Vol 5 No 3 Thinking HigHWAYS40 www.thinkingtransit.com

I began to write this article on the aeroplane back to Washington, returning from three days in Ottawa at one of the more successful ITS events I have ever attended in my 15+ yearsÍ involvement with the community.

The 13th ITS Canada Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM) sold out for the fi rst time in its history, unequivocally reinforcing my long-established hypothesis that Canada possesses a potential for global ITS innovation that both draws upon the best practices of the global ITS experience but is clearly differentiated in terms of its prudent fi nancial policy and progressive regulatory ecosystem combined with a culture of public sector innovation and empowerment that exemplifi es the concept of public-private partnership.

Clearly CanadianIn many ways Canada, philosophically as well as geographically, might be said to leverage many best practices from its neighbors when it comes to transit planning, operations and governance. However, in so doing it would be a mistake to brand this as

imitation. As the 2010 ITS Canada ACGM underscored, Canadian ITS doctrine is indeed based on a global viewpoint (evidenced by active participation of the 14 other countries present in Ottawa) but it is also distinctly Canadian, accounting for a relatively discrete number of population centers focused on connecting its tremendous natural resources to commercial markets worldwide, combined with a far-fl ung rural element that values the vastness and isolation of much of its territory and a longstanding respect for openness, personal mobility, governmental and responsibility, respect for others and concern for the environment. Perhaps it might well be said that coming out of the 20th Century Canada already espoused what might be called the optimal core values of the 21st.

Where the rubber meets the roadAs a concrete (literally) example of Canadian transport innovation I cite the 34-kilometer dedicated transitway operated by our host city. In 1978 (as it happens the year of my fi rst visit to Canada at the age of 12) many North American cities, having seen the removal of trams and/or streetcars in

�a nd Canada seems to have plenty of it. DAVID E PICKERAL reports from the 2010 ITS Canada conference that underlined the national commitment to smart transit, not to mention a unique vision for smart transportation

In life you must have vision...

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41Thinking HIGHWAYS Vol 5 No 3www.thinkingtransit.com

previous decades, were struggling simply to keep the most basic bus services either salvaged from collapsed private concerns on the road at all. Ottawa City (OC) Transit had the foresight way back in 1978 to realize the benefit of signal-free grade-separated bus-only access into downtown. The OC Transitway BRT system is a testimony to that vision of more than 30 years ago that has only become more relevant.

Even as the newer O-train light rail system provides additional seat capacity, seamlessly integrated with the four Transitway lines at key connection points along with parking and bike-and-ride option, the Transitway itself continues to provide impressive ridership numbers on its own, with up to 180 vehicles per hour delivering nearly a quarter million trips on a typical weekday.

Not satisfied with just the official tour with my ITS colleagues during the conference itself, as I try to do in every city around the world that offers a dedicated road or rail airport connection I made a point of experiencing the Transitway as a regular passenger on this service. Whereas many recent trips around North America have involved almost invariably tedious encounters with taxis, airport shuttles and rental cars, the ease

and economy of a 20-minute one-seat BRT trip from a choice location in front of the airport terminal to downtown was manifestly welcome. The bus itself was an immaculate New Flyer CNG articulated - with most of OCT’s regular fleet now running CNG. The Transitway was well patronized for a Sunday morning with most riders using flash passes and the rest using one-trip printed receipts. The bus dropped me within 50 meters of the conference hotel at a price of C$3.25, conservatively one fifth the price of a taxi ride through regular traffic and without, of course, the benefit of the signal free Transitway.

Benefit for the futureOver on the other side of Canada, only a few days earlier I had visited Vancouver. Like nearly all Olympic host cities over the past century Vancouver invested a substantial amount to add or augment transport infrastructure including the TransLink fully automated rail service Canada Line from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to downtown as well as enhanced services to the Olympic Village and multiple event venues across the region. By all accounts from a public transportation perspective (among

ñIt seems inevitable that CanadaÍs long

standing run as a transit innovator

is destined to continue

indefinitely”

many others) the 2010 Winter Olympics were handled extremely well on all fronts. I had the benefit of that legacy a few months after the closing ceremonies with another inexpensive 20-minute ride to and from the YVR terminal almost to the front steps of my downtown hotel.

Rather than rest on the laurels of that success, even as the final touches were being put in place for the Olympics, the greater Vancouver community had already embarked on a comprehensive transport plan across highway, rail, maritime and aviation. The plan focuses on the needs of coming decade but with vision out to 2030 will combine both necessary near-term commitments and long range flexibility among key stakeholders. Key in the planning process is that it is not simply about the “horizontal” transport ecosystem. Fundamentally, the philosophy as with others in Canada focuses not so much on transport assets as resources to be leveraged in and across modes, but on the “vertical” decisionmaking process from senior officials down to individual rider-patrons in the choices they make. Now and going forward, Vancouver’s planning is reflective of the collective and individual experience of the citizens, local businesses, government institutions and visitors who will rely on regional transport as a ‘system of systems’ which in concert with utilities and information infrastructure will shape and define their quality of work and life.

