<DOC>
[107 Senate Hearings]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID: f:80652.wais]
S. Hrg. 107-567
TEA-21 OVERSIGHT: INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND NUCLEAR SAFETY
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
______
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COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS<SUP>1</SUP>
one hundred seventh congress
first session
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont, Chairman
MAX BAUCUS, Montana BOB SMITH, New Hampshire
HARRY REID, Nevada JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia
BOB GRAHAM, Florida JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri
BARBARA BOXER, California GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
RON WYDEN, Oregon MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware LINCOLN CHAFEE, Rhode Island
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania
JON S. CORZINE, New Jersey BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado
Ken Connolly, Democratic Staff Director
Dave Conover, Republican Staff Director
------
Subcommittee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Nuclear Safety
HARRY REID, Nevada, Chairman
MAX BAUCUS, Montana JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
BOB GRAHAM, Florida JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri
BARBARA BOXER, California GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
RON WYDEN, Oregon LINCOLN CHAFEE, Rhode Island
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
OPENING STATEMENTS
Graham, Hon. Bob, U.S. Senator from the State of Florida......... 4
Inhofe, Hon. James M., U.S. Senator from the State of Oklahoma... 5
Reid, Hon. Harry, U.S. Senator from the State of Nebraska........ 1
Smith, Hon. Bob, U.S. Senator from the State of New Hampshire.... 6
Warner, Hon. John W., U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of
Virginia....................................................... 3
WITNESSES
Albert, Steve, director, Western Transportation Institute,
Bozeman, MT.................................................... 22
Prepared statement........................................... 208
Beall, James, Jr., chairman, Santa Clara Board of Supervisors,
San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission,
San Jose, CA................................................... 17
Details, High-Tech Transportation Applications..............201-206
Prepared statement........................................... 197
Johnson, Christine, director, Intelligent Transportation Systems
Joint
Program, Office, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington,
DC............................................................. 7
Prepared statement........................................... 26
Report, Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefits, 2001
Update.....................................................31-118
Manning, Martin, director, Clark County Department of Public
Works, Las Vegas, NV........................................... 19
Prepared statement........................................... 207
Tinklenberg, Elwyn, commissioner, Minnesota Department of
Transportation, St. Paul, MN................................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 119
Yermack, Larry, chairman, Intelligent Transportation Society of
America, Washington, DC........................................ 10
Prepared statement........................................... 124
Report, Tracking the Deployment of the Integrated
Metropolitan Intelligent Transportation Systems
Infrastructure in the USA: Fiscal Year 2000 Results.......130-191
Responses to additional questions from:
Senator Reid............................................. 192
Senator Smith............................................ 194
TEA-21 OVERSIGHT: INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
----------
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Subcommittee on Transportation, Infrastructure,
and Nuclear Safety,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:36 p.m. in
room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Harry Reid,
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Senators Reid and Warner.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY REID, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF NEBRASKA
Senator Reid. The hearing will come to order.
We welcome everyone to today's hearing on the Intelligent
Transportation Systems Programs. We're almost two-thirds of the
way through the 6-year authorization of the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century, or TEA-21, and it's time to
start thinking about the next transportation bill. Senator
Warner, that time moves fast, doesn't it?
Senator Warner. It sure does.
Senator Reid. The ever-increasing gap between the demand
for transportation and the capacity of our infrastructure is
one of our biggest challenges as we look to the future.
Virtually every American depends upon our Nation's
transportation infrastructure to get to work, run errands, go
to school and deliver the products which keep our economy
going. Transportation for better or worse is a vital part of
everyone's life and the backbone of our economy.
This is why our next transportation bill is so vitally
important. People are tired of spending so much time stuck in
traffic. The quality of life suffers, productivity declines,
and air pollution worsens the system when the system doesn't
function effectively.
With limited resources and limited space available for new
roads, we increasingly need to look to innovative solutions.
That's why I'm pleased we're here today to discuss this
Intelligent Transportation Systems program. The ITS program can
make important contribution to safety through the Intelligent
Vehicle Initiative and to advance communications and traveler
information systems in rural areas. ITS initiatives are also
improving the efficiency and safety of commercial vehicles
through new high-tech communications and information systems.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of ITS involves deploying
infrastructure-based technologies to improve the operations of
congested metropolitan roadways. Often building new capacity in
metropolitan areas is not an option due to the high cost of
right-of-way acquisition, the lack of available space,
environmental concerns or clean air conformity issues. The only
way to alleviate congestion in such instances is to encourage
the use of alternative transportation modes and to make
existing roadways operate much more efficiently.
I'm pleased today that Marty Manning, the Public Works
Director for Clark County, NV--that's where Las Vegas is
located--is able to join us today to discuss some of the
intelligent transportation initiatives the Las Vegas region is
employing to address the tremendous growth that has taken place
there.
