Published Sunday, 15 June, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
PREMIER LOOKS TO BIG APPLE TO TACKLE URBAN CONGESTION
NEW YORK: Premier Anna Bligh will be today looking to the Big Apple for advice on management of urban congestion.
As part of a number of site visits Ms Bligh will be visiting the Lincoln Tunnel Traffic Management Centre to view first hand the operation of Advanced Incident Management technology.
“The three 1.5 mile (2.4 km) tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel, under the Hudson River, connect midtown Manhattan with New Jersey,” Ms Bligh said.
“The tunnel carries about 120 000 vehicles per day, making it one of the busiest vehicular tunnels in the world.
Ms Bligh said the visit will also include a tour of the New Jersey Emergency Garage to view the various pieces of emergency equipment used by Lincoln Tunnel emergency garage staff in responding to and handling tunnel incidents.
“Specialised ‘bulldozer’ pick up trucks clear accidents from roads just minutes after minor accidents happen,” she said.
'We have seen recent examples where one accident on a major arterial like the Gateway motorway can bring the city to a halt - this equipment could change that. While building new roads is part of the answer to urban congestion, using technology to get smarter use of our roads is equally important.
“The tunnel's three tubes provide important flexibility in traffic handling. For example, there is the ability to change the six lanes to four lanes in one direction or three lanes in each direction by converting the centre tube to a two-way operation.
Ms Bligh will also be first visiting The Transportation Operations Coordinating Committee (TRANSCOM) Regional Incident and Traffic Management Centre in New Jersey.
She will see first first-hand how traffic and incidents are detected and managed via a variety of state-of-the art technological and operator systems in the Big Apple.
“TRANSCOM is a cooperative effort of the 16 major transit, highway and police agencies in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan region,” Ms Bligh said.
“They have designed and implemented a number of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
“These systems integrate the transportation management systems of its member agencies, and then distributes this information among the agencies, and to the travelling public.
“It is one simple coordinating system with a strong focus on clearing the roads quickly.”
Ms Bligh said tackling urban congestion was a top priority for her Government and she was keen to see if any of the projects or systems in New York could be applied in the Smart State.
15 June, 2008
Media contact: (07) 3224 4500
As part of a number of site visits Ms Bligh will be visiting the Lincoln Tunnel Traffic Management Centre to view first hand the operation of Advanced Incident Management technology.
“The three 1.5 mile (2.4 km) tubes of the Lincoln Tunnel, under the Hudson River, connect midtown Manhattan with New Jersey,” Ms Bligh said.
“The tunnel carries about 120 000 vehicles per day, making it one of the busiest vehicular tunnels in the world.
Ms Bligh said the visit will also include a tour of the New Jersey Emergency Garage to view the various pieces of emergency equipment used by Lincoln Tunnel emergency garage staff in responding to and handling tunnel incidents.
“Specialised ‘bulldozer’ pick up trucks clear accidents from roads just minutes after minor accidents happen,” she said.
'We have seen recent examples where one accident on a major arterial like the Gateway motorway can bring the city to a halt - this equipment could change that. While building new roads is part of the answer to urban congestion, using technology to get smarter use of our roads is equally important.
“The tunnel's three tubes provide important flexibility in traffic handling. For example, there is the ability to change the six lanes to four lanes in one direction or three lanes in each direction by converting the centre tube to a two-way operation.
Ms Bligh will also be first visiting The Transportation Operations Coordinating Committee (TRANSCOM) Regional Incident and Traffic Management Centre in New Jersey.
She will see first first-hand how traffic and incidents are detected and managed via a variety of state-of-the art technological and operator systems in the Big Apple.
“TRANSCOM is a cooperative effort of the 16 major transit, highway and police agencies in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan region,” Ms Bligh said.
“They have designed and implemented a number of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
“These systems integrate the transportation management systems of its member agencies, and then distributes this information among the agencies, and to the travelling public.
“It is one simple coordinating system with a strong focus on clearing the roads quickly.”
Ms Bligh said tackling urban congestion was a top priority for her Government and she was keen to see if any of the projects or systems in New York could be applied in the Smart State.
15 June, 2008
Media contact: (07) 3224 4500