The TCC needs decision support information on the network including a database of road network characteristics, information about incidents and other events (roadworks, accidents), traffic flow and journey times, and weather conditions.

This requires the TCC to adopt systems for:

1. the network description and location referencing (See Basic Info-structure)

2. obtaining information about:

• planned roadworks on the network
• unplanned events as soon as they occur
• planned events that will have an impact on traffic conditions, such as major cultural or sporting events
• planned roadworks on the network

3. continuous monitoring of:

• traffic conditions
• weather conditions

(See Data and Information, Traffic & Status Monitoring and Weather Monitoring)

The TCC needs to develop traffic management response plans that support its control strategies and the choice of information to be provided during incidents that affect traffic on the network. When incidents occur the TCC will implement these plans and analyse and update those plans on the basis of experience.

This requires:

• off-line development of strategic responses
• on-line selection and implementation of strategic responses
• off-line evaluation of implemented strategic responses
• hosting inter-agency Traffic Incident Management Teams

(See Integrated Strategies)

These are the means by which a TCC provides information to media organisations, road users and the travelling public . They may include providing VMS at key locations on the road network, providing an internet site for public information – and use of social media and an interactive telephone service. 

Specifically the TCC core services will be:

• provision of information via VMS
• provision of information to the public via media organisations

(See Travel Information Systems and Traveller Services)

These are activities that enable the TCC to provide information and take action that will improve the ability of other organisations (operating partners) to perform their duties in managing the traffic and operations on their networks. The TCC needs to establish links with the traffic controllers for site that generate traffic or are major destinations. Examples might be a ferry port or airport, shipping container terminal, mineral extraction sites, major sports or entertainment centres, retail parks and shopping malls

They include:

• assistance with planning roadworks, road closures and the movement of abnormal loads
• the preparation of network management and statistical information
• assistance to traffic police, emergency services and mobile Safety Service Patrols
• assistance to other TCCs, passenger transport network operators

(See Planning and Reporting,  Public Transport Operations & Fleet Management and Operations & Fleet Management)

Management services relate to the day-to-day operation of the Traffic Control Centre and any additional operations that are required, specifically:

• staffing, operating and managing the control centre
• tours, visits and presentations
• staff training
• administration of other support services (for example conference room and operations support in emergencies

(See Traffic Control Centre Administration)

For a TCC that covers toll road operations the ITS traffic systems and the electronic tolling systems are usually completely separate. They are not permitted to integrate, at least electronically, to protect the integrity of toll revenues. Toll-road TCCs generally manage incidents in the same way as their non-tolling counterparts. The fact that they operate facilities whose users are paying in real-time increases the pressure to clear incidents quickly. In some locations, such as Santiago, Chile, various toll roads use the same transponders to identify all vehicles passing through the toll gantries.

(See Toll Collection)

The establishment of a business plan is recommended to provide a roadmap for agencies to establish the TCC goals and objectives and to achieve them. A properly implemented TCC business plan will provide justification for sustained operations by means of on-going performance measurement and reporting of outcomes. The business plan also helps to identify the present and desired future state of the TCC’s operational effectiveness and key gaps that need to be addressed. The plan will include:

• an analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of TCC implementation scenarios
• expected benefits, associated funding requirements and a financial strategy
• requirements for establishing operating partnerships
• details of the TCC’s organisation and management structure and personnel needs
• consideration of equipment life-cycles, the need for asset management and opportunities for value engineering

TCCs require significant and committed funding for their deployment, operation and maintenance. A lack of continuing funding will affect and limit the desired results. Adequate staffing and operations planning are also necessary. The majority of transport agencies run TCCs with public-sector staff but some outsource the TCC operations to private-sector companies – sometimes because it has been a challenge to staff and train personnel to effectively operate the TCC.

Key to successful road network operations is the inter-agency, multidisciplinary integration of the TCC with the operational activities of other organisations that have a part to play or who manage adjacent highway networks. This is referred to by some as the “4-Cs": Communication, Cooperation, Coordination, Consensus.

