Traffic Management Center in Atlanta, Georgia (PDF, 5.6MB)
The Situation
In 1992-93 federal funding poured into Atlanta, Georgia, in preparation for the 1994 Olympic Summer Games. The pressure was on to modernize and optimize transit and traffic systems in the Atlanta metropolitan area and throughout the state.
The result was a system of highways and public transit ready for the Olympic onslaught. But all the capacity in the world still falls short if it is not optimized, so Georgia was also the beneficiary of a new (in 1994), state-of-the art Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) - a computer system that receives input from human and online sources and employs decision-making logic to generate active response plans. The system is operated from a Traffic Management Center (TMC), the hub for a team of wired-in operators, engineers and communications professionals.
The Objective
GOOT needed to find a contractor that could work in parallel with a reduced existing staff to operate the ITS and TMC at a significantly reduced cost. The systems were complex and the stakes were high. Choosing the wrong partner would mean an increase in day-to-day frustration on the roadways of metropolitan Atlanta, not to mention the increase in potential traffic incidents, injuries and fatalities.
The Opportunity
Serco's people are now an integral part of the traffic management system. Leveraging Serco's global capabilities and experiences in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and even New Zealand in mass transportation management, Serco employees work side-by-side with GOOT employees. Here's just some of what they do:
- Serve as online traffic reporters, monitoring a statewide network of roads for incidents and congestion
- Answer hundreds of calls every day from motorists in-need, or those with reports and questions about traffic and detours
- Monitor hundreds of streaming video cameras, video image detection zones, acoustic sensors and radar devices to detect and report traffic incidents
- Coordinate consistent and efficient responses to incidents, congestion, and construction
- Provide free live feeds and up-to-date reports to television and radio and other news outlets through media liaisons
- Dispatch the Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) to incidents ranging from tractor trailers with locked-up brakes to women in labor (9 last year) to debris in the roadway
The Approach
Serco was one of several contractors to respond to the largely technical bid, but Serco was the only one to convey an understanding of the "people side" of the business. Because most of the data input used to run the ITS is collected and interpreted by people, the system depends on the quality of their work. And because every call from the public to the TMC is answered by a real, live person, the quality and training of employees really matters.
In addition, because Serco is not affiliated with a technical vendor, the strategic advice that Serco provides the GOOT managers is productive and without bias. The Serco team does make recommendations for improvements and upgrades to the system, and bids to help implement those advances, but only as a means to improve the quality of overall operations.
The Results
Serco operators and dispatchers help to deliver roadside assistance before first responders 75% of the time. Because 60% of incidents result from previous incidents, clearing the roadway and shoulders quickly is a top priority. Serco operators have also helped GOOT to meet their goal of identifying all incidents and generating response plans within 5 minutes (last year's average was over 7 minutes). This efficiency benefits the Georgia economy by reducing travel times, restoring roadways to normal capacity, reducing secondary collisions, and improving the environment by minimizing the emissions.
Finally, with a new focus on customer service, Serco has helped GOOT meet their goal for operators to answer all phone calls within 3 rings.
Serco's client TMC Manager Anthony Bradford likes that "the Serco team has the experience to offer fair, competitive and realistic cost estimates for operations, as well as technical projects. Serco works with us to do more than traffic engineering. Together we provide value-added service to the public."
But engineering isn't an afterthought. Serco's Jon Ringler has managed to capture the client's trust in that area as well. "He is a true visionary. Most engineers have tunnel-vision - very detailed. Jon knows how to go through a planning process. He wrote the best proposal I have ever read. Serco refers to their proposal as their 'promise' and I know that they keep their promises. We expect extraordinary things to come and look forward to our continued working relationship with Serco."
Key Outcomes
- Seamless teamwork in the Traffic Management Center
- Personal, valuable service to the citizens of metropolitan Atlanta
- Foster relief of congestion and safer roadways
Key Capabilities
- Understanding the "people side" of the business
- Making proposals into "promises" and keeping them
- Offering fair, competitive and realistic cost estimates for operations and technical projects
