The Problem

Traffic congestion costs the American people an estimated $100 billion each year in the form of lost productivity.

In 1995, traffic accidents claimed 40,115 lives and injured an additional three million people.

Vehicle emissions are a major cause of air pollution. Trucks, buses, and automobiles idling in traffic emit tons of pollutants each year and waste billions of gallons of fuel. For many years, we have sought to solve these problems by merely building more highways. This approach is no longer adequate. The pouring of additional asphalt and concrete added capacity but failed to address the underlying problems of our transportation system. In response, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). ISTEA calls for the creation of an economically efficient and environmentally sound transportation system that will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner, and will provide the foundation for a competitive American transportation industry. ISTEA led to the development of a research area called Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

ITS Offers a New Approach

ITS is comprised of a number of technologies, including information processing, communications, control, and electronics. Joining these technologies to our transportation system will save lives, save time, and save money. The future of ITS is promising. Yet, ITS itself, is anything but futuristic. Already, real systems, products and services are at work throughout the country. Still, the wide-scale development and deployment of these technologies represents a true revolution in the way we, as a nation, think about transportation. While many aspects of our lives have been made more pleasant and productive through the use of advanced technologies, we have somehow been content to endure a transportation system whose primary controlling technology is the four-way traffic signal -- a technology that has changed little since it was first invented. It has taken transportation a long time to catch on, but now the industry is sprinting to catch up. Fulfilling the need for a national system that is both economically sound and environmentally efficient requires a new way of looking at -- and solving -- our transportation problems. The decades-old panacea of simply pouring more and more concrete neither solves our transportation problems, nor meets Congress' broad vision of an efficient transportation system.

To advance the development, testing, and ultimate deployment of these user services, the national ITS program includes initiatives by the private and public sectors. These include research and development activities, operational tests, system architecture development, institutional/policy studies, and deployment support efforts.

Imagine...

You are driving in the rain on the Expressway. Suddenly, you skid, spin around 180 degrees, slam into the guardrail and come to a stop. Instantly, an on-board computer uses radio waves and satellite technology to alert emergency services of your vehicle's exact location. The nearest ambulance and police car hurry to the scene. A traffic management center reroutes and clears traffic and changes traffic signals to allow the vehicles to get to the accident as quickly as possible saving minutes and your life. Imagine... You are visiting relatives in the West part of the town and take a wrong turn. You are lost in an unfamiliar part of the City. Rather than stop and ask for directions, you ask your car's route guidance system how to get out of the area. You follow the precise directions on the computer screen mounted near the dashboard reinforced by voice messages telling you exactly when and where to turn. Within minutes, you're back on track.

Imagine...

A truck driver, carrying his load on Expressway, is tired and enveloped in dense fog. He can't see a thing. A car is stalled up ahead. But a vision-enhancement system that uses radar technology can see for him and warns him there's an obstacle up ahead. The driver brakes in time to avoid a collision.

Imagine...

While getting ready to go for work, you flip on your computer and learn what traffic is like this morning. You ask the Internet Based Commuter Advisor to recommend the best way to get to work by 8:30 AM that morning (of course the system knows who you are, where you live and where you work). The system suggests the Personal Transit Service (PST), you accept and go on with your morning routine. At 7:50 AM your beeper goes off and an e-mail message notifies you that your transportation will be in front of your house in 13 minutes. At 8:03 a PST van pulls in front of your house; the driver greets you with your name and the computer in front of your seat allows you to browse through your favorite newspapers, e-mails, office briefings or your morning personalized TV news. The system automatically charges your credit card for the ride, the opera tickets you ordered and the phone call you placed to your girlfriend's house. The navigational system inside the PST guides the driver around constructions and accidents. Most of the traffic signals are green and the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the freeway allow 85 mph speed. At 8:26 AM the PST drops you in front of your office building; 1 minute late today (you have to talk to the PST manager)! Of course, the PST is fully electric and your trip did not pollute the environment.

