managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

• Wireless communications (It should benoted that during planned special events,cellular capacity is strained, and as such,there is a risk of failing communicationsto portable surveillance systems withcellular communications.)Figure 6-57 shows a portable CCTV camera,mounted on an overhead sign structure, usedfor freeway surveillance during a plannedspecial event.Figure 6-57Portable CCTV Camera for FreewaySurveillanceTemporary CCTV camera installation requiresconsideration of video image transmission,and limited communications optionsmay exist. Telephone lines and cellularchannels facilitate the transmission ofcompressed or slow scan video. The transmissionof real-time motion video requiresinfrastructure such as fiber optic cable,coaxial cable, or wireless (e.g., spread spectrumradio).Closed-circuit television surveillance is avery valuable planned special event managementtool for observing real-time conditionsrelated to special event corridors, alternateroutes, parking and pedestrian conditions,as well as for a verification tool formessages placed on changeable messagesigns.Field ObservationA common and efficient technique to observethe traffic conditions during a plannedspecial event is to place human observers, ordetectors, in the field, usually at critical locations.Normally, these observers have therole of monitoring conditions and reportingback to a central location for strategic assessment.These human detectors are gatheringrelevant information related to theevent and using established protocol tocommunicate the information back to thecentral processing and coordination facility.It is common to deploy these observerswhere technology is lacking and where theymay perform an additional role in trafficmanagement or traffic incident management(e.g., freeway service patrol operators). Forinstance, an observer may be placed at acritical pedestrian location, where besidesreporting back to central command on thestatus of the location, the observer mayserve the role of a traffic engineer by adjustingthe signal timing to better accommodatethe pedestrian volumes.Aerial ObservationAerial surveillance has long been used tomonitor the operation of the surface transportationnetwork. “Observers” in aircraft(fixed wing or helicopters) fly over freewaysand streets and monitor conditions in realtime,using two-way radios to communicatewith the TMC or with service patrols on thefreeway. This approach can be relativelyexpensive when one considers the expenseof leasing or operating an aircraft, althoughit does have the benefit of being able tocover a large area.An emerging trend is the use of remote sensingvia unmanned aerial vehicles, similar toairborne platforms/drones used by the military,and satellites. Information gathered6EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW6-71