{"id":45217,"date":"2018-09-01T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=45217"},"modified":"2019-04-19T07:15:35","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T11:15:35","slug":"traffic-safety-initiatives-rapid-highway-clearance-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/traffic-safety-initiatives-rapid-highway-clearance-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Traffic Safety Initiatives: Rapid Highway Clearance Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"_idContainer614\" class=\"Basic-Text-Frame\">\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-DROP-CAP-2014\"><span class=\"_idGenDropcap-1\">T<\/span>he Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is home to 6.4 million residents (according to the 2016 census), almost 50 percent of Ontario\u2019s population. GTA highways are known to experience some of the most significant traffic congestion in North America. A recent study commissioned by the Canadian Automobile Association collected and analyzed speed and volume data on highways in urban areas across Canada to identify the worst highway bottlenecks. Of the top 20 in Canada, 10 were in the GTA. In relation to cities across the United States, GTA highways also ranked in the top 10 in terms of congestion.<span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">Congestion is expensive. A Metrolinx study concluded that in 2006, the annual cost of congestion to commuters in the GTA was already $3.3 billion. This cost comes from travel delays, increased impact to the environment, increased vehicle costs due to travel delays, and an increased chance of vehicle collisions. Looking ahead to 2031, these costs are expected to balloon to 7.8 billion dollars per year.<span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">There are many causes of road congestion, including volume (demand exceeds capacity), weather and road conditions, visual distractions, construction, and traffic incidents. Traffic incidents account for approximately 25 percent of all delays and are generally the most significant in terms of prolonged closures and slowdowns.<span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">Road closures due to major traffic investigations involving serious personal injury or death, as well as commercial motor vehicle incidents such as tractor trailer jackknifes and load spills, regrettably occur with some regularity on the GTA highways. These road closures put added stress on an already overburdened road transportation system, often affecting surrounding municipalities for 12 hours or more before the system can return to normal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">According to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration,<\/p>\n<p class=\"ARTICLE-DEPT-BLOCK-QUOTE-2014\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>TIM [Traffic Incident Management] consists of a planned and coordinated multi-disciplinary process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow may be restored as safely and quickly as possible. Effective TIM reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improves the safety of motorists, crash victims and emergency responders.<\/em><span class=\"CharOverride-55\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have utilized TIM principles for<br \/>\na number of years, ensuring their response to these incidents is expedient, and the organization has employed a multitude of strategies across the province to ensure the highways are restored as quickly as possible following an incident. OPP\u2019s most notable successes in the GTA have been the implementation of Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (TIME) teams and the expansion of the collision reporting center network across the area.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Traffic incidents account for approximately 25 percent of all delays and are generally the most significant in terms of prolonged closures and slowdowns.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"DEPT-ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">TIME Teams<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">TIME teams are dedicated traffic response teams led by a traffic sergeant and composed of various specialty officers including technical traffic collision investigators; commercial motor vehicle inspectors; reconstructionists; crime scene officers; commercial motor vehicle inspectors; investigative mechanics; and just recently, drug recognition experts. These teams respond together from across the GTA to immediately assess and collaboratively work to remediate scenes quickly. There is a team on duty 24\/7 in the GTA, and the teams provide support to eight detachments that include approximately 3,000 kilometers of highway. The primary objectives of the TIME teams are rapid clearance and investigative excellence for benchmark collisions. Benchmark collisions include those that are fatal or involve vehicle occupants sustaining life-altering injuries, collisions involving government automobiles, suspect apprehension pursuits involving collisions, Special Investigations Unit investigations, and commercial motor vehicle collisions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">The 24\/7 coverage is provided by four platoons working 12-hour shifts to ensure an immediate response. Each platoon ensures the appropriate investigative specialties are available at all times; several of the officers are cross-trained and able to perform more than one specialty function. In the event of concurrent incidents, a second team is available on an on-call basis. Where there are more than two incidents ongoing at the same time, the teams have the capacity to split in two given the cross-training. Benchmark collisions typically result in highway closures to major transportation conduits throughout the GTA. Teams work to capture evidence and clear major highways as soon as possible. On-scene investigation usually takes a minimum of two hours with a rapid clearance goal of no more than four hours for the closure. More complex investigations and recoveries involving multiple fatalities or commercial motor vehicles can take more time, especially if there are dangerous goods involved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">Evidence collection is one of the primary responsibilities of the TIME team. Each reconstructionist is equipped with a robotic total station. A total station is a surveying instrument used to measure angles and distances using a combination of a theodolite with electronic distance measurement. The theodolite is used to measure horizontal and vertical angles, while an onboard laser reads slope distances to a particular point. The use of a robotic total station allows a single operator to perform all functions by remote control, negating the need for a second person to assist. The stations are also equipped with the latest technology in scene mapping\u2014an unmanned aerial system (UAS). This system utilizes aerial photography and video to create an orthomosaic aerial image. The system provides a photo \u201cgrid-map\u201d of the scene. The software also allows for the reconstructionist to manipulate both 2-D and 3-D images of the scene from various vantage points. The accuracy of the UAS is one centimeter per pixel. A robotic total station takes approximately two hours to \u201cmap\u201d a collision scene, while the UAS reduces this time to approximately 10 minutes. When deployed, the UAS greatly contributes to rapid clearance while maintaining investigative excellence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">Investigative excellence is of primary importance in relation to any major traffic incident. The traffic sergeant has overall responsibility for the investigation. All traffic sergeants are trained in the Ontario Major Case Management model, which is designed to provide for a flexible, yet standardized, response to major case investigations based on the requirements of the particular case. The circumstances of each major case will dictate the level and extent