training requirements for all personnel
when preparing plans and budgets.
• Diagnostic Equipment for Telecommunications. – Procure additional
equipment to diagnose telecommunication system failures.
9.6.2 Develop an O&M Plan
The City of Oakland should develop and adopt a realistic plan for operating and
managing their Citywide ITS system. This task includes the following sub tasks:
• Develop an O&M Manual – Develop a manual that documents operations and
maintenance functions and activities required for the City of Oakland ITS system.
This manual could use the East Bay SMART Corridors O&M Manual as a model.
• Performance Measures – Develop ITS program performance measures and
additional performance measures that focus on O&M.
• O&M Cost Database – Document all ITS O&M costs, by component, and develop a
process to reliably estimate the cost of providing response maintenance for use and
support in obtaining adequate funds to carry out maintenance responsibilities.
9.6.3 Develop a Configuration Management Plan
The City of Oakland should develop and adopt a configuration management plan that
provides a process of formally tracking the replacement, repairs and upgrades of ITS
equipment and components. This task includes the following sub tasks:
• Integrated Maintenance Management System – Select and procure a new
integrated maintenance management system using the existing traffic signal
maintenance database as a starting point. The integrated maintenance
management system should also include a database of all the City’s ITS equipment
and keep records on when maintenance was last performed and recommend
preventative maintenance cycles.
• Maintain Adequate Spare Parts – Maintain an adequate spare parts inventory to
support proper and professional in-house response maintenance activities.
9.6.4 Develop an O&M Funding Strategy
The City of Oakland should develop a Citywide O&M funding strategy using tangible
performance measures and life cycle costs as inputs. Ensuring adequate O&M funding
will be crucial to the success of the City’s ITS Program. Funding strategies are
discussed in more detail in Section 10.
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9.7 O&M COSTS
This section provides a high-level estimate of the anticipated costs that the City of
Oakland is likely to incur for the operations and management their ITS system over the
next twenty years. Some of the costs will be recurring costs and some of the costs will
be one time costs. An estimate of these costs is provided in Table 9.5. The total cost
provided at the bottom of the table represents the estimated cost for operating and
managing the ITS system for 20 years. The proportion of this cost will become greater
in later years as more equipment is added to the citywide network. All costs are in 2003
dollars.
Table 9.5 – Estimated O&M Costs
Description Item
# of
years
Annual
Cost
Total Cost
Staffing
14 FTEs for Maintenance 20 $1,400,000 $28,000,000
5 FTEs for Operations 20 $600,000 $12,000,000
Training 20 $15,000 $300,000
Annual component replacement costs
Near term 5 $150,000 $750,000
Medium term 5 $250,000 $1,250,000
Long term 10 $400,000 $4,000,000
Fiber maintenance contract (if desired) 20 $50,000 $1,000,000
One Time Costs
Further Planning (O&M Manual, Performance Measures, etc.) 1 $150,000 $150,000
Integrated Maintenance Management System 1 $250,000 $250,000
Fiber Optic Fusion Splice and Termination Kit 1 $3,000 $3,000
OTDR 1 $15,000 $15,000
Fiber Optic Power Meter 1 $1,000 $1,000
Initial Spare Parts Inventory 1 $150,000 $150,000
TOTAL (20 years) $48M
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SECTION 10
Funding Alternatives
Accurately forecasting and securing stable funding for ITS programs has proved difficult
in many regions. A recent survey of transportation agencies by ITE revealed an average
20 percent shortfall in funding and resources for traffic control activities by those
agencies. As these ITS activities are expanded, the need for deployment and
operations funding becomes even more critical. Long-term funding of O&M activities is
of particular concern.
Focusing increased efforts on planning and budgeting O&M costs to accurately predict
these costs over the life cycle of proposed deployments is perhaps the best strategy
related to the funding of ITS. When the full life-cycle costs of ITS are properly planned
and accurately anticipated, the task of finding available funding sources for financing the
implementation and operation of the deployment is made simpler.
The following sections provide information on typical nationwide funding sources.
10.1 TRADITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL FUNDING
The requirements for many federal funding opportunities require that ITS is planned
consistent with the guidelines provided in the National ITS Architecture. The
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) legislation continues eligibility
for funding of operating costs for traffic monitoring, management, and control. While
continuing to permit annually apportioned Federal-aid funds to be eligible for traffic
systems operations and management activities, TEA-21 does not currently provide
separate funding exclusively for system management and operations. Currently
available and applicable general funding programs include:
Surface Transportation Program (STP) – Provides for capital and operating costs for
traffic monitoring, management, and control facilities and programs. Funds provided on
an 80/20 percent federal/local match basis within the initial project scope.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) – Provides
funds for the establishment or operation of traffic monitoring, management, and control
facility or program in non-attainment areas. Explicitly includes, as an eligible condition
for funding, programs or projects that improve traffic flow. Funds provided for O&M on
an 80/20 percent federal/local match basis for 3 years, or longer if the project
demonstrates air quality improvement benefits on a continuing basis.
