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What's New in version 9.0

The following things have changed since version 8.0 of Tru-Traffic TS/PP (formerly TS/PP-Draft).

New Features for Arterial and Intersection Timings:

• New harmonically related cycle length options: Three-fourths (3/4 x), Four-thirds (4/3 x), One-fourth (1/4 x), and Quadruple (4 x) the network cycle length.
• Uncoordinated cycle length options: The cycle length is either user-specified or just assumed to be the sum of the splits, so there's no warning about the splits not summing to the cycle length.
• New option to allocate green time proportioned according to the V/C ratios.
• New option to automatically assign all leftover time to the arterial through split.
• New Optimization options:
  • Permit "restricted" optimization of phase sequences, allowing lead-lag to replace lag-lead, but not lead-lead or lag-lag, and similarly allowing lead-lead to replace lag-lag, but not lead-lag or lag-lead.
  • Calculate the directional weighting factors using the relative volumes per lane at selected intersections.
  • Change all offsets in the network by a specific number of seconds. This can be useful in merging two diagram data files for two previously coordinated zones.
• New option for scaling splits when optimizing or otherwise changing cycle length: Splits can be marked as "Freely Scaled", "Fixed Seconds", or "Fixed Percentage". "Freely Scaled" and "Fixed Seconds" are the same as the unlocked/locked designation in version 8.0 and prior. The "Fixed Percentage" option is new to version 9.0.
• Support an advance warning flasher time -- something like a pre-yellow yellow time.
• Switch to Green Extension Time instead of Clearance Lost Time.
• The Offset Reference Point is now part of a Timing Plan rather than common to all Timing Plans.
• The Offset and Splits units of measurement (percent or seconds) may now be specified per intersection.
• The phase swap buttons on the Timings page now offer the option to move the clearance and lost times along with the phase numbers.
• New option to link bands between diagrams. With this, if you split an embedded superstreet into two diagrams, one WB and one EB, linking together their common, 2-way intersections (which are near the edges), then the 2-way bands near the edges will be identical in both diagrams. Otherwise, the "started" band in one diagram won't resemble the calculated (e.g., "tapered") band in the other diagram. This also facilitates splitting a long artery into two shorter diagrams, one for the east segment, and one for the west segment. Linking bands at the common intersection ensures that the bands in the downstream diagram reflect the clipping & tapering information from the upstream intersections in the other diagram.
• For intersections where a green band is started (i.e., where the band action is set to Start), you may drag the band limits directly on the arterial timing diagram.

New layout options for the Arterial Timings Diagram:

• Show the intersection cycle lengths below the intersection names. This shows the sum of the splits, not the "declared" cycle length, to highlight intersections out of coordination.
• Arrows show permitted cross-traffic turning movements.
• For labeling splits on the diagram, you now have independent options to show phase numbers, arrows, and/or the movement abbreviations.
• Add agency logos to the header and or footer. The header/footer logos display on the screen, in the printout, and in the trip log movie.
• Single clicking in the arterial diagram on a text row below the intersection names opens the corresponding page in the Preferences: Layout.
• Option to label the master zero (t=0) lines with the time of day.
• Option to display the horizontal scale (along with the vertical scale) on the diagram printouts.
• New option during playback or movie making of a trip log: if the Diagram and/or Network View is zoomed, automatically scroll as the GPS marker moves, scrolling either continuously or only as the GPS marker gets near the edge.

