Intelligent Transportation Systems
Information Technologies to Improve Transportation System Efficiency
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Victoria Transport Policy Institute
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Updated
22 July 2008
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) refers to the use of information technologies such as computers, telecommunications, GPS (Global Positioning System) and the Internet to improve transportation system performance and efficiency. There are many specific types of ITS:
· Multi-modal navigation devices, which are enhanced mobile telephones designed to provide walking and public transit route, schedule, fare and security information.
· Traffic management, in which a control center monitors roadway conditions in order to coordinate traffic control, emergency response and traveler information.
· Traffic control, such as advanced signal light synchronization and ramp metering to improve traffic flow.
· Telematics, which refers to the use of telecommunications and computerized electronics that connect a driver or a vehicle to external services, such as navigation systems, pricing and emergency signals.
· Driver information, such as variable information signs on highways and parking lots, radio and Internet traffic reports that provide real-time information and advice, and Internet navigation systems. Newer systems integrate GPS transponders in a vehicle with electronic maps to provide route guidance to drivers.
· Fleet management, allows transit, taxi and truck fleet managers to monitor the location, condition and performance of vehicles and freight.
· Emergency warning systems, which alert drivers to excessive speed, roadway hazards, traffic and weather conditions.
· Emergency response, including emergency beacons and roadside assistance systems integrated with vehicle location information provided by GPS.
· Automated vehicle control, such as automobiles that drive themselves.
· Electronic pricing, such as automated systems that collect transit fares, road tolls and parking fees. This reduces the inconvenience of mechanical fee collection and allows greater variability in rate structures.
· Transit information, such as route and fare schedules and real-time information on vehicle location and predicted arrival times. Some systems provide electronic user information through terminals at transit stops, while others provide information through mobile telephones.
· Transit priority systems, which give transit vehicles priority through an intersection.
·
Computerized dispatching, which allows
more efficient scheduling and routing of delivery and utility vehicles,
demand-response shuttle services and taxis.
·
Taxi Information, which improves taxi
response time, navigation and security.
· Rideshare matching, which provides information to people who want to share a ride. Electronic matching systems allow “dynamic ridesharing,” for individual trips (as opposed to regularly scheduled trips).
Different ITS technologies are implemented in different ways. Many require coordination between various partners, including government agencies, vehicle and equipment suppliers, and telecommunication industries. Some require consumers’ support. For example, vehicle navigation systems require computer and communications systems installed in vehicles, plus a service to provide suitable information. ITS technologies that support TDM are usually implemented by transportation or transit agencies.
Travel impacts vary. ITS technologies that only improve automobile travel, such as driver navigation and automated vehicle controls, may increase total vehicle travel (although they may reduce some negative impacts such as traffic congestion or some crash risks). Others support TDM by improving transportation options (particularly transit and ridesharing), or facilitating Roadpricing and other financial incentives.
Table 1 Travel Impact Summary
|
Objective |
Rating |
Comments |
|
Reduces total traffic. |
0 |
Varies, depending on type. |
|
Reduces peak period
traffic. |
0 |
" |
|
Shifts peak to off-peak
periods. |
0 |
" |
|
Shifts automobile travel to
alternative modes. |
0 |
" |
|
Improves access, reduces
the need for travel. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased ridesharing. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased public transit. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased cycling. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased walking. |
0 |
" |
|
Increased Telework. |
0 |
" |
|
Reduced freight traffic. |
0 |
" |
Rating from 3 (very
beneficial) to –3 (very harmful). A 0 indicates no impact or mixed impacts.
Benefits and costs vary. Some ITS technologies have high implementation costs, requiring special equipment and communications networks. Others are relatively inexpensive. Those that improve automobile travel tend to provide just one or two benefits, such as motorist convenience and safety, or reduced traffic congestion. Those that encourage transit or ridesharing can provide a variety of benefits associated with reduced vehicle traffic.
Gillen, Chang and Johnson (2001) found that Advanced Vehicle Location technologies tend to increase transit system productivity and service quality.
Table 2 Benefit Summary
|
Objective |
Rating |
Comments |
|
Congestion Reduction |
0 |
Varies, depending on type. |
|
Road & Parking Savings |
0 |
" |
|
Consumer Savings |
0 |
" |
|
Transport Choice |
0 |
" |
|
Road Safety |
0 |
" |
|
Environmental Protection |
0 |
" |
|
Efficient Land Use |
0 |
" |
|
Community Livability |
0 |
" |
Rating from 3 (very
beneficial) to –3 (very harmful). A 0 indicates no impact or mixed impacts.
Equity impacts vary. Some only benefit wealthier motorists (those that can afford newer vehicles or special fees). Others provide more widely distributed benefits. Those that support transit and ridesharing may help achieve equity objectives.
Table 3 Equity Summary
|
Criteria |
Rating |
Comments |
|
Treats everybody equally. |
0 |
Varies, depending on type. |
|
Individuals bear the costs
they impose. |
0 |
" |
|
Progressive with respect to
income. |
0 |
" |
|
Benefits transportation
disadvantaged. |
0 |
" |
|
Improves basic mobility. |
0 |
" |
Rating from 3 (very
beneficial) to –3 (very harmful). A 0 indicates no impact or mixed impacts.