From better to bestEven as the success in Ottawa and Vancover clearly demo-nstrates, ITS enhancements remain for consideration which would drive even further efficiencies as well as solidify the ability to make a positive environmental impact as well as ensuring stable revenue flows for the coming generation. Noting for example that fares in both cities are dependent on paper fare media, and in the case of the OC Transitway cash only, no change, with payment at the farebox, there is a strong potential to improve these already exceptional and popular transit systems. An integrated fare media (IFM) solution would allow both locals and visitors alike quick, flexible, and paperless (read “green”) electronic payment options which could be

expanded across modes and, potentially, event to non-transit services as the use of mCommerce pushes forward worldwide to encompass payments of all types and sizes as the inevitable way of the future.

Beyond that there are other areas where Canada as with the rest of North America could leverage both existing ICT technology and proven “smart transit” business practices from elsewhere in the world to even further empower both employees and riders through ITS. GPS systems already in use to provide dispatchers and public safety officials with real-time bus location information for security and headway adjustment could be brought to BRT station platforms or even curbside to provide real-time arrivals as well as facilitate intermodal coordination - perhaps ending once and for all the “mad dash” of transit riders during transfers worldwide.

The “C” wordsAlthough congestion charging seems, for the time being at least, less of a politically viable option in many urban areas given the already high use of public transport and relatively low instance of the kind of gridlock traffic seen to the south, the potential of congestion charging as demonstrated elsewhere in the world to both discourage personal car trips and commensurably fund better public transit through a dedicated revenue stream from the process is entirely consistent with Canadian entitlement doctrine. I do not expect that it is very far off in the minds of many that this is a concept whose time is near, if not overdue. Moreover, as with several global ITS success stories such as Stockholm and Singapore, it’s not just demographics and access limitations with counterparts in Canada such as Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto that are comparable, but also the ability for similar success.

Along a similar line of reasoning, using road user charging (or tolling) to apportion the cost of travel relative to greatest use, combined with the ability to pay seems likewise the most rational approach, including both regular travel lanes and premium tolling options through the use of highoccupancy tolling (HOT) and express toll lanes (ETL). Transit users likewise

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enjoy increased capital and equipment approvals as a result of such charging. Regardless of the speed at which charging schemes evolve, it is that a more accurate distance-based method of charging is essential to replace the outmoded fuel tax regime now in use throughout North America. I am of course referring to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) as the basis for what might be “mobility tax” with the aim again to apportion the cost burden more directly to actual highway usage - once again encouraging the use of transit on longer commutes. Along with all of these could be a thoughtful concessionary program that accounts for flexible car use, car/van pooling and other grassroots measures that likewise equate to a smarter and more efficient transportation ecosystem.

Along with the technological changes in ITS deployment, harking back to the mention of PPPs, there will likewise be a number of institutional changes including the businesses, government entities and transit unions affected by (and ideally involved in) any new developments. As in the EU and US, unions have the potential to be a key enabler of positive change, but in working with them it is important to develop a transitional strategy that satisfies their core obligation of promoting and preserving jobs while continuing to make those jobs relevant for the current work environment. To offer an illustrative example here, the use of electronic fare media as discussed previously would potentially eliminate the need for staffing ticket agent positions in transit centers. However the increased volume of traffic such innovation might make up for it would allow for increased positions for drivers, mechanics and customer service personnel elsewhere in the agency that could

more than offset the change and indeed offer potentially higher paying and more interesting work for union members.

The way forwardAdd to all of the above factors a youthful, environmentally attuned population and it seems inevitable that Canada’s long standing run as a transit innovator is destined to continue indefinitely and with the title of ITS innovator an almost certain accompaniment regardless of which of the options above (or possibly others are implemented in and between various Canadian population centers) noting as I have before the strong potential for rural mass transit to serve the needs of isolated communities and the potential of ITS to enhance transit there as much as in an urban environment. Coming out of the positive experience in Ottawa, I will be looking to the 2011 ITS Canada ACGM in Vancouver as a good indicator of the ongoing progress and a look at the next wave of innovation to enhance the Canadian transit ecosystem and, in so doing, continue to provide a positive example for the rest of the world. TH

David Pickeral is Global Development Executive for ITS Solutions at IBM, based in Washington, DC. His core responsibilities are

educating key stakeholders worldwide regarding the potential of ITS to integrate current and next generation ICT technology and implement enhanced business practices and analytics in the

development and enhancement of transportation assets across all modes. Further details may be found on his LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com/in/pickeral where he is always interested in

connecting and networking with fellow ITS professionals. He may also be contacted directly at depicker@us.ibm.com

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