In a fast-growing State like Nevada, particularly the Las
Vegas region where current road infrastructure is overwhelmed,
we need to use every resource available to address this
problem. We need to improve and expand our existing road
infrastructure. We need to provide more and better mass transit
options for commuters and visitors. We need to take advantage
of new technologies to ensure that we make the most efficient
use of our existing infrastructure.
More and more, we will have to shift our focus from the
construction of new roads to improving the operations of
existing roads. We will have a hearing next year focused on the
management and operation of our regional transportation
systems, but the Intelligent Transportation Systems program is
a vital piece of the operations puzzle, and I look forward to
hearing from our witnesses on the status of our future.
We're going to begin today to raise a concern about the
mid-session review released by the Administration in August.
The mid-session review estimated that highway trust fund
revenues are falling so quickly that highway spending could be
reduced by some $6 billion next year. Given the needs of our
transportation system and the slowing economy, this could have
substantial negative impact in terms of foregone infrastructure
improvements and lost construction jobs.
The last thing a slower economy needs is for the Federal
Government to cut back on infrastructure investments and good
construction jobs.
So I look forward to receiving a full briefing from the
Administration on these new projections, and keep a close eye
on this issue.
I say to my friend--he and I have worked so closely
together on this committee all the time that I've been in the
Senate, Senator Warner--that southern Nevada is much like
northern Virginia; tremendous growth; real difficulty keeping
up with the growth options.
Senator Warner. Fastest-growing in America, is it not, Mr.
Chairman? Yes.
Senator Reid. But northern Virginia is much like Las Vegas
in many respects. So I welcome your statement here, Mr.--I
should always call you ``Mr. Chairman''--because we've gone
back and forth on who is running this subcommittee, and I still
don't know who's running it for sure.
Senator Warner. Oh, I do. You are.
[Laughter.]
Senator Reid. Anyway, so I certainly welcome a statement by
you, Senator Warner.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. WARNER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Senator Warner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Indeed, we have worked together all these many years, and
this is a particularly interesting subcommittee. I was
privileged to be chairman of it some years ago, and Senator
Inhofe, the ranking member--speaking of transportation, his
plane was canceled, so he's on a follow-up flight and will soon
be here.
So, I join you in welcoming our witnesses today. I want to
commend you, Mr. Leader, for finding the time. As Assistant
Majority Leader, you'll go down in history as one of the more
effective, certainly in the 23 years that I've been in the
Senate. But having found the time to come over and fulfill
other responsibilities such as this in the Senate is a great
value to the institution. All too often, our leaders are just
preempted by necessity from actively participating in hearings
like this.
But I think back today as I visited with Ms. Johnson, of
1991 when our distinguished colleague Senator Moynihan was the
chairman of the full committee. I worked with him, and indeed
Ms. Johnson, you were there when we laid the cornerstone for
this program. I expect you will allude to that in your
testimony.
The program, as you said, Mr. Chairman, is designed to
promote research and development of advanced communications
technologies that could be utilized in our Nation's highways,
rail and transit systems. We have a phrase in the Armed
Services Committee, where I do a little labor from time to
time, called ``force multiplier.'' In other words, to the
extent we can improve our intelligence and the other things, we
can better utilize the entire force that we have. I look upon
this concept as a force multiplier because, as the
distinguished chairman said, we can only lay down so much
asphalt and concrete. We've got to move ahead. But there are
certain areas, like yours in Las Vegas and mine in northern
Virginia, where there is just no more room to take concrete,
but the transportation is gridlocked.
This enables us to take that infrastructure in place today
and multiply it so that we get higher and better utilization
for the investors who put in the money--the taxpayers--and the
current users today.
So I remember when I was chairman of the committee in 1998,
TEA-21, we had seen how from 1991 to 1998, it was a research
program. We finally said, let's fish or cut bait and go forward
and begin to deploy these technologies. And that we did. If I
may say with some modesty, I think my State has been in the
forefront of those States that have utilized these systems. I
think the purpose of this hearing is to incentivize other
States to do the same.
So I will put the balance of my statement into the record,
and look forward to receiving testimony, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Senator Warner follows:]
Statement of Hon. John Warner, U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth
of Virginia
Mr. Chairman, I join in welcoming the witnesses before the
subcommittee today to provide testimony on the deployment of
Intelligent Transportation Systems and ongoing research efforts under
the program.
I remember very well back in 1991 that it was this committee that
promoted the new Intelligent Vehicle Highway System, or IVHS as it was
then known, as part of the ISTEA authorization bill.
That program was designed to promote the research and development
of advanced communication technologies that could be utilized in our
Nation's highways, rail and transit systems.
In 1998, TEA-21 took the next step and revised the ITS program to
focus on deployment of these new technologies.
As we continue to examine how we can reduce congestion on our urban
highways and increase emergency responses on our rural highways, ITS
technologies are becoming part of the solution.
