Technology could make northern roads safer, slower: report

A report from the Northern Policy Institute recommends new ways to travel safely on roads and highways in the North

Technology can be used to make northern Ontario roads safer, such as with sensors that automatically reduce speed limits when roads are covered with snow or ice.

According to a detailed report published by the Northern Policy Institute (NPI), the technology can reduce conflicts and save lives.

Dunstan argued that using existing technology to change common driving practices could reduce crashes and save lives. It also reduces the number of driving disruptions due to closed highways.

“Northern Ontario roads are often treacherous, ill-formed and non-existent,” NPI’s new briefing note says. It turns out that it can be dealt with by using conventional techniques, and some “smart loading” techniques have already been implemented. Other regions represent cost-effective options for improving safety.Similarly, innovative road-building technologies are making it cheaper and easier to build and maintain roads in northern Ontario. There is a possibility that

The 14-page report outlines that there are several options open to governments to bring about change. One of the options is called FAST, or fixed automatic spray technology. FAST is already in use at several locations in southern Ontario.

The FAST option automatically sprays anti-icing fluid when sensors detect that atmospheric conditions are likely to form ice or bound snow on the road surface.

“This technology is ideal for bridges that freeze up before the rest of the road, especially in remote areas where manual maintenance is expensive,” the report said.

The Ontario Department of Transportation (MTO) currently maintains eight FAST facilities across the province, but only one in the northern region. It is located in Burks Falls, near the southern border of the Northeast Region, the report said.

Another option is to use sensors to determine safer (and slower) speed limits in bad weather. This system is known as Dynamic Speed ​​Limiting (DSL) and adjusts speed limits to prevailing road conditions. Drivers are forced to slow down, resulting in fewer crashes. The system will send weather information to operators, who can either manually adjust the speed limit or use technology to automatically change the speed limit, according to the report.

According to the report, British Columbia has successfully implemented DSL on roads similar to those in northern Ontario. In one of his studies, conducted in 2021, the impact of his DSL on sections of rural undivided two-lane highways and divided four-lane highways during the winter season (October to March) was investigated. The report found that DSL reduced the frequency of collisions by 35%.

Dunstan argued that DSL would be easy to implement, given that weather sensors are already installed on highways in northern Ontario. “On some northern highways, half the crashes and half the fatalities occur while the roads are covered with snow or ice,” Dunstan said in the report.

Section speed control is another option mentioned in the report. Instead of using a speed camera to monitor vehicle speed in one location, multiple cameras can be placed several kilometers apart to monitor vehicle speed on that section of highway. .

Research conducted in other jurisdictions found that zoning management was able to reduce the incidence of serious motor vehicle accidents, injuries and deaths from 30% to 50%.

“If drivers know their speed will be monitored on extended stretches of road, they are more likely to comply with lower speed limits,” the report said.

A fourth option outlined in the report involved the creation of wooden mat roads. This option speaks to the need for more all-weather roads to serve small rural communities in the Far North. Due to climate change, most winter roads will be ready in weeks instead of months. This is especially important in wetlands and areas with civet cats.

This makes mat roads viable because they have less environmental impact than traditional gravel roads and are much cheaper to build and maintain, the report says.

The report concluded that the Ontario government should seriously consider options to improve safety and commit to increasing funding for research.

“To improve road safety in the north, the Ontario government will need to implement proven smart road technologies on many sections of the highway. Government support should be provided for further research and trials to help develop the technology.”

This is the second report in months that the NPI recommends government policy changes to improve northern Ontario’s highways. A report released in September — Saving Lives and Money: 2 + 1 Roads — talks about the importance of twin-laning major highways across the North in a move aimed at saving lives .