1. US/CANADA TRANSPORTATION BORDER WORKING GROUP: Border Wait Time Buffalo-Niagara Region Stephanie Dafoe Niagara Falls Bridge Commission Agency Relations & Security Manager Roger Ripa Buffalo & Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority Senior Systems Analyst

2. Project concept and benefits… Project Scope Use Bluetooth technology to automatically calculate border wait times at Niagara crossings Benefits Greater accuracy, more current data, eliminate human variable, same data used by all agencies

3. What is currently in place and how it got there… Peace Bridge Queenston/Lewiston = Bluetooth reader

4. What type of data does it produce and who uses the data… https://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/ www.peacebridge.comwww.niagarafallsbridges.com

5. Issues that arose and solutions that were developed… ProblemSolution Improper placement of readers Hands-on investigation by all parties to track down issues and to tune and relocate readers. Testing to insure proper separation of vehicle types (auto, truck, NEXUS) Improper configuration of readers and links Live system monitoring by agencies working together with software developer receiving the data Separating distinct vehicle types Directional antennas to detect certain areas of traffic separately from others (ex. NEXUS lanes) “Tagging” of vehicles – record an ID and classify it as car or truck for future visits. Currently a 34.7% repeat use rate. Queue mode versus cumulative mode wait times Wait time lag (slow to show changes in delay) Shorter distances between links Queue mode helps Cellular internet communication issues near the border Hardwiring into existing networks where possible Switching to a private cellular network versus the public network

6. What is queue mode… Auto inspection Truck inspection 6 14 25 14 15 20 1 20 Wait in minutes Link threshold Cumulative Auto Wait Cumulative Truck Wait Queue Mode Auto Wait Queue Mode Truck Wait 25+15+1 = 41 min.6+15+1 = 22 min.25+15 = 40 min.6 min.

7. What we have learned from the process… 1. Coordination and communication between system stakeholders, designers, installers, contractors, and software providers is imperative. 2. Wait time issues need to be monitored, reviewed and corrected in real-time, as they happen. After-the-fact review is much less helpful. 3. Without enough traffic volume per vehicle type, data accuracy plummets and wait time lag increases. Volumes are much lighter at a border crossing than they are on a highway. 4. A Bluetooth system’s viability at a border crossing relies on the ability to properly separate auto and truck traffic. If they interfere with each other then the system fails.

8. Next steps… Possible integration of E-ZPass data feeds into the existing software solution Monitor the volume of Bluetooth data available to the system Adding redundancy and failover measures Live data feeds to highway signs in Canada and USA More users of the data (CBSA/NITTEC/MTO) Outfit Rainbow Bridge with Bluetooth readers Hardwire power and data to all readers where possible