There will always be a need for new highway construction projects,
but in urban areas it is clear that new construction alone is not the
solution.
Incentives to increase transit ridership, telework programs and new
ITS applications are important components of any transportation plan to
improve the mobility of people commuting to work, or in moving American
products across the country.
I look forward today to hearing how the program is advancing. Are
States implementing ITS technologies into their routine project
planning process? Is the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and
Network being deployed?
I would also like to hear from the panels today about the
Intelligent Vehicle Initiative. Many of these technologies, such as
computer navigation aids, are designed to help drivers with directions
and emergency response. Safety experts, however, are concerned about
the increasing driver distractions with these navigation aids, as well
as increased cell phone use.
Senator Reid. Thank you, Senator Warner.
I would also note that Senator Inhofe is a very diligent
member of this subcommittee. He always does his very best to
attend these hearings. I know he would be here today had his
plane not been canceled.
Senator Warner. He called me and asked if I would do the
best to stand in for him. I said I was pleased to do so.
Senator Reid. I would ask unanimous consent that the
statement of Senator Bob Graham be made part of the record as
if given here today.
Senator Warner. And likewise, could I put one in for
Senator Inhofe, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Reid. That will be the order.
Senator Warner. Thank you.
[The prepared statements of Senators Graham and Inhofe
follow:]
Statement of Hon. Bob Graham, U.S. Senator from the State of Florida
Mr. Chairman, I'd like to thank you for calling this hearing.
Intelligent Transportation Systems have long been an interest of mine.
I take a different job every month, and one of my more recent
transportation jobs was a day spent with the Orlando, Florida's ITS
experts. It was a hands-on experience that helped me understand the
tremendous potential of technology in transportation, and where we
still have work to do to better integrate it into our existing
infrastructure.
When we last reauthorized the surface transportation bill, I was
pleased that ITS received such a focus in TEA-21. Since ITS, at that
time, was an evolving component of our transportation universe, I felt
then that we had a lot to learn about it.
I thought we took steps in TEA-21 to make sure that the Department
of Transportation and the authorizing committees could get the best
information about uses of ITS in our communities. I have been troubled
over the past several appropriations cycles that money that was to have
been distributed by the Secretary of Transportation on a competitive
basis has been consistently earmarked to various communities without
much thought or rationale.
I understand that the Department of Transportation is trying to
make the best of these circumstances by collecting ITS information from
the communities that received earmarks that we can use during the next
reauthorization cycle. But, I would like us to be even more vigilant
during the appropriations process to make sure that money that is being
earmarked for ITS is consistent with the goals and purposes that we
outlined in TEA-21.
In many areas in our country, I believe that ITS will be an answer
to congestion and frustration on our highways. We have reached a point
in places that it's physically impossible to add a lane of highway--
meaning we need to use our existing infrastructure in a more efficient
manner. I believe ITS will allow us to do this--but I would like to be
able to say that conclusively when we next look at a surface
transportation bill.
If we lose the chance now to collect and analyze ITS data, explore
``lessons learned,'' and deploy this technology in a rational,
scientific manner, we will all be less able to make informed decisions
when the time comes for reauthorization.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing. I look
forward to learning from these witnesses, and working with you on ITS
issues in the future.
______
Statement of Hon. James M. Inhofe, U.S. Senator from the State
of Oklahoma
Thank you Mr. Chairman. I would like to join you in welcoming our
distinguished witnesses. I appreciate the time and effort they have
taken to be here today, and I looking forward to hearing their views on
the status of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
I was on the House Public Works and Transportation Committee when
ITS was first discussed in ISTEA. Back then we called it IVHS for
Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems. The focus of the discussion at
that time seemed to be more on driver less cars rather than the
applications we will learn about today. To be frank, I was a little
weary of the claims and promises of the IVHS imitative because it
seemed a little far fetched to me. However, the research vision of
ISTEA has resulted in some very practical innovations which are now
referred to as ITS. Although I understand the Intelligent Vehicle
Initiative (IVI) is working on some of those ``geewiz'' gadgetry of
IVHS, I am more intrigued by the advances in traffic operations that is
now being deployed.
My State of Oklahoma has been on the cutting edge of this
technology. As one of the first States in the Nation to implement
Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) or the PIKE PASS we in Oklahoma have
enjoyed for many years now the convenience of driving through a toll
booth instead stopping, waiting in line only to find our you don't
either have enough or the right change.
The national 511 initiative is very exciting. As the backbone of a
national infrastructure, consumers will be able to get travel
information regardless of their location and will not only be able to
communicate more easily with emergency personnel, but will be easier to
locate in emergency. Certainly this is a very positive development, yet
it raises some very troubling concerns, namely privacy, particularly
with any tracking or geolocation devices. I hope Christine Johnson,
Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, U.S.
