Personal Mobility

The United Kingdom has deployed innovative strategies as part of their ITS program. These
strategies include active traffic management, congestion pricing, multimodal traveler information
web sites, integrated demand management, etc. The purpose of this paper is to review the best
practices and lessons learned from their experiences for possible application in the United States.

AECOM USA, Inc.

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 3-5, 2010, Houston, Texas

Traveler information is exchanged between public sector agencies, private companies, and private citizens. The World Wide Web is one of the most widely used dissemination mechanisms, along with voice telephony. Wireless Web access is rapidly growing. Most Web-based information exchange, however, can be classified as semi-automated. The information is primarily formatted for, presented to, and used by a human. The information is formatted for presentation using HyperText Markup Language (HTML). It is difficult to cost-effectively automate the processing of large amounts of HTML coded material, because the HTML doesn’t provide information about the meaning of the data, just how to present it. For this reason, the Web has not been a particularly attractive mechanism for fully-automated exchange between computer systems.

This paper describes the TripInfo proof-of-concept prototype. TripInfo has successfully demonstrated the applicability of XML to traveler information integration. TripInfo uses XML to integrate traveler information from multiple sources, and provide trip-based, rather than inkbased reports. The rational for the project, the project itself, and the lessons-learned are described.

Mitretek Systems

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

A survey conducted on behalf of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC)
2006 Transit Connectivity Plan found that travelers use all available sources of transit
information including in-person assistance, printed materials and Web sites to support
pre-trip and en route transit trip planning. According to the plan, customers also showed a
strong interest in real-time departure information, wanting the information to be logically
located and easily readable. Kiosks were cited as one of the ways that the real-time
information could be disseminated. In order to provide these sources of information to the
public, three key Bay Area transportation agencies – Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART),
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SF MTA or Muni) and MTC –
partnered on the Transportation Information Kiosk Project, which began as a one-year
pilot in the Embarcadero BART/Muni station in San Francisco.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Presented at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, November 16-20, 2008, New York, New York

This paper examines traditional and emerging Traveler Information technologies from the
perspective of information systems. Specifically, the benefits are discussed in terms of push
versus pull delivery methods, information efficiency and presentation efficacy. By analyzing
both private and public traveler information systems, a role for VII Traveler Information
applications can be assessed. In conclusion it is proposed that DOT-operated systems based
on J2735 could provide the next generation of traveler advisory technology.

CoVal Systems Inc.

Paper submitted for publication and presentation at the ITS America’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition

A “Virtual DMS” method has been created for presenting travel time information to callers of
the North Carolina 511 traveler information telephone service (NC 511). When travel time
information is presented to drivers on Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), the travel times
reported are measured from the physical DMS to a downstream location, such as a cross
street or interchange. As such, the traveler’s location and direction of travel are fixed. This
presentation format is much different than traditional 511 travel time dissemination where the
caller’s location and direction of travel is not only variable but the caller could be calling
from, or could be interested in, any roadway. North Carolina combined the best of both DMS
and traditional 511 travel time presentation, providing callers their travel times to
downstream exits based on their current location and travel direction; termed “Virtual DMS”.

PBS&J

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 3-5, 2010, Houston, Texas