Managing routine traffic, traffic incidents and even transport emergencies is greatly enhanced by organisations collectively applying the 4-Cs. This is best done when centres like the TCC, Emergency Control Centre (ECC) and/or Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) are co-located – or at least have close two-way communication for data and information exchange and sharing of CCTV camera images. For example, information seen on camera can be actively provided to those responding to a traffic incident (police, fire, other emergency services, towing companies and maintenance) so responders can request the resources they need.

The vast majority of ITS technology is deployed in urban areas and alongside motorways, although some ITS devices are deployed in remote rural areas. Given the distances involved, this poses an economic challenge to the responsible organisation. Wireless communications overcome some of the challenges – but full coverage for surveillance and traveller information is still difficult. The increasing use of Floating (or Probe) Vehicle Data (FVD) provides TCCs with the ability to access data that can indicate rural incidents and trigger both response and information dissemination to travellers and responders. (See Probe Vehicle Monitoring)

ITS asset management includes not just hardware, but also software and key personnel, in order to support the long-term goals of the organisation and maintain its ITS capability. General guidelines include:

• staffing should be based on a needs assessment that addresses what the authority or organisation is trying to accomplish and what skills are needed to meet those needs – taking account of the equipment and software deployed
• the number of TCC operators depends on the functions that are being performed, the number of facilities covered and the operating philosophy of the centre
• the total number of staff will depend on the hours of operation – in general, staffing for 7/24 operations employs three assignment shifts (8 hours each per day) although other shift assignments are used in some countries
• peak periods may require more operators. In college/university cities, students can be a source of support operators because they can work peak hours and go to class mid-day

For information on Traffic Control Centre staffing See http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/publications/frwy_mgmt_handbook/chapter14_04.htm

It is essential that managers provide comprehensive training in every aspect of traffic management and related topics to the staff who have a role in TCC operations.

Training comes in many forms, among them:

• self-administered courses on the web, computers or even paper, for specific topics (their effectiveness is limited)
• classroom courses using slides, videos and other media to support the lectures – good instructors try to be as interactive with the students as possible
• interactive, online simulations, which are effective, but generally require specialised software that may not be widely available
• table-top exercises that take participants through pre-planned scenarios and require them to “act out” the response (very effective for incident and emergency management training, but involve relatively few participants at a time)
• field exercises, in which participants carry out a simulated situation and perform their duties as realistically as possible (very effective, but costly and time consuming)
• On-job training under a mentor once basics are learnt using one or more of the other methods (probably the most effective)

Field exercises are generally more appropriate for those who respond to incidents on the road or highway. In-house exercises can be designed for TCC operators – the challenge is the ability to simulate actual operations and procedures including the use of equipment and devices. Some centres have demonstration equipment that can be used for this purpose.

One-on-one training and small group on-job training is most likely to be recalled by those who experience it but it takes time to encounter a wide variety of situations. The more interactive the training can be, the more effective it will be in producing lasting success.

Factors that lead to the adoption of an automated maintenance system include:

• the need to minimise system downtime especially when this would affect public confidence in the traffic management and information services that are delivered
• the size and evolving nature of the equipment inventory due to technological advances, which often results in mixed equipment types
• the greater the number of stakeholders involved (for example, manufacturers, vendors and suppliers, maintenance staff, sometimes from different agencies)
• integration issues associated with many different device types and brands
• difference between ITS maintenance (which mostly involves electronics and communications) and roadway maintenance
• need for consistent procedures and practices
• need for accurate and complete ITS inventory (devices, equipment and materials, such as fibre-optic cables)
• need for an efficient work-order-based maintenance system
• ability to track expenses (such as, labour, materials, parts, entire devices) to the specific device or subsystem
• need for timely, accurate and comprehensive reporting
• limited funding – the need to be efficient and effective with available resources, while at the same time justifying the maintenance programme

Most Traffic Control Centres (TCCs) have “up-time” targets for system availability that challenge the maintenance team to keep devices operational at least a certain percentage of time, for example, 98% or 99% availability. Only automated systems can both organise the maintenance activities and keep track of them. An ITS maintenance management system and a communications management system are part of the ITS operation, just like the TCC software. If the RNO organisation operates its own comprehensive telecommunications networks, this will justify a telecommunications “network manager”, which is common place in the telecommunications sector.