TEA-21 also authorized several additional Federal funding mechanisms which are
available specifically to aid in the deployment and operation of ITS.
ITS Integration – This component of the ITS Deployment Program provides funding for
activities necessary to integrate ITS infrastructure components that are either deployed
(existing) or will be deployed with other sources of funds. This may include the
integration of different ITS systems or sub-systems (e.g., freeway management, arterial
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management, etc.) or the integration of like ITS components across jurisdictions.
Eligible activities include the system design and integration, creation of data
sharing/archiving capabilities, deployment of components that support integration with
systems outside of metropolitan areas, and the development of regional or statewide ITS
architectures but not for capital improvements. The ITS Integration Program can fund up
to 50 percent of an integration project's costs with a minimum of 20 percent of the local
match to come from non-federally derived sources.
Hazard Elimination Safety Program (HES) – The HES grants are available for safety
projects on public roads and highways, including signals, median barriers, guardrail,
surfacing, ITS implementation and other. Grant applications are due annually and
distributed through Caltrans.
Railroad/Highway Grade Crossing Protection Program (Title 23, Section 130, U.S.
Code). The Railroad/Highway Grade Crossing program is discretionary funds for
rail/highway grade crossing improvements, including signalization and ITS
implementations.
The Federal government continues to recognize the need to provide O&M funding for
ITS investments and is continuing to commit to making Federal funds available. This
source alone, however, is not likely to offset the full amount of funds required to
implement a comprehensive operations and maintenance plan.
Table 10.1 summarizes the opportunity to use Federal funds to support ITS activities.
Table 10.1 – Summary of Potential Federal ITS Funding Sources
Type of Fund Capital O&M
2003 TEA 21 reauthorization SIGNIFICANT SIGNIFICANT
Surface Transportation Program
SOME
SOME
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
ITS Integration
SOME
NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Congestion Management and Air Quality
LITTLE OR NO LITTLE OR NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Hazard Safety Elimination
SOME
NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Railroad/Highway Grade Crossing
SOME
NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
The reauthorization of TEA 21 that may include funds dedicated to O&M has significant
opportunities for Federal funding. STP funds in California are programmed at the
regional level. The City of Oakland could submit funding requests during the call for
projects from Caltrans. CMAQ funds can be used for operations, but the use is limited
to three years per project for operations only. CMAQ funds are programmed at the
regional level.
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10.2 OPPORTUNITIES FOR STATE, REGIONAL AND LOCAL FUNDING
State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Gas Tax, Transportation Funds for
Clean Air (TFCA), Petroleum Violation Escrow Account (PVEA), SB 916, Assessment
Districts/Bond Measures, and Traffic Impact Fees are all potential sources of state,
regional and local funding. Descriptions of these funding sources are provided below.
State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) - STIP is a multi-year capital
improvement program of transportation projects on and off the State Highway System,
funded with revenues from the State Highway Account and other funding sources. The
county share funds from this program could be used to fund City of Oakland ITS
projects. The 2001 Alameda County Countywide Transportation Plan Investment
Program (Table 6.3) includes $47 million for “Corridor Management Programs” over the
next 25 years. City of Oakland should apply for a portion of these funds.
Gas Tax – Cities and Counties receive a portion of gas tax that is typically used for local
street maintenance and rehabilitation. Gas Tax is a good source of the O&M funds.
Effective July 1, 2008, existing revenues resulting from state sales and use taxes can
only be used for public transit and mass transportation; city and county street and road
repairs and improvements; and state highway improvements.
Transportation Funds for Clean Air (TFCA) – TFCA funds are part of the vehicle
registration fee. A portion of the TCFA funds (40%) is guaranteed and is distributed by
the population to the local agencies by the Alameda County Congestion Management
Agency (ACCMA). The non-guaranteed portion is available through annual grant
application for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. In a typical year, Oakland
receives $300,000-$325,000 from this source.
Petroleum Violation Escrow Account (PVEA) – These funds are discretionary and
part of the overcharges on the oil prices. Availability of these funds is very skeptical in
the future.
Congestion Relief Program (Senate Bill 916) – SB 916 is a proposed Proposition to
increase the Bridge Tolls in the Bay Area to $3. The generated funds, estimated to be
$125 million per year, will be used for transportation enhancement projects. The bill is
sponsored by Don Perata. Included in the expenditure plan is $65 million for the AC
Transit Enhanced Bus Program, which includes signal prioritization along the
International/Telegraph corridor with priority for improved AC Transit connections to
BART. The City of Oakland could potentially fund part of their ITS Program through this
bill, if it passes.
