AgdaPkt 2010-04-12 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

6.1D Page 1 'REPORT~ . 1'0 the Honorable Mayor and City Council .... ......... .. fr901 the Ci ~l1a ~r-: April 12, 2010 SUBJECT Award of Sole Source Equipment Purchase Contract - Emergency Vehicle Signal Pre- emption Equipment RECOMMENDATION Authorize, by motion, the sole source contract for purchase of Global Traffic Technologies - Opticom ™ Emergency Vehicle Signal Pre-emption equipment with Advanced Traffic Products, of Everett, Washington in an amount not to exceed $177,948.58 and suspend the requirements of Article VII, Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code governing competitive bidding finding that strict compliance would not serve the public interest. BACKGROUND Traffic signal preemption systems are used to control the operation of a traffic signal to provide priority to certain vehicles. Emergency vehicles are able to manipulate traffic signals in their path by sending a priority request to the traffic .signal to grant the emergency vehicle right-of-way, (after allowing for normal programmed time cycles for signal changes and pedestrian crosswalks to clear). This helps to reduce response times and enhance traffic safety. This system is also capable of providing transit vehicle priority access. Traffic signals are equipped with a device that allows the signal controller to receive an activation signal from an emergency vehicle equipped with the activating device. The activating device is installed on each emergency vehicle intended to preempt the signal systems. Once the emergency vehicle has passed through the intersection, normal signal operation resumes. The proposed system is a GPS-based system. These systems are able to determine where the activating vehicle is located, in which direction it is headed, and which traffic signals should be preempted to activate the desired right- of-way (green light). This particular preemption system has been selected by the Fire Department as the preferred system. It is one of the industry standards and is one of the most commonly used systems in the area. Other surrounding agencies utilize the same system, which allows cross-jurisdiction uses of the system. Redwood City fire trucks will be able to activate similarly-equipped signals in other cities, and vice-versa. For this reason, sole source purchase authorization is being recommended. The intersection equipment, if approved, will be installed at signalized intersections listed on the table below. The proposed equipment for the intersections along EI Camino Real will be installed as part of a County-wide signal upgrade project that is being undertaken by the California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Caltrans is allowing local agencies to request these installations as part of the project, providing that the local agencies furnish the equipment. This Caltrans project presents a convenient opportunity for the city to have these devices installed without the normal