The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Canadian Champion, Friday, July 7,2000 - 13 Highway congestion «majority of commuters surveyed is easing up: MTO Say highways -are more congested By URENE GENTLE Pl The Champion ta It may look bad out there, but ro according to the Ontario Ministry h of Transportation (MTO), things c have gotten better. i Thbis area may bost some ai the busiest b highway systems in thc world, but canges- ai tion bas been eased by the implementation of the COMPASS syatem af traffic man- agement, said the MTO's head ai advanced traffie management Phi] Masters. He appeared hefore the Region's plan- ning and public works cammittee June 14. - "T'he highway network is a vital compa- nent of economic prasperity and highway expansion opportunities are limited," said Mr. Masters. "'Iis is not a prablem we're gaing ta build our way aut ai." One reasan is Uic issue ai latent demand. Instead ai spreading aut existing traifie, adding new lanes ta aid highways wauld likely juat encaurage mare drivers. -it wauld be filled almast immediate- ly," said Mr. Masters. Instead, COMPASS wields a cambina- tion ai congestion-fighting weapons, start- ing with simple traific manitaring. That's achieved with data-gathering loaps placed under the asphaît. They ieed traffic infor- mation back ta a central MTO computer. Cameras have alsa been placed raughly anc kilometre spart thraughout much ai the provincial highway system, ta give MTO officiais a picture ai any trouble spots. "They can determine whether in fact there is an incident there," said Mr. Masters. "la it a collision, are there a num- ber ai vehicles involved, is there a lire, are there injured parties?" That information is then ied ta any rcsponding rescue vehicles. "We get in direct contact with emner- gcncy services and give them very specific details an thc incident," he said. The cameras help spot anything iram collisions ta stalled cars ta debris on the highway. AIl serve ta slow thinga down. But fast, precise monitoring can help speed it up again. Accarding ta Mr. Masters, anc lane blocked for anc minute will result in 10 minutes ai gridlack during peak times. That means the quicker the trouble is cleared, the less backed up traiiic hecomes. And that helps reduce the irequency ai secondary collisions, said Mr. Masters. Traditianally, they accaunt for about 8 ta 17 per cent ai aIl collisions. But faster removal bas led ta a 30 ta 60 per cent decrease in fallow-up fender-hen- ders. With COMPASS, average highway speeds bave also. increased 7 ta 18 per cent. And trafic considered ta be maving well is up by 45 percent during peak peri- ads. Another COMPASS aiishoat are changeable message signa, which warn matariats ai traitic ahead. That can help drivers prepare ta slow down, or choose altemnate routes. Sigris cas indicate if the express and cal- lector lanes are maving well. In the case ai parallel highwayt, they can alert motorists that Hwy. 403, for example, is smoather sailing than the QEW. fri w.47 An exception safri Hw.47 Since it was sold by Uic province ta a If highway congestion is easing 10<0 km ecd day while their ivate owner, &h MTO bas been unable up, it sure doesn't feel like it, female counterparta travel access traffic information an the toîl aceotsling ta commutera. between 31 and 60 km a day. ad, said Mr. Masters. Projeet Safe Commute researeh 'The most dangerous behaviour Some ai these measures will soon be - carried out througli a survey was fallawing t00 cloaely, fol- eading Halton's way. They include a canducted by thc Milton Road Iowcd by speeding, Commutera hangeable message aign along Hwy. 403 Safety Cammittec - revealed agreed that increased media and iOakville ta wamn motaristi ai a blind that the majarity ai commutera education 1'including traifie bul- ottleneck at Ford Drive. That would driving from Halton ta Uic GRA letins and mare widely-knawn Ilow drivers ta choose Regianal Road 5 icît highwaya have become mare procedures far reporting bad dri- )undas Street) as as alternative. congestcd in thc past few years. vers - would translate inta a Closed-circuit cameras and data-inior- Studies also showed that maIe cansiderable reduction af higli- sation laaps are alsa scheduled ta be commutera travel betwccn 61 and way accidenta. nstalled on 1Iwy. 403, likely by 2002. the punaber one tesson theydldn't use public transit was that it wisn'tcnveneimt iliose wishing to complote tlhe survey ean do so by cang (905) 528-8300 or by visiting the Prajet Safe Commute website et www.trauapOveSiitonf.c.a. Mme survey was created in part- nership with Halton Regional Police and the OPP Port Credit detachment.