ITS can be implemented at the local, regional or state/provincial level. Some programs, such as GPS-based freight vehicle fees, are implemented at the national level. Federal standards and implementation funding may help establish efficient, integrated systems.
Table 4 Application Summary
|
Geographic |
Rating |
Organization |
Rating |
|
Large urban region. |
3 |
Federal government. |
3 |
|
High-density, urban. |
3 |
State/provincial
government. |
3 |
|
Medium-density,
urban/suburban. |
3 |
Regional government. |
3 |
|
Town. |
2 |
Municipal/local government. |
3 |
|
Low-density, rural. |
2 |
Business Associations/TMA. |
1 |
|
Commercial center. |
2 |
Individual business. |
2 |
|
Residential neighborhood. |
1 |
Developer. |
1 |
|
Resort/recreation area. |
1 |
Neighborhood association. |
1 |
|
College/university
communities. |
1 |
Campus. |
1 |
Ratings range from 0 (not
appropriate) to 3 (very appropriate).
TDM Program Support
ITS can help support many TDM strategies, including HOV Priority, Pricing Methods, Road Pricing, Freight Transport Management, Distance-Based Fees, Parking Pricing, Transit Improvements, Telework and Speed Reductions.
Stakeholders include government agencies, businesses, and various types of user groups.
Many ITS technologies are reaching a mature stage of technical development, so the barriers are primarily political (whether planners and citizens are willing to accept these technologies) and economic (whether they are a worthwhile investment). Different types of ITS face different barriers. On-board information technologies have high installation costs and may distract drivers. Pricing technologies often face motorist political resistance.
Below are some suggestions for implementing ITS technologies.
· Technologies should be integrated and coordinated.
· Equipment design and standards should be “open” as much as possible, to maintain a competitive market.
· Projects should be implemented in ways that allow future expansion, modification and integration with other ITS activities.
Telecommunication
and computer technologies are providing opportunities for innovative TDM
programs, and future advances will provide even more options (WSDOT, 2000, pp.
63-64). For example, by collecting information from a variety of service
providers (traffic conditions, bus schedules, carpool and vanpool
opportunities) and presenting it to the user in one place (telephone system,
public kiosk, website), ATIS (Advanced Traveler Information Systems) makes
travel information more accessible. Telephone or desktop computer interfaces
can allow users to tap into a rideshare agency’s matching computer to
automatically learn of, and communicate with, potential carpool partners
(dynamic rideshare matching). This added flexibility potentially redefines
carpooling - from a permanent arrangement with a set group of commuters to
something that changes daily according to one’s need.
The Seoul TOPIS (Transport
OPerations and Information Service) includes the following features:
This system has improved
public transit service quality and ridership, increased average traffic speeds
on major arterials by 2 kilometers per hour, and reduced crash risk throughout
the city.
By John S. Niles
You
think traffic in the
Most
people are simply oblivious to the proven potential for technology improvement
in the daily management of car, truck and bus traffic. Some rush-hour drivers
and enlightened government officials know this, but sufficient political
awareness to seriously consider and install these advances is lacking. The cost
would be millions, not the billions we need for new freeway lanes and
mass-transit systems. Technology does not replace the larger solutions, but it
does provide some needed temporary relief.
This
affordable bundle of actions is called "Traffic Operations
Management," or T-Ops for short. T-Ops means the coordinated use of
technology, emergency vehicles and skilled field personnel from multiple
agencies to keep traffic moving smoothly. It is well worth the training and
hard work.
Research
into traffic patterns is striking. Over half of traffic congestion is caused by
accidents, breakdowns and resulting rear-end collisions. For every one-minute
saved in clearing the road, four or five minutes of congestion are saved. Ramp
metering is worth 14 to 50 percent fewer accidents and 8 to 60 percent faster
traffic flow on freeways. And properly synchronized traffic lights knock off 8
to 25 percent of in-town travel times.
Some
new traffic technology can have just as much effect as adding lanes. Here are
some of the pieces of T-Ops:
•
Install video cameras on all freeways and major arterials, and at every park-and-ride
lot. Make the pictures available via cable TV and the Internet so people can
pre-check conditions and traffic managers can fix problems. Traffic sensors
that count cars and communicate with computers supplement the video.
•
Put operations specialists on duty in traffic-management centers to watch for
individual problems, and to adjust traffic lights, change the messages on
electronic signs, dispatch service trucks for breakdowns and alert 911
immediately with complete information when accidents occur.
•
Have emergency and road-clearance vehicles ready to roll, with personnel who
are trained to clear the road as fast as safely possible. Tow trucks need to be
pre-positioned in high-risk areas. (This already happens on bridge ends.)
•
Sophisticated computers and fiber-optic communications synchronize traffic
signals and set the blink rate on ramp meters, under human supervision.
