Personal Mobility

The paper reports on a study comparing alternative presentations of freeway speed data on maps. The goal of the study was to inform the design of displays of real-time speed data over the Internet to the general public. Subjects were presented with a series of displays and asked to rate their preference. We looked at different choices of color (3 colors, 6 colors or a continuous range), and proposed line, sensor, and segment representations of the speed data. We also collected feedback on more complex displays such as comparison between current and "normal" speeds, and a chart of speed variation over a period of time at given locations. Finally we discuss issues of color blindness.

University of Maryland

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

The main goal of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is to improve the overall efficiency of transportation systems by using modern computers, communication, and data processing technologies without substantial capacity additions to the network (Tarko and Rouphail 1997). Surveys show that, next to safety and security, traffic information is among the services most desired by motorists (Orski 2001). Travelers have an implicit expectation that high-technology services have equally high-technology content.

University of Miami

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

In Japan, the police bear the responsibility of traffic management, and tackle many problems caused by road traffic, such as traffic accident, traffic congestion and environmental pollution,  using  traffic  management  technique  such  as  traffic  regulation  and  traffic  control.  For  this  traffic  management, NPA  (the  National  Police  Agency) planned UTMS21  (Universal  Traffic  Management  System  21)  and  is  installing  it  nationwide  as  one  of  ITS  (the  Intelligent  Transport System) in our country.  The  UTMS21  consists  of  10  subsystems,  centering  around  ITCS  (Integrated  Transportation System). The PICS (Pedestrian Information and Communication Systems) introduced in this paper is also one of the subsystems of UTMS21.

PICS is intended to provide information through  voice and image, in addition to the  conventional function of Audible Traffic Signals, Weak-actuated  Traffic Signals and Pedestrian-actuated  Traffic  Signals.  By these functions, PICS will provide the pedestrians with safe, convenient and comfortable mobility and help people expand the area of travel.

The National Police Agency, Japan - Traffic Regulation Section, Traffic Bureau

Presented at the 10th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2000 Boston, MA

Effects of Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) information on driver en-route decision making were explored through the use of a real-time trip simulator which used computer-controlled video sequences of actual traffic scenes to preserve important real-world cues, and provided a range of ATIS display capabilities (navigation displays, route guidance, traffic and hazard warnings, etc.) using a touch-screen panel to enable en-route navigation decisions to be studied under realistic settings. Seventy-two locally familiar drivers, ranging in age from 18 to 86 years of age, took part in the study. The sample was equally divided between males and females. A network of freeways and surface streets were simulated and available to drivers to navigate to their destination. These trips were fully under the control of the driver in terms of route selection and were experienced in real-time under realistic time pressures.

Westat

Presented at the 10th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2000 Boston, MA

This paper reports on traveler (primarily commuter) perception of commercial radio traffic information. Data includes opinions expressed by participants in two efforts undertaken by the Michigan Department of Transportation (the DIRECT Operational Test and the Southeast Michigan ITS Expansion Evaluation). In both instances, participants were selected because they travel the expressway system in the Detroit Metropolitan area. The primary objective of the paper is to suggest ways in which commercial radio traffic information can be improved upon. The paper is divided into seven sections: data sources, study participants, participant use of commercial radio traffic information, subject rating of the performance of commercial radio traffic information, subject rating of the benefit of using commercial radio traffic information, subject suggestions of ways to improve the system under consideration, and implications for new information systems.

At the outset of the study, some members of the evaluation team thought that some form of new information service could potentially supplant or supersede commercial radio as a source of traffic information. Contrary to this notion, the study revealed that drivers very much appreciate and rely on commercial radio as a source of traffic information. Nevertheless, drivers do find some fault with commercial radio-based traffic information and have suggested a variety of ways to improve the usefulness of this information. The observations herein lead to a conclusion that a personalized route-specific interrupt or “push” system could be a valuable and readily accepted complement to commercial radio traffic information.

University of Michigan - Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Laboratory

Presented at the 10th ITS Annual Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2000 Boston, MA