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Less congestion, less CO2 – Reserved lane to Tel Aviv opened: Siemens delivers innovative traffic management system


WEBWIRE

Berlin, Germany, In the metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, the second-largest city of Israel, congestion and slow traffic are an everyday nuisance. Major traffic loads are generated by the high traffic volume on the access roads. Now a reserved toll lane was put into service on the highway no. 1 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv – the ‘Fast Lane’. Its special feature is that the toll to be paid by motorists is based on the density of the traffic both on the highway and on the ‘Fast Lane’ itself. The goal is to keep the traffic flowing and to systematically avoid congestion. This can help to reduce fuel consumption as well as CO2 emissions. It is made possible by an innovative traffic management system from Siemens.
traffic management system

“This is a worldwide unique project and a big success for us in one of the most important markets in the Middle East,” explains Jörg Schneppendahl, Head of Complete Transportation at Siemens Mobility. “The flexible adjustment of toll parameters has a positive effect on the traffic management. It promotes intermodal mobility and above all the use of public transportation. This means less congestion, less exhaust emissions and cleaner air.”

‘Fast Lane’ users are detected by means of video-based license plate recognition. The dynamic toll is based on the current traffic demand in the approach area to the ‘Fast Lane’. The toll is charged to the minute, with the exact amount being indicated on the variable message signs. The ‘Fast Lane’ was built by the Israeli construction company Shapir Civil & Marine Engineering Ltd. that will operate the reserved lane for the next 27 years. The company signed a corresponding franchise agreement with the Israeli government. The Israeli company R.S. Industries/Orad Group was responsible for the traffic control and toll calculation system. Siemens Mobility supplied the complete traffic management system, which includes the hardware and software for vehicle license plate recognition, traffic data acquisition and the control of the dynamic message signs. The heart of the ‘Fast Lane’ is the Siemens-developed complex algorithm that analyzes the traffic situation and calculates the toll fee.

All information about the saturation level of the highway and the condition of all operating equipment is collected in the highway traffic control center. Sensors supply measuring data and the dynamic control algorithm monitors the current traffic situation in the road network, the traffic volume in the toll lane as well as the expected demand. These are the three input parameters for the dynamic calculation of the toll fee. This ensures a minimum travel speed in the ‘Fast Lane’ at any time, so that road users receive an adequate return for the toll they pay. Vehicles that are shown to transport more than three passengers can be exempted from the toll. In this manner, people can be convinced to form carpools or to use public transportation.

Siemens has completed other successful toll projects, e.g. in London (UK) and Seattle (USA). The London City Toll project was able to reduce the number of vehicles in downtown London by 15 per cent. This means a reduction of 150,000 tons of CO2 emission per year. The satellite-based toll system in the Seattle metropolitan area, the largest city of the northwestern USA, has been the first worldwide to combine real-time vehicle positioning and toll calculated for specific times and road sections.

You will find photos for this press release at:
http://www.siemens.com/mobility-pictures/Israel

The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of environmentally friendly production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies and comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 204,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2010 total sales of approximately €34.9 billion. http://www.siemens.com/industry

The Mobility Division (Berlin, Germany) is the internationally leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions. With “Complete mobility”, the Sector is focused on networking the various modes of transportation in order to ensure the efficient and environmentally compatible transport of people and goods. “Complete mobility” targets the goal of sustainability and combines the company’s competence in operations control systems for railways and traffic control systems for roadways together with solutions for airport and postal logistics, railway electrification, rolling stock for mass transit, regional and mainline services, as well as turnkey systems and forward-looking service concepts. With around 24,000 employees worldwide Siemens Mobility posted sales of EUR6.5 billion in fiscal year 2010 (ended September 30). http://www.siemens.com/mobility

Reference Number: IMO201101014e



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