to which resources will be assigned to each investigative function. The objective of this system is to ensure that the police response is commensurate with the requirements of the particular investigation. An investigation by a TIME team will take on average, approximately 76 hours of follow up and report writing to complete the investigation, and many investigations will result in Highway Traffic Act or criminal charges. These investigations might also include several hours, days, or weeks when team members and the traffic sergeant are in court as part of the prosecution team. In 2017, the GTA TIME teams attended 127 fatal or life-altering collisions, 224 commercial motor vehicle incidents, and 51 government automobile collisions\u2014and provided assistance to crime scene officers for 62 occurrences. In total, the TIME teams assisted with 464 occurrences in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">In order to ensure the TIME members are effectively utilized at all times, when members are not attending a benchmark collision or following up on investigations, they will assist the GTA detachments with calls for service and participate in general enforcement duties outside of their primary investigative duties, further contributing to the OPP road safety efforts in the GTA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">The TIME teams have been in existence in the GTA for some time. They have gone through a number of iterations over the years in terms of their size and increasing level of specializations. Due to the success of the GTA model, the OPP has recently expanded this concept elsewhere across the province.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"DEPT-ARTICLE-SUBHEAD-2014\"><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Collision Reporting Center Network<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">Another service area in which the OPP has adopted TIM concepts for rapid clearance is through the expansion of its collision reporting center (CRC) network. CRCs are locations where drivers involved in a collision can go to report it, either immediately or up to 48 hours after the fact. It gets these drivers off the highway and back to safety in a much more expedient manner than the traditional response model of waiting at the roadside for police to attend the scene. The benefits include the ability for motorists to report collisions in a safe and convenient manner; reduction of traffic congestion; reduction in the number of secondary collisions; and improved customer service. The OPP has had two collision reporting centers in the GTA for many years. During the 2015 Pan-Am Games, however, the agency experimented with a significant expansion in order to address the anticipated congestion during the games. Five new CRCs were opened as a \u201cpilot\u201d project to gauge their effectiveness in terms of rapid highway clearance. The initial goal during the pilot included diverting approximately 50\u201360 percent of all property damage collisions off the roadway, and this goal was easily achieved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">The OPP billing model (the mechanism by which municipalities are charged for police services) puts the investigation of a property damage motor vehicle collision at 2.7 hours per incident. This includes travel time to and from the scene, on scene investigation, and subsequent follow-up and report writing. In 2017, there were 10,736 collisions reported to GTA CRCs. That equates to 28,982 hours of frontline police officer time that was saved. In keeping with the OPP\u2019s strategic plan and the agency\u2019s commitment to continual reinvestment, these officer hours have been reinvested into other areas of the organization to meet the ever-changing needs in policing. In the last few months, the OPP has expanded the mandate of the CRCs to include minor personal injury collisions where no parties have been transported to the hospital by ambulance. Like the TIME team concept, due to its success and the efficiencies realized, the OPP is also looking at expansion of the CRC system throughout the province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-2014\">In addition to the utilization of TIM principles, the OPP also endeavors to be proactive, rather than reactive with respect to collisions by working closely with its partners at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to ensure safer roadway infrastructure through planning and design.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #003300;\">&#x2666;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-FOOTNOTE-2014 ParaOverride-11\"><strong><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-BOLD\">Notes:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/span><em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Grinding to a Halt: Evaluating Canada\u2019s Worst Bottlenecks<\/span><\/em>(Ottawa, ON: Canadian Automobile Association, 2017).<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/span>HDR Corporation, <em><span class=\"PALATINO-NOVA-PRO-ITAL\">Costs of Road Congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area<\/span><\/em>(Toronto, ON: Metrolinx, 2008).<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/span>U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), \u201c2012 Urban Congestion Trends,\u201d U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington DC, 2013.<\/p>\n<p class=\"DEPT-FOOTNOTE-2014\"><span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/span>FHWA, <a href=\"https:\/\/ops.fhwa.dot.gov\/eto_tim_pse\/about\/tim.htm\">\u201cTraffic Incident Management,\u201d<\/a> February 1, 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Please cite as<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Brad Blair, \u201cRapid Highway Clearance Strategies,\u201d Traffic Safety Initiatives,<em> Police Chief<\/em> 85, no. 9 (2018): 104\u2013106.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"pullout pullout--wide alignleft\"><strong><span class=\"CharOverride-146\">Further Reading<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"Side-bar-style ParaOverride-73\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/traffic-safety-initiatives-crash-reporting-centers-moving-crash-reporting-away-from-the-roadway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read more about CRCs and how a U.S. agency in Virginia adapted the OPP\u2019s model for their needs in the June 2018 Traffic Safety Initiatives column<\/a>.<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"DEPT-TEXT-DROP-CAP-2014\"><span class=\"_idGenDropcap-1\">T<\/span>he Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is home to 6.4 million residents (according to the 2016 census), almost 50 percent of Ontario\u2019s population. GTA highways are known to experience some of the most significant traffic congestion in North America. A recent study commissioned by the Canadian Automobile Association collected and analyzed speed and volume data on highways in urban areas across Canada to identify the worst highway bottlenecks. Of the top 20 in Canada, 10 were in the GTA. In relation to cities across the United States, GTA highways also ranked in the top 10 in terms of congestion.<span class=\"CharOverride-43\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,158],"tags":[363,182],"class_list":["post-45217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columns","category-traffic-safety-initiatives","tag-traffic","tag-traffic-safety"],"acf":{"post_author":"Brad Blair, Deputy Commissioner, Ontario Provincial Police","main_category":"Traffic Safety","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Traffic Safety Initiatives: Rapid Highway Clearance Strategies - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Road closures due to major traffic investigations involving serious personal injury or death, as well as commercial motor vehicle incidents such as tractor trailer jackknifes and load spills, regrettably occur with some regularity on the GTA highways. 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