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No. H046/04 TRANSPORT MINISTER SIGNS
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Contacts: Irène Marcheterre Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Transport, Ottawa (613) 991-0700 |
Alain Bryar Communications New Brunswick Department of Transportation (506) 453-5634 |
Paul Delannoy Meteorological Service of Canada Environment Canada (613) 990-5581 |
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
Road Weather Information Systems are automated weather reporting stations with special sensors embedded in and below the road, and on nearby towers. These systems collect detailed data on weather conditions at and near the road surface, which can assist weather forecasters in predicting road surface conditions. Road maintenance crews can use "real-time" road weather information to decide if road treatment is necessary, when to treat, what chemicals or mixtures to use, and how much is required.
Road Weather Information Systems have two major benefits. First, by enabling maintenance crews to treat roads in advance of icing conditions, winter driving safety can be enhanced. Second, by reducing the overall amount of road salt used, they can help mitigate the negative impact of road salt on the environment.
Canada already has more than 150 roadside sensor sites, installed by various jurisdictions. Since these sensors were installed at different times using different technologies, jurisdictions cannot all share information. An integrated system will provide consistent weather information for all jurisdictions. With the implementation of a national Road Weather Information System, Canada will be a world leader in large-scale, integrated road weather technology.
Since 1999, Transport Canada and Environment Canada have worked with the provinces and territories to create a cross-Canada network of high quality road weather systems that would be installed on the National Highway System.
The federal government is negotiating with the provinces and territories to finalize contribution and data sharing agreements for these systems. Once an agreement is in place, construction of the environmental sensor sites along the National Highway System can begin. The negotiations, construction and activation are expected to take up to two years.
September 2004
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are a broad range of diverse technologies applied to transportation to make systems safer, more efficient, more reliable and more environmentally friendly, without necessarily having to physically alter existing infrastructure. Transport Canada has been promoting them aggressively and has provided more than $13 million in support of ITS projects and research in Canada.
The field of ITS encompasses new products and information and communications technologies for the development, operation and management of the transportation system. ITS includes applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management, and vehicle safety. They all have in common the application of advanced technologies, including information processing, communications, and sensing and control - technologies that put transportation systems at the core of an innovation revolution.
The Government of Canada's Intelligent Transportation Systems Plan for Canada: En Route to Intelligent Mobility (1999) sets out the strategy for stimulating the development and deployment of ITS across urban and rural Canada. More information on that plan can be found at
www.its-sti.gc.ca/en/its_plan_for_canada.htm. The goals are to maximize the use and efficiency of existing infrastructure and meet future mobility needs more responsibly. The ITS Plan provides leadership and support to advance the application and compatibility of ITS technologies and to increase the safety, integration, efficiency and sustainability of Canada's transportation system.
For further information, please visit the ITS Office's website at
www.its-sti.gc.ca.
September 2004
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