WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2009 - The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) commended the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission for working to find innovative solutions to finance America's transportation infrastructure in their newly released report, "Paying Our Way - A New Framework for Transportation Finance."

"The technology is here today to enable any number of financing alternatives including open road tolling and a mileage-based user fee system that will protect privacy," according to Scott F. Belcher, president and CEO of ITS America which represents more than 400 state and local transportation agencies, university research centers, and industry leaders from automakers and tolling companies to GPS device manufacturers and real-time traffic data providers.

According to Belcher, "We need not only more investment in transportation, but also a smarter investment in technologies that will improve the performance and efficiency of our transportation system. If designed smartly, a user charge system can be combined with other applications like congestion pricing and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications that can prevent accidents before they happen, provide real-time traffic, transit, parking and multimodal traveler information, and enable a host of other safety, mobility and environmental solutions."

"Moving forward on a mileage-based system will require extensive coordination and consensus building among the public and private sectors. ITS America's membership provides a unique combination of research, technology, policy, and systems integration expertise that will be vital to advancing a mileage-based approach and other innovative financing options. We look forward to working with Congress and the Obama Administration to advance the research, development, and demonstration of technologies and financing strategies that will create a safe, smart, efficient and sustainable transportation system for the 21st century."

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