Department of Transportation will be able to give us some level of
comfort as to how we can enjoy the benefits of ITS innovation without
sacrificing our right to personal privacy.
Oklahoma is at the crossroads of north/south and east/west freight
movement. As such I have an interest in hearing how the intermodal
logistics and commercial vehicle initiatives are progressing and will
be especially interested in learning from Mr. Lawrence Yermack,
Chairman of Intelligent Transportation Society of America about
commercial applications of ITS technology.
Despite the presence of two major metropolitan cities . . . Tulsa
and Oklahoma City, OK is still a rural State and I understand ITS
technology has some real safety benefits for smaller communities and
sparsely populated areas. I understand Steve Albert from the Western
Transportation Institute will discuss rural applications and I look
forward to his testimony.
Finally, I understand that Elwyn Tinklenberg, commissioner,
Minnesota Department of Transportation will discuss ITS technology from
a State level prospective; James Beall, Jr., chairman Santa Clara Board
of Supervisors, will provide the local prospective; and Martin Manning,
director, Clark County Department of Public Works will discuss how ITS
can be used to address problems associated with the rapid population
growth.
Again, thank you Mr. Chairman for giving me the opportunity to
personally welcome our witnesses and I look forward to hearing what
they have to share with us.
Senator Reid. I would tell the members of the two panels--
we have two panels today. The first is going to have Christine
Johnson from the U.S. Department of Transportation; Elwyn
Tinklenberg, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of
Transportation, here representing the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials; and Larry Yermack,
the chairman of the Intelligent Transportation Society of
America--the first panel.
The second panel will give an update on how the Intelligent
Transportation Program is working in specific metropolitan and
rural regions. Marty Manning, who is here representing Clark
County, NV and the American Public Works Association; Jim Beall
is representing the San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan
Transportation Commission; and Steve Albert is here from the
Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University.
We look forward to hearing your testimony today, but we
have a vote scheduled this afternoon. So we need to be out of
here as close to 5 o'clock as we can. So for each of you, let
me just say this. Your testimony, of course, is taken down by a
court reporter. It is transcribed and available to every
Senator. This is the foundation that we're laying for next
year's very important transportation bill that we do every 5
years.
We have to have Intelligent Transportation as part of the
mix. It's been part of the mix before, but we have to start
putting some money there, because we'll hear from Mr. Manning.
I mean, people don't know whether to get on the I-15. Is it too
busy? You never know until you get on it, and by then it's too
late. You can't get off. This is the way it is all over
America. We need some simple things to allow people more
intelligence as to what, where and how they should go.
So we look forward to your testimony. We would ask each of
you to hold your statements to 5 minutes, and then we will ask
some questions and go on to the next series of witnesses.
We are going to first hear from you, Mrs. Johnson.
Senator Warner. Mr. Chairman, if she would yield
momentarily. The ranking member of the committee, Mr. Smith, is
now on the floor with an amendment to the pending legislation.
Otherwise, he would be present, and therefore I ask that his
statement be made a part of today's record.
Senator Reid. I visited with Senator Smith. I should have
mentioned that just before coming over here. His amendment will
be voted on this afternoon.
[The prepared statement of Senator Smith follows:]
Statement of Hon. Bob Smith, U.S. Senator from the State of
New Hampshire
Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing on the Intelligent
Transportation Systems Program. I would say that Federal investment in
the ITS program over the last 10 years has yielded a large and broad
array of research and products. I think it is now time to assess what
has been learned, and to better focus the ITS program on putting the
effective and successful applications on the ground.
For instance, officials in New Hampshire are interested in several
proven ITS applications. One proposal is for variable speed limit signs
along I-95 where weather conditions often change the driving
conditions. Another application is for remote rural weather information
systems. Better weather forecasting is essential to planning personal
and commercial vehicle travel and for proper salt application rates
where salt is laid before a storm hits to avoid icy road conditions.
Finally, with the construction of a traffic operations center, New
Hampshire's interstates and turnpikes could incorporate traveler
information, changeable message signs and incident management systems
to improve safety and efficiency on major routes. New Hampshire has
none of these systems and very little related infrastructure in place,
and with limited transportation funds, the State cannot afford to get
started toward the $30 million cost of these proposals.
Mr. Chairman, I am concerned about the progress of ITS deployment
in both metropolitan and rural areas. In the Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Congress directed approximately half of
the $1.3 billion ITS program funding to research and implementation and
the other half to specific deployment activities. Less than 10 percent
of the research and implementation funds have gone for assistance to
States in developing ITS projects. Congress further directed the
Secretary of Transportation to competitively award deployment funds to
encourage advanced integration of existing ITS systems. Instead, these
funds have been earmarked in appropriations bills to fund a variety of
ITS activities across the country. ITS projects are also eligible for
Federal funding from the States' TEA-21 formula apportionments but must
compete with other project needs. With these funding options, ITS
deployment has gone from just 6 percent of metropolitan transportation
system coverage to only 22 percent coverage. This experience teaches us
that neither a discretionary program nor a passive eligibility program
will result in significant deployment of ITS applications. I look
forward to working with my colleagues during the reauthorization of
TEA-21 to restructure the ITS program to get these systems on the
ground where they can benefit the traveling public.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
STATEMENT OF CHRISTINE JOHNSON, DIRECTOR, INTELLIGENT
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Johnson. Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee,
thank you very much for this opportunity to appear before you
today and report on the ITS program. In my written testimony, I
have detailed the progress of the four main ITS provisions in
TEA-21.
