No. H162/05
For release July 14, 2005

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
AND PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
TO INVEST OVER $500,000 IN
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

VANCOUVER, B.C. — David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry and co-Senior Minister responsible for British Columbia, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre, along with British Columbia Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, today announced an agreement between the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia for the upgrade and installation of environmental sensor stations in the province.

Intelligent Transportation Systems comprise a broad range of technologies designed to make transportation safer, more secure, more efficient, more reliable and more environmentally friendly.

Under the agreement, the federal government and the province will each contribute $271,400 for necessary upgrades to 36 of the 54 existing road weather information systems stations and the installation of one new station along the National Highway System in the province. The work is expected to be completed by March 31, 2006.

"This agreement demonstrates the commitment of the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to working together to improve the National Highway System in the province," said Mr. Emerson. "The application of this new technology will help to make British Columbia’s roads safer and more efficient during winter weather conditions."

"The Government of Canada is dedicated to providing Canadians with the best transportation system," said Mr. Lapierre. "Funding reliable technologies that improve the safety and efficiency of our roads is one way we honour this commitment."

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 help weather forecasters predict potentially hazardous pavement conditions such as icing and help road crews make winter highway maintenance decisions, among other things. Cameras on selected stations will also provide visual data on highway conditions, which the public can access through the Internet. The national Road Weather Information Systems initiative is a joint federal-provincial-territorial program to provide Canadians with improved road weather information. Transport Canada and Environment Canada are the federal partners.

"Safety is always our top priority," said Mr. Falcon. "By installing a new environmental sensor station in Abbotsford and upgrading 36 others across B.C., we can help ensure drivers and maintenance contractors have the most up-to-date information available to help them make the best decisions to keep our highways safe."

Transport Canada is concluding funding negotiations with the provinces and territories for the development of a cross-Canada Road Weather Information Systems network. The department will pay up to 50 per cent of eligible costs relating to the acquisition and installation of the system components, subject to the successful conclusion of contribution agreements with the provinces and territories, which are expected to pay the balance, and the ongoing operation and maintenance costs. As a condition of funding, provinces and territories are also required to enter into a data-sharing agreement with Environment Canada.

"Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service is directed toward one goal: to provide the best and most useful weather information possible to ensure the health, safety and security of Canadians," said Minister of the Environment, Stéphane Dion. "This system will not only save lives but will also help reduce the usage of road salts, thereby protecting the environment."

Federal funding will be provided under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, a $600 million program to improve highway infrastructure across Canada. Part of this funding — $100 million — is for initiatives that better integrate the country’s transportation system. One of these is the Intelligent Transportation Systems initiative, which includes applications such as advanced systems for traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial vehicle operations, emergency response management and vehicle safety.

Funding for this initiative is built into the existing financial framework.

Backgrounders with further information on Road Weather Information Systems and Intelligent Transportation Systems are attached.

- 30 -

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.

BACKGROUNDER

ROAD WEATHER INFORMATION SYSTEMS

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. Data collected can also be incorporated into advance traveller information systems for use by the general public.

Traveller infromation systems provide users with up-to-date information on road and weather conditions including weather alerts, congestion, incidents and planned events. This information can help the travelling public make informed decisions on how and when to travel.

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 to be installed along the National Highway System.

Canada already has more than 150 roadside sensor sites, installed by various jurisdictions. Since these sensors were installed at different times using different technologies, not all the information gathered can be shared between all jurisdictions. 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.

The federal government is negotiating with the provinces and territories to finalize contribution and data sharing agreements for these systems. Once agreements are in place, construction of environmental sensor sites along the National Highway System can begin. The negotiations, construction and activation are expected to be completed by March 31, 2006.

July 2005

BACKGROUNDER

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

Intelligent Transportation Systems are a broad range of diverse technologies used to make transportation systems safer, more efficient, more reliable and more environmentally friendly, without necessarily having to physically alter existing infrastructure. Since 1999, Transport Canada has been promoting them aggressively and has provided more than $21 million in support of Intelligent Transportation Systems projects and research in Canada.

Intelligent Transportation Systems encompass new products and information and communications technologies for the development, operation and management of the transportation system. They include 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.

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 Intelligent Transportation Systems across urban and rural Canada. The goals are to maximize the use and efficiency of existing infrastructure and meet future mobility needs more responsibly. The Intelligent Transportation Systems Plan provides leadership and support to advance the application and compatibility of Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies and to increase the safety, integration, efficiency and sustainability of Canada’s transportation system.

Federal funding is provided under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, a $600-million program to improve highway infrastructure across Canada. Announced in April 2001, the program has two components, a $500-million highway construction component and a $100-million national system component, of which $30 million is designated to fund Intelligent Transportation System initiatives.

For further information, please visit the Intelligent Transportation Systems website.

July 2005