Imagine...

A transportation network linked by information and technology that makes travel quicker, safer and easier. Imagine being able to plot your route before you leave your home or office and know exactly how long it will take you by car, subway or bus. Imagine when transportation has moved fully into the information age.

This may sound like a far-off dream, but in fact it is closer than you think. A program called Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is promising to make it reality in the next ten years.

Overview of ITS

ITS is the use of technology to improve the movement of people and goods in America. The goal is safer, quicker travel. Benefits that are available now include:

Better travel information.

Information centers provide up-to-date, real-time details on bus, transit and train arrivals and other travel information through cable television in the home, kiosks in the workplace and electronic messages at the bus stop.

Quicker emergency response with electronic accident detection allows trained operators to locate then judge the nature of an accident so they can quickly dispatch and guide the right emergency personnel and equipment to the site.

Easier travel with navigation systems in the car or truck tell drivers exactly how to get to their destination.

Improved traffic flow resulting from a driver with a toll debit card attached to his vehicle can travel through toll plazas without stopping. His toll charges are deducted automatically from a prepaid account. Other travel fare collection systems, like SMARTCARDS, allow subway fares, transfers and other fees to be charged to one card.

Fewer traffic jams as traffic management centers reduce traffic jams and speed travel by continuously monitoring current conditions and adjusting speed limits, traffic signals and roadway ramp access.

Improved trucking management as bus, freight and emergency vehicle tracking systems allow supervisors to track vehicles and to communicate directly with drivers.

Faster freight deliveries because ITS provides for electronic weighing and inspection of commercial vehicles while in motion, electronic issuing and monitoring of transportation permits and automatic tracking of containers. Other systems are being tested and will soon come to market.

Innovations both inside and outside the vehicle will improve safety by checking a driver's vision and motor skills, providing on-board road signing and vision enhancements, warning of vehicles and other obstacles in a blind spot, and preventing vehicles from hitting other objects on the road through vehicle control and warning systems.

ITS Improves Safety

ITS makes travel safer. ITS technologies warn drivers that they are too close to a car in the next lane or that they are in danger of running off the edge of the road.

New traffic control systems can reduce the number of vehicle stops, minimize changes in vehicle speeds and improve traffic flow -- all of which reduce accidents.

Experts estimate that in 15 years, ITS will save at least 3,300 lives and prevent 400,000 injuries each year.

With the help of ITS, injury accidents in the Oakland County, Michigan area have dropped 6 percent, total injuries are down by 27 percent and serious injuries reported have dropped dramatically.

Greyhound Lines has installed systems on its bus fleet which give collision warnings for the front of the vehicle and lane change warnings for obstructions in the driver's blind spot. As a result, Greyhound's accident rate fell 21 percent from 1992 to 1993.

The Oklahoma Turnpike's PIKEPASS automatic toll collection system allows drivers to pay their tolls without stopping or even slowing down. In 1992, there were 71 accidents on manned toll lanes. But in the automatic PIKEPASS lanes that year there were no accidents.

And there's more to come...

Within two to four years, automobile manufacturers will offer a variety of in-vehicle products that make travel safer.

Intelligent cruise control will automatically adjust a vehicle's speed when in traffic, reducing rear-end collisions and lowering vehicle emissions.

"Mayday" systems inside vehicles which automatically alert police, fire and other emergency personnel of accidents will become widely available.

Other ITS applications after the year 2000 will allow freight trucks to receive permits and clearances and move across state lines without stopping. ITS also will notify authorities of accidents involving hazardous materials, allowing them to respond faster and with appropriate equipment.

ITS Relieves Gridlock

ITS can help reduce traffic jams in a number of ways. Information provided to travelers helps them avoid backups by showing them how to go around the traffic, what alternative types of travel are available, or how they can change their trip plans altogether.

Rapid detection and clearing of accidents and obstacles reduces traffic delays. Improved public transportation systems can divert highway traffic. Real-time, dynamic traffic control systems adapt to traffic conditions automatically.