Today, much as you have done, I would like to focus my
remarks on the Secretary's own priority of deployment.
Secretary Mineta has committed the Department to advancing ITS
to the next level, and has stated that during his tenure the
benchmark for that success will be deployment. In order for our
efforts to be truly successful, the public must know that we
are investing our tax dollars in programs that work for them.
He has said, ``We must deliver the practical, usable
transportation systems that can benefit the public today.
Deployment is all about delivering the solutions that will
provide the public with real transportation alternatives.''
So what I would like to do is look at some of the questions
that tend to surround ITS deployment. Is it being deployed? Is
it going fast enough? Is it making a difference? Finally, one
that we often hear, can't we do better than ``congestion
ahead'' signs that we see on our freeways?
As we look across the United States, we see solid evidence
that ITS is, in fact, being deployed. Nearly three-quarters of
the largest metropolitan areas have ITS deployment underway.
There are more than 50 traffic control centers in operation,
with many more on the drawing boards. Thirty-one percent of the
fixed-route buses have some form of ITS tracking technology;
seventy percent of all the toll facilities use ITS for toll
collection; and finally, there are now more than 1 million
vehicles equipped with ITS crash notification technology.
This deployment is making a difference. I'll give you two
examples--one in northern Virginia. We did an evaluation that
found if ITS had not been deployed on I-66, we would be
experiencing 25 percent worse congestion. The second is in San
Jose, where ITS location technology on the paratransit system
there has reduced the per-passenger cost nearly 25 percent.
These are but two examples. There are many, many more, and
every year we take evaluations of these kinds of projects and
catalogue them in an annual report that we would be willing to
submit for the record.
The question is: Is this level of deployment enough? The
Secretary says no. Very few States or metropolitan areas have a
complete system in place. Over the last decade, we have moved
from about 6 percent of our major metropolitan areas being
instrumented, to about 22 percent today. Hence, we don't have
enough information about what is happening on the road to say
much more than ``congestion ahead.''
I don't know that we would be terribly comfortable with
having an air traffic control system, for example, that only
had 22 percent radar coverage. Yet, that is what we are dealing
with on the surface transportation system. By contrast, in
Paris, they offer on overhead signs and other media, very
detailed information on travel time and alternative routes.
Although Intelligent Transportation Systems are eligible
for most Federal aid funding categories, these projects are
competing with traditional construction needs for available
funds. Most State DOTs do not have a primary mission of
operating the system in the same way that they recognize a
mission of constructing or maintaining the physical
infrastructure. If funds are limited, as they often are, the
primary mission of physical infrastructure, either construction
or renewal, will tend to take priority.
Indeed, we have begun to realize that no institution has
congestion management as a primary mission, except on those
rare occasions when a special event such as the Olympics or
another large special event comes to town. Except for those
special events, no one has enough of a stake in the daily
performance of the system to insist on a level of ITS
deployment that would enable operating the system at its peak
performance.
If we are going to move to the next level of deployment, as
Secretary Mineta has called for, it will require us to do more
than fit ITS into the existing funding mechanisms, into the
existing institutional structures, or into the existing
regulations. It will require us to transcend the existing
transportation culture that has been created around
constructing projects, and to develop a new culture that is
focused on the performance of the system, the way the customer
actually experiences that performance--door-to-door--regardless
of who owns the road, regardless of who owns the bus,
regardless of who owns the parking lot.
In closing, I thank you again for this opportunity to
address where we are going in the ITS program, and what things
we need to do.
I am happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Senator Reid. We look forward to working with the Secretary
on our new bill next year. Let me just say this--I was just
handed this. Nevada's largest newspaper has an e-briefing they
put out by a man by the name of Steve Sebelius. Here's what he
says today: ``The Subcommittee on Transportation of the
Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee today will hold
a hearing chaired by our own U.S. Senator Harry Reid on
Intelligent Transportation Systems. The systems use technology
to reduce congestion on highways, and that's something we all
need, especially after this morning's little-stroll-through-
hell commute, in which cars on the Summerlin Parkway were
backed up to Rampart Boulevard. Clark County Public Works Chief
Marty Manning will testify at this hearing.''
Mr. Tinklenberg, please proceed.