Improvements to the Travel Time & Delay Report

• New type of user-defined formulas: Your formulas can reference, not just link-by-link values (e.g., Delay, Average Speed, # Stops, etc.), but now second-by-second values (e.g., instantaneous speed, instantaneous acceleration, etc.). This permits implementation of high-fidelity, modal emissions and fuel consumption models, including CMEM, which gives CO, NO_x, HC, and C0₂ emissions along with fuel consumption.
• New intrinsic columns:
  • PLRT: Posted Speed Limit Running Time, or Travel Time from previous Node if maintaining Posted Speed Limit (seconds) = DL/PLS
  • CPLRT: Cumulative Posted Speed Limit Running Time, or Travel Time since beginning of Run if maintaining Posted Speed Limit (seconds) = accumulation of DL/PLS since beginning of Run
  • MinRT: Minimum Running Time, or Travel Time from previous Node if maintaining Maximum Speed (seconds) = DL/MxS
  • CMinRT: Cumulative Minimum Running Time, or Travel Time since beginning of Run if maintaining Maximum Speed (seconds) = accumulation of DL/MxS since beginning of Run
• When the mouse hovers over a column header in the TT&D report, pop up the actual definition of that column.
• Make into hot links the column headers in the TT&D report -- clicking on one jumps to the definition of that column in the Legend.
• Display the TT&D report in split panels with synchronized scrolling. This lets you "freeze" the column heading row so they're always visible as you scroll.
• Option to insert a graphics file of, say, an agency logo in the TT&D report header.

New options for the Plots from Trip Logs:

• Show the Median Instantaneous Speed (or Travel Time) and Median Link Speed (or Travel Time) in addition to, or instead of, the Average Speeds.
• Export to a either Google KML or GPS Exchange (GPX) file the Average or Median Instantaneous Speeds, or Average or Median Link Speeds. Display these as a color-coded map in Google Earth or watch as an animation.
• Copy to the Clipboard the Average or Median Instantaneous Speeds, or Average or Median Link Speeds, as either Google KML or GPS Exchange (GPX).
• For exporting to Google KML, specify the number of speed color bins and the size of the icon.
• Show, on the Speed vs. Distance plot, the threshold speeds for the definition of a "Stop" (e.g., 5 & 15 mph).
• Show, on the Speed vs. Distance plot, the speeds for reporting time spent below (e.g., 10 & 30 mph).
• More control over plot styling, such as color, thickness, and line-style of axes, ticks, and grids.
• Optionally show or hide the Legend.

Improvements to the Network View:

• Color-code the links on the Network View according to a summary of the average link speeds from a selected set of Trip Logs as a percentage of the design speed.
• Color-code the individual Trip Log points on the Network View according to the instantaneous speed as a percentage of the design speed.
• Enable zoom drag, arrow key panning, and mouse panning.
• When zoomed in, Shift-Arrow scrolls to the nearby intersection, if any.
• When changing the scale, if the mouse is over the Network View, use its position as an anchor point.
• New option during playback or movie making of a trip log: if the Diagram and/or Network View is zoomed, automatically scroll as the GPS marker moves, scrolling either continuously or only as the GPS marker gets near the edge.

Improvements to Trip Log management and the GPS View:

• Export the stops from trip logs to color-coded Google Earth KML files for playback as a movie. The user-specified color-coding can use red for a 30+ sec stop, yellow for 10-30 sec stop, etc.
• Copy the stops from trip logs to the Clipboard and paste them in Google Earth (KML) to watch as an animation with stops color-coded by duration.
• The Clocks page now shows a list of all times of day at which the network-wide cycle starts, based on the Signal Cycle Start Time (or the clock synchronization time).
• The Signal Cycle Start Time is now defined as a time of day, rather than a date/time.
• More control over the style of GPS marker on the arterial timings diagram.
• New option to disable the power-saving modes and, if possible, the screen saver while recording a Trip Log. Group policies of the operating system can determine whether it's possible to disable the screen saver.

Improved Preferences dialog: it's now sizable and has simpler folder tree navigation (without tabs).

Improvements to the Arterial Outline View:

• Rearrange the order of arterial diagrams using drag & drop or move up/down buttons.
• The list of Links now has sortable columns, first column is ID#, second column is intersection name.

Improvements to Importing/Exporting UTDF Files:

• New option for exporting UTDF files with strictly cardinal directions (N,S,E, or W) along arteries. Ensures that Synchro import the forward direction as a through movement, and not a turning movement, on arteries with inter-cardinal links. Otherwise, the time-space diagram in Synchro can get clipped at nodes with pseudo turning movements.
• New option, upon importing UTDF files, to set the splits based on the actuated effective green times, instead of the maximum green times, if they're available.

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