Systems maintenance can be performed either by in-house staff or outsourced to others—usually original equipment suppliers but also third party maintenance companies. In some regions the trend is towards outsourcing systems maintenance to private contractors. The substantial differences in the nature of ITS and roadway maintenance, generally leads to ITS maintenance being outsourced to a specialised electrical contractor.

Some large consulting firms are increasingly expanding their involvement in this business, sometimes called asset management.

The purpose here is to maintain ITS equipment or restore it to a condition that can effectively handle the assigned functions, at the lowest possible cost. To achieve this objective, the operator must:

• reduce the probability of equipment failure, quickly detect problems and take prompt and effective action
• upgrade equipment and systems (including software upgrades) to adapt to changing conditions

Organisational arrangements will depend on the size of the maintenance operation, the volume, nature and location of equipment, and the resources and skills available. Organisations will need to determine the scope of maintenance activities to be undertaken internally by the operating organisation and those that will be sub-contracted.

Effective maintenance is based primarily on detailed wording of supply contracts, follow-up and effective handover. This is to ensure a precise definition of the work to be performed, conditions of delivery, contract deadlines for restoring service and penalties for non-compliance. It also relies on:

• extensive documentation of equipment maintenance procedures
• fault diagnosis equipment for dynamic equipment and to remotely restart systems
• prioritisation of safety-related maintenance (such as road tunnel ventilation equipment, lane assignment signals)
• qualified (training, accreditation) and available staff (noting any restrictions and aiming for permanent assignments)
• complete maintenance contracts and follow-up
• spare parts inventory

Motorway Maintenance Management Systems (MMMS) generally operate on limited-access roadways, which carry high volumes of traffic at relatively high speeds. Disruption to traffic adversely impacts traffic operations. Fortunately, many ITS devices are located off the roadway, but within the s of way, so maintenance activities can be conducted without directly interfering with traffic. Even in these cases temporary traffic control devices may be required for the protection of the maintenance crew. Efficiency of maintenance operations is essential.

The mere presence of maintenance vehicles causes driver distraction (“rubbernecking”), in the same way as roadside incidents. This is a particular concern in restricted situations, for example part of a tunnel or long bridge. Working on, or adjacent to, live carriageways is hazardous and some simple precautions are needed – for example, high visibility clothing, hazard lights and deployment of temporary traffic management to close lanes.

There is greater traffic disruption when the maintenance crew must work over an active lane or median shoulder, such as on the exterior of a VMS. When this happens, the crew is generally required to close the lane(s) over which they work and deploy temporary measures to maintain traffic flow. This work should, whenever possible, be done during off peak times to minimise the adverse effect on traffic. The work is often contracted out to specialist firms to provide temporary traffic management. The TCC will need to be vigilant in ensuring that measures to maintain traffic flow are in place and are operating effectively at all times.

These considerations apply equally to maintenance of routine traffic control and information devices, such as fixed signage – so general maintenance should follow the same practices as the ITS maintenance agency. The TCC should be notified whenever there are activities on the motorway, particularly if lanes are to be closed. Some countries use Lane Closure Management Systems to schedule and manage closure requests and contractor roadwork.

Particularly dangerous work sites – for example on one of the traffic lanes – should be protected by a crash barrier (crash-attenuator or crash cushion) such as a vehicle or trailer positioned upstream of the lane closure. In Santiago, Chile, one of the urban toll road operators requires all providers of maintenance to equip work crews with such equipment.

The primary difference between motorway and urban arterial road networks is that in the urban situation considerably more maintenance has to be done on, or immediately above, the roadway itself. Traffic signal heads, supporting span arms, signs, wires and overhead vehicle detectors are all located over the roadway. Devices off the roadway, such as signal cabinets and other ITS equipment, will also generally be located in less open spaces. If a hard shoulder is not available it is likely they must be accessed from a traffic lane. Lane closures are far more likely on urban arterials roads and city streets.

Many high-capacity urban arterial roads experience traffic speeds that are not significantly slower than a motorway. Other roads have lower traffic volumes, particularly off peak, and traffic speeds may be lower too. Temporary traffic management is important and without it, conditions may be unsafe. The number of movements possible (such as driveways and turning movements) also greatly increase hazards. The paramount objective must be the safety of the maintenance crew.