A video wall is used to monitor traffic from the Plant City Traffic Operations facility.
Do you hate getting stuck in traffic? Are you thankful for the times you can cruise right through Plant City (not breaking the speed limit, of course), without getting hung up? Have you ever thought about how this happens?
Over 35 CCTV cameras are placed at key points throughout Plant City. These cameras are used by Plant City Traffic Operations to manage traffic flow. This group is behind the scenes making your life easier every day.
“Traffic has increased substantially in the last two years,” said Fred Baxter, Plant City Traffic Operations Manager. “With all the additional developments and thriving businesses, we are well beyond pre-COVID traffic volumes right now.”
Plant City Traffic Operations performs a wide range of tasks. It has separate divisions including the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), Traffic Signals, Roadway Lighting, and Signs & Markings. The ATMS monitors Plant City’s traffic network daily through CCTV cameras, video detection, and other associated Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) devices.
“Our traffic operations signal system is one of the most robust in the country,” said Baxter. “Other agencies of larger scale see Plant City as a small model for what they want their larger municipality to establish.” Recently, Plant City was awarded with the State of Florida TaxWatch Davis Productivity Award for “Developed Traffic Incident Diversion Routes for Interstate Four.”
This ATMS platform also monitors and operates the school flashers, pedestrian crossing lights, and the signal emergency preemption throughout the city. Each fire truck and EMS unit carries a cellular device that, when activated, triggers an oncoming light green to clear the way for the vehicle. There is a backup radio system that is a failsafe if cellular is lost.
“We have had almost daily occurrences where we have to provide management for I-4 incidents that create congestion on corridors that parallel I-4,” said Baxter. “This is typically due to an accident, a lane blockage, or just daily 4:00-6:00 afternoon congestion.” One of the heaviest congested sections of I-4 is between McIntosh Road and County Line Road. So, locals who travel this area on a regular basis have rerouted their travel to get around the backups. “These drivers are using arterial roadways through Plant City requiring us to give a lot of attention to detail in timing adjustments and incident management protocols to try to alleviate the congestion and get the motorists flowing,” Baxter explained. “That is our biggest goal.”
Plant City’s video management software is a key component of the monitoring and incident management of these local roads, arterials, and collector roads that parallel Interstate 4 (I-4). To function effectively, Plant City Traffic Operations also needs access to video cameras on I-4 itself to anticipate and alleviate heavy traffic that redirects through Plant City streets when traffic on I-4 is jammed. Currently Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has provided Plant City with access to cameras on I-4 from 579 to Polk Parkway. The problem is Plant City’s Traffic Operations current software is outdated and renders most of these I-4 cameras inaccessible. To make matters worse, new FDOT cameras that will go live this year will leave Plant City Traffic Operations completely blind to the traffic flow on I-4.
For this reason, at the April 22 City Commission meeting, a resolution was approved to purchase video management software to upgrade Traffic Operations. The cost of the software is $67.837.89. Funds for this purchase are currently available in the budget.
The new platform will also contribute a wide range of new video analytics that the current software provider doesn’t offer. One of these is a mobile server application that will allow Traffic Operations technicians to view and assess situations from their mobile phones. This is a benefit both during business hours and after hours to handle complaints such as a traffic signal that is flashing, or traffic backed up at a light that doesn’t change. “This is going to give technicians a useful application,” said Baxter. “They can actually look at what is going on in real time just through their mobile device and be able to assess the situation to allow the after-hours supervisor to determine whether they even need to go out to the site or not.” This option will save overtime and lower response times to resolve problems and increase safety since technicians will not need to travel so often.
The major benefit of the proposed upgrade is it will allow for a wide range of CCTV manufacturers to be supported. So, no matter what technology evolves, Plant City Traffic Operations will be able to see traffic and help get Plant City drivers to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.
