It is Sunday, and you are going on a family outing to your grandmother's house in the next county. Mom and Dad ask you to help plan the trip. Your task is to keep the family on schedule, and help the family to arrive safely and on time.

"How's the traffic?" Dad asks. You go to the television and check the local cable traffic station. You report, "Dad the traffic flow is normal now, but the weather station is calling for drizzle. We should leave soon."

First you must travel the highway to the transit station, then the family will take the commuter rail, about a 45-minute ride, to your grandmother's house. You are running just a little late. You push the family along, ushering your brother and sister to the car. Remember your task is to keep the family on schedule.

Your family is on the way. As the car turns onto the highway the rain is beginning to fall and you hear a siren. A police car whizzes by, followed by a tow truck. Two miles ahead of you, a car has a flat tire. Traffic is stopped.

In school you learned that traffic centers monitor freeways and major roads, using video systems. You ask your Mom to turn on the radio, and say, "Dad, listen for the traffic report, and I will watch for the typed message on the overhead highway sign."

As you speak, a specialist monitoring the freeway from a traffic center notifies the police, a tow truck driver, and a traffic reporter. The police call for an ambulance in case of an emergency. The electronic highway messaging sign flashes. You say, "Look Dad, the sign advises taking another route."

He takes the advice and arrives at the transit station right at boarding time. You run to the travel kiosk in the lobby to check the arrival time, and shout to your family, "We have one minute to make the train, or we can wait for one hour." You make a mad dash -- WHAT ABOUT YOUR TICKETS? No need to stop to buy tickets, you all have electronic fare cards. Do you make it? Yes, safely and in time for your grandmother's surprise birthday party.

And, as a bonus, when your mother decides the family will stay the weekend, what is your task? You borrow your Uncle's laptop computer and surf the Internet for hotels, historical sites, festivals, theme parks, a rental car -- and travel schedules back home on Monday. Now you understand how ITS technology works for you today.

This is a real life example of how Intelligent Transportation Systems benefits us all. Transportation professionals are developing systems to make all transportation safer and more efficient. Research, tests, and technology are contributing to better transportation for all Americans. Here are a few examples:

Freeway operations and incident management centers monitor actual conditions on the highways. Traffic specialists then provide travelers with immediate information about vehicle crashes, congestions or other traffic slow downs.

Traffic signal control centers monitor traffic and alter timing of traffic signals to ease congestion. These centers also can control signals to help police and fire vehicles respond to an emergency.

Transit management centers control the movement of buses, subways and other transit vehicles, to keep them on time and give travelers schedule information.

Freight and commercial vehicle monitoring stations improve the moving and safety of trucks and buses throughout the U.S., and crossing into Canada, and Mexico.

Regional transportation information centers are collection points for all traffic data. Specialists who work at these centers monitor the traffic data then inform travelers about congestion and improve response time of emergency vehicles.

Freeway Management

If I worked as a Traffic Specialist at an incident management center, what would I do?

• Observe actual conditions on the road.
• Collect up-to-minute details about traffic flow and environmental conditions.
• Supply travelers with immediate information about crashes, congestion, and other traffic slow downs.

How do Traffic Specialists help?

They report conditions affecting freeways and major roads to better manage freeway flow.

How is the information collected?

Information is collected from a variety of sources.