Memorandum

City of Lawrence

MSO Department

TO:	Dave Wagner, Director - Municipal Services & Operations
CC:	Mike Lawless, Deputy Director - Municipal Services & Operations Charles Soules, Assistant Director - Municipal Services & Operations David Cronin, City Engineer - Municipal Services & Operations Melinda Harger, Assistant Director - Municipal Services & Operations
FROM:	Nick Hoyt, Project Engineer - Municipal Services & Operations
DATE:	February 20, 2019
RE:	Traffic Signal Synchronization, Coordination and Timing

There has been an ongoing effort to evaluate the City’s services and programs since the adoption of the City’s Strategic Plan with respect to the outlined mission, vision and critical success factors. This evaluation process has achieved numerous improvements across the organization in how City services are provided and organized. Each success, including the formation of the Municipal Services & Operations (MSO) Department, provides additional opportunities to foster a culture of continuous improvement in order to better align provided services with the goals of the Strategic Plan.

Through this continuous process, staff has identified a gap in the current traffic signal system equipment and the synchronization, coordination and timing of the signals. The current systems are inadequate, outdated, and not meeting the expectations of the community’s drivers. Prioritizing improvements to these systems has a clear potential for yielding a measurable enhancement to the quality of life for the entire Lawrence Community, impacting environmental sustainability, and supporting the following critical success factors:

• Safe, Healthy and Welcoming Neighborhoods
• Innovative Infrastructure and Asset Management 
• Commitment to Core Services
• Sound Fiscal Stewardship

MSO staff considers developing a long-term Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to address deferred maintenance of the traffic signal system, coordination, and signal timing across the entire City an important and urgent need. However, no funding was included in the 2019 budget for this program. Staff proposes a 2019 budget adjustment of $250,000 from the existing street maintenance program and the fiber O&M budget to initiate this program. Developing an ongoing program for now and in the future would provide the following benefits to the general public:

• Travel time savings for the general public and transit
• Improved safety and travel time for emergency responses
• Improved safety performance, reduced crashes
• Reduced driver frustration
• Improved air quality
• Reduced emissions and pollutants
• Fuel savings
• Reduce the need for costly road capacity construction
• Reduce vehicle traffic on residential side streets

It has been almost 20 years since any studies have been completed on this important part of the City’s infrastructure. Since the last study was completed Lawrence has experienced significant growth and several new signals have been constructed or are currently being planned on major traffic corridors. Specifically, there are several new and planned signals along the 6^th Street corridor that have not been studied. The time it takes to drive across the City and the frequent stops required is cited as a source of frustration by many residents. This is evidenced by the citizen’s survey, letters to the editor and emails to City Commissioners and staff.

Our transportation network has several components that must work together to provide the desired level of service. Continued planning, design, construction, and maintenance of all assets is vital. The City’s traffic signal system includes several complex components that are not visible to the public but are vital to the keep the system functioning properly. These components include central software, controller hardware, cabinets with electronic components, vehicle sensors, pedestrian detectors, cameras, and underground fiber optic communications.  These crucial parts make up a portion of an overall Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and work together in an effort to safely move all modes of traffic through City streets and intersections.

The maintenance of the unseen parts of the system have been deferred and many are outdated and need replacement to keep pace with local needs and expectations.  New technology that allows maximum flexibility in the proactive management of traffic are now available for implementation. These technologies can improve traffic flow through enhanced monitoring and modified signal phasing. The potential improvements to traffic flow are being demanded by the public and can be achieved at a fraction of the cost compared to geometric improvements to streets. Some of these systems such as radar detection have been installed in our system. However, funding for these types of improvements has not been adequate to make substantial improvements.

The City of Lawrence currently has a substantial fiber communication system in place throughout many parts of the City, which is used to link traffic signals and provides the backbone for the video cameras used at many intersections. Typically, the costs of new conduits and fiber can be the single largest cost to funding improvements in the traffic system. The City of Lawrence has been working with other local entities to install, maintain, and modernize miles of new fiber optic connections.  Working cooperatively with private entities and installing infrastructure as part of other projects has resulted in an expansive communications network that can act as a backbone to a new traffic signal coordination system.

It has taken time to get to this point with traffic signals and it will take time and funding to remedy the problem. There is no perfect solution to City’s traffic congestion issues but new developments in traffic signal coordination technologies provide a unique opportunity to make a relatively quick impact to the problem. All possibilities should be evaluated to develop the best and most cost-effective program. MSO staff proposes the following steps:

1. Complete a City-wide traffic signal coordination study in order to:
1. Identify improvements to existing and planned signals to maximize traffic flow with current systems. 
2. Recommend specific and cost-effective traffic signal coordination technologies that will best meet the City’s needs
3. Develop a long-term CIP budget and implementation schedule
4. Creates a standard timing and coordination procedure for new signals
2. Implement coordination improvements along the major traffic corridors:
1. 6^th Street
2. Iowa Street
3. 23rd Street
3. Implement coordination improvements along the City’s other traffic signal corridors
4. Establish an ongoing program with appropriate funding to evaluate and improve the traffic signal coordination system as the City continues grow and new technologies are developed

These are the steps necessary to address the deficiencies identified in the City’s traffic signal system. Additional study funding and a capital improvement program will be proposed in the 2020 budget.