Personal Mobility

The major goal of this paper is to investigate the use of GPS technology in public transit systems with a particular focus on services-on-demand types of transit systems (dial-a-ride, jitney, door-to-door services, taxi, etc.). The paper argues that such services have a greater potential than traditional bus or rail systems for luring SOV drivers out of their automobiles and into public transit, given the opportunities afforded by GPS and advanced communications technology for more efficient scheduling and control for these services. The paper reviews advantages and disadvantages of various forms of public transit and then discusses ways in which GPS technology has advanced automatic vehicle locator (AVL) systems that have already contributed to improved operations of fixed-route bus systems. The paper then reviews available literature on costs of this technology and its impact on overall operating costs.

University of Minnesota

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

This paper details the procurement of a Dynamic Message Sign Network (DMSN) by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). The DMSN will allow RIDOT to provide incident and congestion information to motorists traveling through the Providence metropolitan area.The DMSN procurement is the first major RIDOT ITS procurement that is facilitated through an RFP process.This paper examines the rationale behind, and process of, transitioning from a traditional procurement package to a multi-contract, qualifications based, procurement. Lessons learned from this approach will be of benefit to DOTs who may be considering this same migration path. This paper also illustrates the benefit of converting traditional design specifications to a requirements checklist within an RFP. This is particularly useful for those DOT’s that have invested in a specifications library who may want to adapt these specifications to support qualifications based procurements.

Rhode Island DOT

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

This paper will discuss the experiences of bringing a 511 system to operation in multiple state environments, and will describe plans for coordinating on-going operations. General cost analysis, challenges faced, lessons learned are included. The focus is on a group of eight-states, referred to in this paper as the CARS-511 consortium. The consortium (consisting of Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Alaska, New Mexico, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire) was formed to develop and deploy new 511 traveler information phone services. The CARS-511 states have discovered that economies of scale have led to cost reductions in application development, software implementation and operational costs. Shared buying power also provides significant leverage to push vendor prices downward.

Castle Rock Consultants

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Presented at the ITS America Annual Conference and Exposition, May 19-22, 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota

The interest in and need for monitoring and reporting on arterial congestion has been growing as part of both traffic management and driver information system efforts. State and local agencies use different detection equipment such as inductance loop detectors and closed-circuit television (CCTV) to monitor arterial surveillance. In the Puget Sound area, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has considered using CCTV cameras to provide arterial traffic condition information, and several local agencies have installed CCTVs to monitor arterial performance and provide images of arterial traffic conditions to the public. However, there is no clear understanding about what type of data is useful to travelers and how to present arterial traffic conditions to better serve public information needs. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the options for depicting arterial traffic flow conditions from the average traveler’s perspective.

This paper describes traveler opinions about useful arterial traffic condition measures, as well as ways that such information could be interpreted and effectively displayed for the general public. The project also deals with travelers’ preferences for traffic information delivery formats.

Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC): University of Washington

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

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

The New York City, New Jersey Metropolitan area transit, highway, bridge, and tunnel systems are the arteries that move the life blood in the region. 37 million people live within a 30 mile radius, and tens of millions of annual tourists and business travelers using this transportation network make a significant contribution to the regional economy. Linking the myriad of payments systems into one unified electronic system will improve services, reduce costs, and encourage great use of transit for this market.

This year we will be testing smart cards for New Jersey Transit rail customers traveling to Newark International Airport. These smart cards will be used to access the AirTrain fare gates at the new Northeast Corridor station. Smart cards will also be incorporated next year into the fare payments system for the new John F. Kennedy International Airport AirTrain. At the same time, we are exploring a new PATH fare collection system incorporating both MetroCard and smart card capability. And in time, smart cards will be issued for other New Jersey Transit and Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus and rail riders.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

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