STATEMENT OF ELWYN TINKLENBERG, COMMISSIONER,
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, ST. PAUL, MN
Mr. Tinklenberg. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members.
My name is Elwyn Tinklenberg. I am the commissioner of the
Minnesota Department of Transportation, and chair of the
Advanced Transportation System Subcommittee of AASHTO. Thank
you for this opportunity to share with you a major
transportation success story--the progress made in deploying
ITS. My written testimony, which I request be made part of the
record, details the ITS benefits that have resulted from your
vision and foresight in including ITS as a key component of our
Federal highway and transit programs.
I can speak from personal experience in Minnesota when I
say that ITS deployments have made significant improvements in
rural, urban, transit and commercial vehicle applications. Not
only that, they have produced new partnerships never before
envisioned, transferred advanced technology from NASA and the
defense industries, and enabled us to stretch the use of our
transportation systems in new ways.
We will have to stretch to accommodate the travel needs of
another 100 million people over the next 40 years, as well as
the doubling in freight volumes over the next 20 years. ITS
technologies have already proven their effectiveness in
improving our operations, while increasing our safety. In the
Twin Cities, adaptive signal systems, combined with ramp
metering, have improved freeway travel time 22 percent, reduced
crashes by 24 percent, and improved freeway throughput by 14
percent. Use of our road/weather information system provides
motorists with real-time information and improves winter
maintenance, significantly reducing accidents on highways and
bridges. A computer-aided dispatching system for emergency
vehicles is saving lives.
Those kinds of successes are mirrored across the Nation. E-
Zpass electronic toll collections are saving both money and
time. Incident management systems are reducing travel delays by
up to 2 million hours per year. Automated crash notification,
or Mayday systems, means safer travel. Reduced delay and
congestion also mean cleaner air.
Transit systems benefit from ITS through the use of
automatic vehicle locators, scheduling software, and automatic
dispatching. From Transportation Management Centers to the
cooperative development of 511 traveler information deployment,
ITS has fostered unique and effective partnerships between
Federal, State and local agencies, industry and national
associations such as AASHTO.
Is the picture all rosy? I would have to say, not
completely. Of the 75 largest urban areas in the country, 24
have a high level of integrated ITS tools. Twenty-two percent
of their freeways have real-time data collection. Thirty-one
percent of their transit facilities have vehicle locator
technology.
The progress is substantial, but there is much to achieve.
ITS technology is a key component of a new focus on
transportation systems operation, and will be highlighted at
the upcoming National Summit on Operations this October 16-18.
As we look to the future, there is a vital need for
continuing a strong Federal presence in a number of areas.
First, research and operational testing is needed for
priorities such as crash avoidance technology, advanced
transportation system management, vehicle monitoring and
enhanced data collection. Second, training and technology-
sharing is essential to develop the skilled technical workforce
needed at the State and local levels. Third, looking to the
next generation of ITS, the development of open, flexible and
uniform standards by associations such as AASHTO is required to
ensure systems will be integrated and easy to use. Fourth,
continued funding of an ITS deployment category will stimulate
the use and integration of new technologies that might
otherwise not be tried. Finally, we need to simplify project
approvals and find solutions to administrative, regulatory or
statutory hurdles that can slow down deployment.
In the last 10 years, ITS has turned the corner from a
vision to a reality, and has demonstrated its powerful
potential for transforming our transportation system.
Mr. Chairman, I would be pleased to answer any questions
you may have at the conclusion of the hearing.
Thank you.
Senator Reid. Mr. Yermack.
STATEMENT OF LARRY YERMACK, CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENT
TRANSPORTATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA, WASHINGTON, DC
Mr. Yermack. Chairman Reid, Senator Warner, thanks for the
opportunity to discuss the Intelligent Transportation Systems
with you today.
My name is Larry Yermack. I'm the chairman of the board of
the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, a not-for-
profit 501(c)(3) organization with over 600 members, including
State Departments of Transportation, other associations, not-
for-profits, and private companies. ITS America is the Federal
Advisory Committee to the U.S. Department of Transportation,
dedicated solely to intelligent transportation systems. I also
serve as the president of PB Farradyne, a transportation
engineering company.
My message to you today is this. The significant investment
that the Federal Government has made in ITS has been money well
spent, delivering significant benefits to the American people.
Not only is travel safer and more efficient, but the ITS
program has also laid a foundation for an explosion in
consumer-oriented technologies. To date, 55 of the largest 75
metropolitan areas have met the goal of medium-to-high
deployment of ITS. Traffic Management Centers have been
established in two-thirds of the areas, monitoring freeway
traffic and providing early notification of incidents. Over 384
public transit systems nationwide have installed or are
installing components of ITS to provide the public with safer
and more effective public transportation.
