San Diego, CA-based Cubic Transportation Systems (Cubic) has announces a new partnership with Edmonton, AB’s IntelliTrafik, a division of ATS Traffic, to expand Cubic’s reach across Canadian provinces and agencies while providing traffic management and intelligent transportation solutions and prioritizing combating climate change.
The collaboration with IntelliTrafik will provide Cubic with key relationships and a strong local supply chain. IntelliTrafik’s geography-specific expertise in local jurisdictions will also assist Cubic executives in navigating customer engagements to deliver solutions.
Starting this month, the two companies will collaborate to identify opportunities where Cubic’s ITS solutions, along with IntelliTrafik’s local expertise, can be utilized by road authorities, municipalities, and contractors across Canada to improve on the road experience for drivers.
“The IntelliTrafik and Cubic partnership represents a truly synergetic and symbiotic move that will only benefit our Canadian customers and road users,” said Steve Ennis, executive vice president of IntelliTrafik.
It also emphasizes Cubic’s commitment to combating climate change through managing traffic congestion. For example, Cubic’s SynchroGreen adaptive signal control technology optimizes traffic signals in real-time, based on traffic conditions and surges in congestion.
The product is commonly deployed in areas of high congestion such as an athletic stadium or a university campus. It can also be used in areas with frequent traffic accidents caused by congestion.
“The way it’s set up is that traffic engineers can input data, and the algorithms adapt and ensure that those signals are going to be green for the motorists as they drive through,” said Eric Jacques, senior manager of ITS sales at Cubic Transportation Systems.
SynchroGreen helps reduce the number of vehicle stops, idle time, and overall travel time, as well as decreases carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
The product was tested out in Chula Vista, CA., where roads are susceptible to heavy congestion from commuters driving to and from nearby cities.
The city introduced SynchroGreen in three areas with heavy traffic. A third party studied conditions before and after Chula Vista deployed SynchroGreen at the intersections, focusing on peak travel times in both directions in the morning, midday, and evening.
Overall, vehicle emissions such as tailpipe-out, hot stabilized nitrous oxide (TNOx) and tailpipe-out, hot stabilized carbon dioxide (TCO2) fell. Fuel use declined, as did travel times and delays.
The study showed that idle times were reduced by 33 per cent, and the number of stops decreased by 33 per cent as well. Overall travel times decreased by 15 per cent. Fuel consumption was reduced by about seven per cent and carbon emissions were reduced by 11 per cent.
Other sustainable solutions from the company include Transit Signal Priority, which is software that’s deployed at intersections that ensures transit vehicles get extended green signals.
Jacques added that the companies are also trying to migrate commuters from their personal vehicles to public transportation, a greener way to travel.
“The way you do that is by really making public transportation better, more efficient, to get people from point A to point B faster.”
Jacques added that, at the UN Global Climate Convention that occurred last year in Glasgow, Scotland, the traffic and transportation industry was challenged with reducing carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
“That’s a sizable achievement, and to get there, the only way that that’s going to happen is vendors coming up with products and solutions that are better for the environment, and municipalities, agencies, contractors, taking advantage of these solutions.”
He said the move towards autonomous vehicles and connected vehicle technologies are also factors that are contributing to environmental stewardship. He also highlighted the importance of safety.
“When you’ve got safety and environmental stewardship, and if you have a commitment to both, then you’re doing the right thing.”
