Cross-cutting Issues

VISION: Imagine a vehicle that will recognize the local radio environment and “adapt” the vehicle radio systems to that environment: electronic tags for toll systems and commercial vehicle clearance; traveler information on FM subcarriers and AM digital broadcasts; Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) for in-vehicle signing and emergency information (black ice ahead, emergency vehicle approaching, etc.); emergency services being able to communicate during crisis incidents (forest fires, plane crashes, etc.). Drawing on the wireless telephone communities’ action to solve a similar problem – the lack national and international standards – Smart Vehicle Radio Systems can be in use as soon as 2005! The U. S. Military is mandating the use of the technology in the Joint Tactical Radio System that will replace thirty-five different tactical radios systems currently in operation. Implementation of this vision requires that we begin the educational outreach process to describe the benefits of agreeing on a Smart Vehicle Radio System Architecture and the resulting implementing interface standards.

W. Gordon Fink - Emerging Technology Markets

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

ITS investments can be “profit centers” for DOTs -- that not only pay for themselves but for other DOT needs. We must start managing our systems. Once we accept this philosophy, ITS investments become even more important, not only as management tools, but also as “profit centers.”

I propose that “equity partnerships” between the public and private sectors can yield better transportation systems for and a profit to the public. The “E-Zpass” system offers an opportunity for an “equity partnership”. However, it was approached in a typical landlord way, in that we went and contracted out the clearinghouse services for a period of time.

Besides the “equity partnerships” the ITS infrastructure can also be used to yield returns. There is the opportunity to use overhead variable message signs as a platform for commercial advertisements. These potential revenues would permit a state to finance those operation centers without having to increase taxes or other transportation costs. I do recognize, however, that this approach is not without controversy.

Rhode Island Department of Transportation

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

This paper reviews traffic signal preemption and priority for emergency vehicles and transit buses respectively, with a focus on technology. Since the technologies traditionally associated with preemption and priority deal primarily with vehicle detection, detection technologies are examined first, in terms of their functionality, strengths, and limitations. Past deployments of these technologies are then reviewed in terms of results and lessons learned. Given the many stakeholders affected by preemption and priority, requirements become an important consideration; the paper attempts to match the detection technologies with requirements developed as part of a regional study in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

George Mason University

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

This paper provides an overview of implementation activities for transit-oriented traffic signal priority operations in Columbus, Ohio. The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), City of Columbus, and Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) are moving forward with plans to introduce transit priority operations along major transit routes in the COTA service area. The agencies have worked together to develop an efficient transit priority scheme that begins with an implementation of 32 intersections along one major corridor (North High Street), and is expandable to cover most bus corridors in the City without extensive roadside or in-vehicle hardware investment.

The concept involves the use of continuous Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) monitoring for

COTA buses, connectivity of the AVL system with the City’s Metropolitan Traffic Control

System (MTCS), and the use of standardized communications between the MTCS and modern local traffic controllers. The concept reduces the need for extensive field hardware and communication, thus reducing complexity and cost, while permitting flexible signal operations and timing schemes to maximize efficiency of bus operations without unduly penalizing cross-street traffic.

Wilbur Smith Associates

Central Ohio Transit Authority

Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida

This paper examines the use of transportation asset management (TAM) as a mechanism for “mainstreaming” intelligent transportation systems (ITS) into the transportation decision-making process. TAM is an emerging set of tools and techniques that comprise “… a comprehensive and structured approach to the long-term management of assets as tools for the efficient and effective delivery of community benefits” (1). Support for TAM as a guiding approach for managing publicly owned transportation facilities such as highway and transit systems has been increasing, although it is still in its early stages.

ITS is an emergent set of transportation “user services” that are enabled by the deployment and integration of advanced computing and communication technologies. A central concern of the ITS community has been how to incorporate or “mainstream” ITS into decisions about transportation investments. The traditional decision-making process is largely oriented towards large-scale investment projects, like highway expansions, bridges and transit systems, and is arguably ill suited for evaluating ITS investments.

Recent regulatory proposals have sought to modify the traditional planning process as a mechanism for mainstreaming ITS. This paper examines an alternative, which is to utilize the growing adoption of TAM by state departments of transportation as the springboard for mainstreaming.

George Mason University

Presented at the 11th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, June 4-7, 2001 Miami Beach, Florida