•
Updated laws and police procedure should emphasize clearing roads quickly.
Existing laws against dangerous or unlicensed driving should be enforced
vigorously to reduce the accidents that both cause congestion and yield more
rear-end collisions upstream.
•
Drivers and transit riders should receive precise, timely, easy-to-comprehend
forecasts of travel time. Computers would assess upcoming traffic and pass the
information through variable message signs, roadside radio stations, telephones
and the Internet. Regular measurement of the traffic flow should let drivers
and elected officials keep score on T-Ops' efficacy.
Operations
management must include buses too. Traffic signals can detect and pass them
through more green lights. Bus riders also deserve to know precisely how many
minutes and seconds remain until their next bus arrives. In some parts of the
region, www.mybus.org (accessible
from the latest cell phones) allows riders to arrive just before the bus,
avoiding the rain or cold. This could also boost ridership — taking more cars
off clogged freeways.
Some
of this is already happening some of the time. The central
But
meaningful T-Ops requires constant attention and upgrading. It has to work on
weekends, evenings after rush hour, and the middle of the night when trucks and
late-shift workers are on the road. Not some, but all of the arterial traffic
lights need synchronization. Not some, but all of the arterial roads and
intersections need sensor cameras and active management from traffic-management
centers.
Freight
management — e.g., keeping just-in-time deliveries from suffering excessive
delays in congestion, or worse, trucks causing congestion while unloading —
needs as high a priority as passenger car management. As the federal DOT says,
government needs to "make the daily, smooth operation of transportation
systems a core mission," along with building and maintaining roads.
Unfortunately,
many local leaders don't realize that T-Ops offers more hope for quick
improvement with less money than any other available tactic. Last year's state
Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation put the new revenue needed for T-Ops
at $40 to $50 million statewide — the smallest tax bite of any recommendation
made.
State
Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald has signaled a stronger agency
commitment to operations management.
But
all transportation leaders must step up vigorously. Dr. Christine Johnson of
the federal DOT notes, "In survey after survey, customers are saying they
want to see the system operated to peak efficiency before we resort to costly
construction measures."
"Peak
efficiency" is not yet in sight, but could be if we demand all the T-Ops
that is possible.
Cisco (2008), Connected Bus, Connected Urban Development Program, Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com); at www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/ps/cud/tcb.html.
Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks
(CVISN) Website (http://cvisn.fmcsa.dot.gov)
provides information on the application of ITS technologies to commercial
vehicle management.
FHWA (2006), Advanced Parking Management Systems: A Cross-Cutting Study, Report FHWA-JPO-07-011, Intelligent Transportation Systems (www.its.dot.gov), FHWA, USDOT; at www.its.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/14318.htm.
David Gillen, Elva Chang and Doug Johnson (2001), “Productivity Benefits and Cost Efficiencies from Intelligent Transportation System Applications to Public Transit; Evaluation of Advanced Vehicle Location,” Transportation Research 1747, TRB (www.trb.org), pp. 89-96.
GoLoco (www.goloco.org) is a service that helps people arrange ridesharing using social networks such as Facebook to facilitate connections.
ITS (2007), Integrated Corridor Management Systems, Intelligent Transportation Systems, USDOT (www.its.dot.gov/icms/index.htm), provides information on various roadway management techniques, many involving ITS.
International Benefits, Evaluation and Costs Working Group (www.ibec-its.org) is a co-operative working group for the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) community, set up to exchange information and techniques used to evaluate the costs and benefits of Intelligent Transport Systems throughout the world.
ITS Benefits Database (www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov) provides information regarding the impacts of ITS deployments.
ITS Benefits and Costs Database (www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov), by the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides information on various types of benefits and costs associated with ITS.
ITS Joint Program Office (www.its.dot.gov), by the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides access to federal ITS programs and information.
ITS Lessons Learned Knowledge Resource (www.itslessons.its.dot.gov), by the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides information lessons learned from ITS implementation.
ITS Online (www.itsonline.com) is a website dedicated to Intelligent Transportation System development.
ITS
ITS and Environment (www.its.go.jp/ITS/conf/es7/index.htm) describes environmental impacts of ITS.
NextBus (www.nextbus.com) is a private company that uses Global Positioning Systems
(GPS) to provide real-time transit vehicle arrival information to passengers
and managers in various North American cities.
Transit ITS Website (www.fta.dot.gov/research/fleet/its/its.htm) provides information on ways that Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies are being applied to improve transit services.
USEPA (1998), Intelligent Transportation Systems, Transportation and Air Quality TCM Technical Overviews, US Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/oms/transp/publicat/pub_tech.htm).
WSDOT (2000), TDM Guide for Planners: Including Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategies in the Planning Process, Washington State Department of Transportation (www.wsdot.wa.gov/wsdot/mobility/tdm/TDMplanguide/Appendix1.pdf).
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Encyclopedia is produced by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute to help
improve understanding of Transportation Demand Management. It is an ongoing
project. Please send us your comments and suggestions for improvement.
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