Assessment Districts/Bonds – Assessment Districts are special fees levied by public
agencies in order to provide and maintain the improvements. A special assessment is a
tax that is levied on real property to pay for benefits which that property has received
from public facility improvements constructed through Assessment District proceedings.
Only a special benefit conferred on a particular property will justify an assessment, not
merely general benefits, which are enjoyed by the public as a whole. A special
assessment creates a lien on benefited property that permits the City to sell
improvement bonds to raise the money necessary to design and construct the public
improvements plus the costs of preparing and underwriting the bonds and forming and
administering the district. The districts could be formed based on Landscape and
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Lighting Act of 1972, Part 2 of Division 15 of the California Streets and Highways Code
(the 1972 Act), and would require a citywide voter approval.
Traffic Impact Fees – Traffic Impact Fees are fees levied by cities and counties on new
development to pay for traffic improvements. The City of Oakland does not currently
have a Traffic Impact Fee program. Development of such as program could include the
cost for ITS and other traffic improvements in the City and create the financing
mechanism for the both the Capital and Operation and Management of the program. The
Traffic Impact Fees, however, would a nexus between the fees and the development
impacts under the AB 1600.
Table 10.2 – Summary of Potential State and Local Funding Sources
Type of Fund Capital O&M
STIP
SOME
SOME
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Gas Tax
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
TFCA
SOME
GOOD
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
PVEA
NO
NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
SB 916
GOOD
LIMITED
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Assessment Districts/Bond Measures
GOOD
GOOD
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Traffic Impact Fees
EXCELLENT NO
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
10.3 OTHER RESOURCES OF FUNDING
Beyond federal and local funding opportunities there are a number of additional funding
sources available for some ITS deployments. These include
Public-Private Partnerships
Public-Public Partnerships
Public Private Partnerships - Partnering with the private sector can provide financial
resources to deploy, operate, and maintain ITS infrastructure to support a regional ITS
program. In the myriad of available ITS services and technologies, there are some that
lend themselves well to full private deployment (such as route guidance, in-vehicle
technologies, etc.), and others are better suited for public/private partnerships, such as
traveler information, emergency response, or commercial vehicle operations. Functions
such as traffic and incident management, surface street, and freeway control, or regional
traffic control are better suited for full public deployment and operations.
A traveler information-related partnership is one way to partner with the private sector.
MetroNetworks/ETAK is already in the Bay area, and currently provides peak-hour traffic
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information to local television and radio stations for broadcast. Metro’s established
relationships with national ISPs (such as Mapquest and Yahoo) could help to enhance
the region’s current traveler information system.
Shared resources to provide telecommunications infrastructure is a more traditional
public/private partnership. Construction of high-speed communications networks is the
backbone for ITS infrastructure. The high tech and high cost of fiber optic installations
make them prime candidates for private sector aid in its deployment. Therefore, the joint
development and cost sharing of fiber optic communications may be valuable.
Arrangements could be made for private communications entities to construct fiber optic
networks within rights-of-way for ITS purposes in exchange for private use of surplus
space on that network.
Public-Public Partnerships – Partnerships with other public agencies could also
provide additional benefits and funds to the City of Oakland. Currently, the City of
Oakland is a part of the East Bay SMART Corridors program. This type of partnership
has allowed investments in ITS infrastructure by the ACCMA for the City of Oakland.
Currently, the City of Oakland is working with AC Transit to implement the transit priority
program along the Broadway Corridor, from 20 th Street to 3 rd Street. Most of the funding
for this program is provided through Federal Transit grants provided by AC Transit. AC
Transit is also interested in development of transit priority applications along other major
corridors, including the entire length of Broadway, MacArthur Blvd, Telegraph Avenue,
East 14th/International, and College Avenue. The City of Oakland can work with AC
Transit to develop these corridor for a mutually beneficially program. In addition, AC
Transit has shown an interest to apply jointly with the City of Oakland for Federal ITS
Earmark funds.
The Port of Oakland is also another good public partner for ITS applications in the
Oakland Airport area.
10.4 SUMMARY
Table 10.3 – Summary of Potential Other ITS Funding Sources
Type of Fund Capital O&M
Public Private Partnerships
SOME
SOME
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
Public-Public Partnerships
GOOD LIMITED
OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY
The City of Oakland should pursue every opportunity to develop meaningful capital and
O&M funds for the ITS program for the City. The first step in developing the funding plan
for the City is to develop a strategic plan and obtain buy-in for implementation of the plan
from the political decision-makers. Once the decision-makers see the benefits in
developing a full transportation management program for the City, developing of funding
options can be achieved easier.
It is recommended that the City of Oakland focus on the following elements to develop
future funding for both the Capital and O&M Program:
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• TEA 21 Funds
• ITS Earmark Funds
• Gas Tax Funds
• TFCA Funds
• Traffic Impact Fees
• Public/Private Partnerships
• Public/Public Partnerships
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