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TO: |
Board of Trustees |
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THROUGH: |
Jay Fox, Executive Director |
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FROM: |
Nichol Bourdeaux, Chief Planning and Engagement Officer |
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PRESENTER(S): |
Hal Johnson, Innovative Mobility Solutions Director |
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TITLE:
title
Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Update
end
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Discussion
RECOMMENDATION:
Informational item for discussion
BACKGROUND:
UDOT partnership and current work
UTA is actively working with UDOT on the implementation of transit signal priority. UDOT is working with U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on multiple grant initiatives to upgrade traffic signals and deploy V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) smart infrastructure statewide.
Connecting the West: A $20 million USDOT grant awarded to UDOT (in a tri-state partnership with Colorado and Wyoming) to accelerate the deployment of V2X technologies at traffic signals.
SMART Grant (Verified Connected Intersections): Funded by a USDOT SMART grant, UDOT partnered with automakers (Ford, GM, Nissan) to prototype a connected corridor.
LiDAR Integration: Using both federal funding and state initiatives, UDOT is deploying AI-powered 3D perception technologies at intersections. This detects pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles in real-time, allowing traffic lights to dynamically adjust timing and improve safety.
Transit & Emergency Preemption: UDOT utilizes these vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies to equip Utah Transit Authority (UTA) buses. They are also equipping fire trucks and ambulances with signal preemption to turn lights green while en route to critical calls.
DISCUSSION:
We are working to equip 330 buses with TSP On Board Units. To date, 223 buses have been equipped, covering 100% of the existing fleet eligible for the technology. The project now focuses on outfitting new buses as they enter service. 21 new buses are scheduled to be completed this fall. A software update for the TSP equipment has been recently made. We have made improvements to several key routes - UVX, OGX, MVX and others - resulting in tighter scheduling thresholds to keep buses on time. We have an upcoming demonstration project with UDOT this August.
IMS is in process of hiring a consultant to model scenarios and optimize the TSP system settings and better utilize the technology. This project will model UTA Route 35, UVX and OGX. The study will adjust TSP settings to see effects on bus speed and reliability and overall traffic flow and cross-traffic (including all modes, pedestrian, autos).
The study results will provide actionable insights for UTA and UDOT to optimize TSP. The study will also produce a V2X and LiDAR opportunities roadmap to improve safety and performance, and the consultant will remain on call for up to 5 years.
TSP can’t deliver these benefits on its own. Our efforts align with Planning’s Bus Speed and Reliability Program (BSRP), which combines TSP with infrastructure improvements such as queue jumps and dedicated bus lanes to gradually improve speed and reliability on our most frequent, high ridership routes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Discussion only
ATTACHMENTS:
None