Computer-aided dispatch has been installed in 67 percent of
the emergency management vehicles, and 36 percent have in-
vehicle route guidance. Telematics devices, advanced in-vehicle
communications technologies, allow for automated crash
notification, remote diagnostics and a variety of mobile
commerce applications. Onstar, one of the more recognized
telematics brand names, currently has 1.2 million subscribers.
Eight million cars worldwide have been equipped with navigation
units.
The trucking industry has begun to adopt three ITS
technologies in an attempt to enhance the safety, efficiency
and productivity of the movement of goods on America's roads:
transponders, Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and
Networks, otherwise known as CVISN, and intelligent vehicle
technologies for heavy trucks.
Transponders have the ability to monitor drivers, vehicles
and loads to ensure safe and efficient trucking operations. The
goal is the deployment of a single, multi-purpose transponder
that can handle toll payment, weigh in motion, credentialling
and other applications.
Currently, 30 States use transponders to pre-clear trucks
through roadside inspections. The Federal Commercial Vehicle
Information Systems and Networks architecture provides a
uniform framework for electronic credentialling. Thirty-four
States are in the process of initiating CVISN, and eight States
have completed the initiation, resulting in a 75 percent
reduction in the current cost of credential administration for
both the States and industry. Intelligent vehicle devices for
heavy trucks such as rollover and collision warning systems
continue to make trucking safer.
The benefits of ITS are abundantly evident, and ITS
infrastructure results in a smoother traffic flow and fewer
stops, which enhances safety by providing less speed variance
and fewer opportunities for crashes. Ramp metering alone has
been proven to reduce crashes by up to 50 percent. Road/weather
information systems have proven effective at lowering speeds
and increasing safety during adverse driving conditions.
Adaptive signal controls and incident management programs have
significantly reduced traffic delays, while Traffic Management
Centers collect data on accidents and road conditions advance
traveler information systems deliver this information directly
to the driver and empower drivers to make optimum route
selection and shorten travel time.
ITS also helps to protect the environment by reducing the
negative environmental impacts of congestion, crashes and
emissions. It has been estimated that incident response and
clearing programs save as much as 2,600 gallons of gas per
major incident.
In the future, the initial investment in ITS infrastructure
and in-vehicle devices may be seen as the first wave of a
technology revolution. In the second wave of the ITS technology
revolution, we expect to see the integration of localized
Intelligent Transportation Systems into larger and more
integrated networks of information.
Communications from vehicle to infrastructure and from
infrastructure to vehicle will become richer. Both the quality
and quantity of data transmission will increase. As a result of
network integration, not only will we see greater efficiencies
in America's transportation system, we will see a fundamental
shift in how America does business.
GPS and other vehicle-identifying technologies inherent in
ITS are already enabling businesses to offer consumers
location-specific goods and services. The advent of mobile
commerce will be a part of the fundamental shift in how
Americans do business through the use of ITS.
We look forward to working with you to design a continuing
ITS program that will fulfill the dreams of the American
traveling public.
Thank you.
Senator Reid. Mr. Yermack, you say there are 8 million
navigation units on vehicles? Is that right?
Mr. Yermack. That's worldwide.
Senator Reid. Worldwide.
The last car I purchased, they tried to talk me into buying
one of those. What in the world good would it do me to have
that on a car?
Mr. Yermack. I have, from my own experience, used them very
often on rental cars. I find that in traveling to areas I'm not
familiar with, it's a tremendous boon because what a navigation
system will do is it will identify, when you put in where you
are and where you're going, it will identify a route. It will
display the route on the navigation system, and it will give
you directions to the location, both verbally through speakers,
as well as on the screen.
I've also used it in areas that I'm familiar, and I find
that simply having the map up on the screen as I travel makes
it a lot easier to know where I'm going.
Senator Reid. Now, you carry it with you wherever you go,
so to speak? Rental cars don't have it on them when you get the
rental car.
Mr. Yermack. There are navigation systems available from
some rental companies as an additional fee.
Senator Reid. So you try to get that?
Mr. Yermack. I always try to get that.
Senator Reid. OK. That's very interesting. That helps me a
lot. I didn't see the practicality of it, but I can see your
explanation makes it quite clear.
Your organization's membership includes many private
companies. Which areas of ITS have the highest levels of
private sector participation?
Mr. Yermack. It's hard to answer the question as to which
have the highest levels of participation. Members of ITS
America are involved in the engineering and design of
intelligent transportation systems for Government, for State
Departments of Transportation, as well as for public transit
agencies, as well as our members include the vehicle
manufacturers--Ford, General Motors, Chrysler--so they're also
involved in the deployment of in-vehicle equipment on their
vehicles.
Senator Reid. I have a couple of other questions I'll
submit to you in writing. Would you mind getting back to us--
the subcommittee--with those answers?
Mr. Yermack. It would be our pleasure. Thank you, sir.
Senator Reid. I appreciate it.
Mr. Tinklenberg, are there new technologies or other tools
in the pipeline that will radically, in your opinion, improve
the impact of ITS on managing traffic congestion?
