COMHAIRLE CHONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 13, 2006
QUESTION 13
QUESTION: Cllr. Eamonn Tuffy
To ask the Manager for an updated report on the operation of the Council's Traffic Management Centre?
REPLY
The South Dublin County Council Traffic Management Centre (TMC) was first established in 1998, and provided remote monitoring and fault reporting facilities, together with a limited facility to manage signal plans in response to changing traffic situations, at an initial 11 no. signalised junctions in the county. Since then, the range and number of activities covered by theTMC and its related networks have been expanded on a continuing basis since then, both in regard to number and range of activities, to a current level which includes:
- CCTV cameras
- Remote Monitoring Stations (RMS)
- Dial-Up Strategic Control plan management units (DUSC)
- Automatic Traffic Counter/Classifiers (ATCs)
- MOVA junction control units
- Signalised Junctions & Pedestrian Crossings
- Direct Link to Dublin City Council Traffic Control Centre with direct access to DCC's SCATS camera network
In addition, from 2004 onwards, the TMC has also been involved in the development of a number of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) applications in keeping with the Local Government Modernisation Programme, and with the aim of making improved traffic and travel information available to our customers, including land use & transport planners, public and private transport operators and the general public.
In Autumn 2005, the first phase of a real-time journey-time information project was completed as part of the European ITISS (Intermodal Traveller Information SystemS) programme. The project covers the three National Routes (N4, N7 and N81) and involves introduction of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) System for each carriageway lane, which matches plates at entry and exit points, from which the intervening journey times are calculated. This information is then processed for transmission to the end-user by various methods (web-site, information kiosks, SMS messaging and 3G mobile phones). The system is currently being trialled in-house and with a number of external organisations including AA Roadwatch and Live Drive Radio, and is scheduled to be made available to all customers via the SDCC web-site by end-06. The second phase of the ANPR system, mainly expanding the network and providing orbital links within the SDCC area, is now underway. Further phases will see its expansion throughout the Greater Dublin Area.