Electronic toll systems reduce congestion at toll plazas by collecting tolls automatically. Information from travel kiosks and home computers and televisions about ridesharing provides new flexibility in organizing car- and van-pools -- increasing the number of vehicles with multiple riders, meaning fewer cars on the road.

ITS helps travelers get to their destinations faster and safer. Better information for example, real-time transit schedules and connection information can make public transportation more convenient for potential riders. Better information on volunteer services and transit schedules allows older Americans and disabled travelers get around more easily.

Experts predict that traffic jams can be reduced as much as 20 percent by 2011 in areas that use ITS. Michigan's Oakland County FAST-TRAC project provides the proof. Drivers save an average of 5 minutes on a 24-minute commute. That's 10 minutes per day, 50 minutes per week and 43 hours per year!

Within five years, on-board computers will incorporate global positioning systems (GPS) and digital map databases. Automated vehicle identification and weigh-in-motion systems will be working on most major trucking corridors and international border crossings and will speed freight distribution and improve fleet management.

By the year 2000, drivers will learn about accidents and traffic delays as they occur and learn how to avoid these bottlenecks through dashboard computers.

ITS Creates Jobs and Lowers the Costs of Goods

The importance of efficient transportation to the nation's economic health cannot be overstated. Nearly all economic activity uses transportation directly or indirectly. Total transportation spending makes up nearly 20 percent of the nation's economy each year. Each year, more than $330 billion is spent on freight movement and almost $600 billion is spent on passenger travel.

Improving the efficiency of our transportation system boosts economic productivity. Operators of many commercial and public-sector fleets realize a variety of economic benefits from ITS. These include safety improvements, minimized delays due to traffic congestion, efficient routing of vehicles, and quicker movement of freight thanks to such innovations as electronic toll collection and in-motion electronic identification of trucks. Retailers reduce inventory and overhead costs with "just-in-time" delivery improved by ITS applications.

The ITS industry is growing rapidly. In less than 20 years, ITS will become a $210 billion industry providing high-paying, highly-skilled jobs, an improved economy and safer, more efficient transportation.

Government and industry are working together in a whole new way, establishing innovative partnerships to create jobs and expand the economy.

ITS Saves Money

Cost/benefit analyses show that over time ITS investments yield tremendous savings to the public sector and the private consumer.

Product and casualty insurance companies expect ITS safety features to reduce personal injury and insurance rates. Consumers save money of gasoline because they don't "waste" trips while lost. They are informed on how to make more efficient use of transit. They save in the cost of consumer goods because of lower transportation and warehousing costs.

Taxpayers save money, too. ITS investments use limited public resources in a more efficient manner. ITS will help reduce highways and transit wear and tear. The number of expensive and disruptive major reconstruction and resurfacing projects will decline. More efficient toll and freight charge collections are already reducing overhead costs and increasing revenues. In Oklahoma, the cost of operating one manned toll lane is $176,000 per year. But the cost of operating a PIKEPASS automatic toll lane is only $15,800 per year - a savings of more than $160,000.

ITS Helps to Clean the Air and Save Energy

Decreased traffic and gridlock through ITS technology has already decreased energy use. Pollution can be decreased by smoother, more evenly distributed traffic flow, as well as by increases in the use of public transit and car- and van-pooling.

ITS enables more travelers to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes. This reduces the number of cars on the road, reduces air pollution and helps employers and public officials meet clean air mandates. Cars and trucks using PIKEPASS lanes emitted up to 30 percent fewer pollutants than those vehicles operating in the manned toll lanes. At highway speeds, cars using PIKEPASS lanes emitted between 45 and 83 percent less pollution (depending on the pollutant) than those using manned lanes.

Finally, ITS is cleaning the air in communities around the nation. The FAST-TRAC system in Michigan has the potential to reduce air pollution by up to 13 percent for some of the worst pollutants.

CREDITS