Freight movement in urban areas, has long been considered both an asset and an impediment. While trade and commerce are vital for the financial development of Canada, high volumes of heavy truck traffic introduce a considerable strain on urban traffic management. This phenomenon is very prominent in the Metro Vancouver area, which features numerous marine and rail intermodal terminals highly occupied with Asia-Pacific goods movement. Heavy truck traffic associated with the Asia Pacific Gateway is anticipated to increase significantly over the next 10 years. In order to better cope with this trend, TransLink, in collaboration with Transport Canada, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Port Metro Vancouver commissioned a study to improve the movement of Asia Pacific goods along the region’s major road corridors through the inclusion of technology. The purpose of the study was to devise a strategy for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) implementation to improve the efficiency, safety and security of truck-related goods movement in the region by defining and planning the creation of “Smart Corridors”. These “Smart Corridors” will facilitate the transportation of goods between various regional points of entry and major destinations (such as inter-modal yards and logistics centres) in the Metro Vancouver area, and serve to alleviate existing and future issues related to commercial goods movement, as well as its effect on general purpose traffic. The study included identification of candidate applications and technologies and the formation of a staged implementation schedule by considering prioritization of corridors and ITS technologies, focusing on the most urgent needs in the most troubled areas and corridors, while considering various organizational issues and the stakeholders affected.