Mr. Tinklenberg. Mr. Chairman, there are a number of areas
of technology development that hold potential. But we think
that the emphasis that you have placed on deployment is an
emphasis that has served the industry and the advancement of
ITS very well in taking those things that we know work already
and getting them out into the systems, and supporting a
deployment effort of those things.
In Minnesota, for example--maybe some of you have heard--
not too long ago, a shut-down of our entire ramp metering
system, and we have an extensive ramp metering system in the
Twin Cities. When we shut that down, we were able to test in a
very comprehensive way what the benefits were of that system.
We found the statistics that I mentioned in my testimony, that
in terms of travel time, in terms of capacity, in terms of
crashes, those things that already exist were working very well
and making an incredible impact when integrated through a
Traffic Management Center--that kind of technology. What we
need to be doing is deploying it--things that we already have
in place, getting them out into the system where they can have
the kind of impact that we believe they could.
Senator Reid. I have a view that when we do our next
highway bill, as we refer to it, that we're going to have to do
things different than we've ever done it in the past; have a
different mix of moneys, incentives, because we are limited how
much money we can spend building roads. But I'm concerned, and
this is what I would like either you or Ms. Johnson to respond
to this, I'm concerned that the directors of most State
Departments of Transportation, so I'm told, are only concerned
about highway dollars. You know, that's kind of a niche in the
barrel of their gun--I should say, it wouldn't be in the
barrel.
Senator Warner. The stock.
Senator Reid. Yes, stock. That's what I was trying to find,
John. Thank you.
As to how much money they can get for road construction--
how are we going to change the mind-set of some of the State
Departments of Transportation to be involved in other things?
If we do this right, it's going to cost money. It's not cheap
to do what we want to do. But when highway departments want to
spend more money on roads, how do we convince them that they
could do better?
Mr. Tinklenberg. Mr. Chairman, I think that's a very
important discussion that's going on right now within the
industry as a whole. We have been very involved with the U.S.
Department of Transportation to look at operations, and I know
you'll be looking more at that as you move toward
reauthorization.
But moving from the question of ``How is this project
going?'' to ``How is the system operating?'' and ``How is it
working for the public?''--I think that discussion is taking
place as more and more people are seeing the clear benefits.
Again, when it was just a research project, people were
wondering what good does it really do for me in moving people
in my State. But now we're seeing that it really does some
important things, as we have seen in Minnesota in our ramp
metering program and in our road/weather information systems,
and as we're seeing as we're moving toward the deployment of
511 and advance traveler information systems.
I think as those experiences become more widely understood,
people will begin to see how much capacity can be gained by
these kind of investments and then are able to make good
choices in comparison to other investments they might make.
Clearly, a part of the solution is going to be
infrastructure in terms of the traditional sense. But more and
more, I think people are understanding that another part is
going to be investments in the use of technology that can
expand the capacity of our infrastructure without having to
take more homes, without having to take more businesses,
without having to pour more concrete.
Senator Reid. So as I understand it, what you've said is
ISTEA, we had money for research on Intelligent Transportation
Systems. TEA-21, we implemented a few of them--not much money
was spent on this--but a few dollars spent. What you're saying,
with the few dollars we've spent in TEA-21, this may be an
incentive for State Departments of Transportation to realize
that they can do a lot better job in their States by having a
mix of not only construction dollars for regular highway
construction, put some of their construction money into these
Intelligent Transportation Systems. Is that what you're saying?
Mr. Tinklenberg. Absolutely, Mr. Chairman. I believe that
we've demonstrated some of the practical benefit that can be
gained by these kind of investments. I think that was a huge
accomplishment of TEA-21. And now we have the basis on which to
build from that into further deployment of these kind of
technologies.
Senator Reid. Do the other two witnesses have any comments
in this regard?
Ms. Johnson. I think from our observation there are two
points of leverage that you should be considering in going into
the next reauthorization. The first one is what I would call an
information system or an ITS network, in the sense that
underlying almost everything we do in ITS you've got to be able
to know what is going on on the road or on the bus. While we
have put pieces in place in many, many places across the United
States, when you look at it as a network, we're only about 22
percent instrumented.
Getting a complete system that can tell you what is going
on on the roadway or on the bus system, I think is essential to
achieving the vision we all share.
The second point of leverage would be institutions. ITS
adds a mission that we have never had traditionally, and that
is operating the system. We do not have institutions that bring
the players together to execute that mission. So worrying about
building an institution with a mission of operating the system,
I think will be an important point of leverage.
Mr. Yermack. Mr. Chairman, as late as the late 1990s, I
continually heard the debate. We have all these computers, why
do we still have so much paper? In fact, at that time we were
at a stage of pre-network. The computers were not networked
together in what we now know as the Internet. We haven't heard
that question for the last 10 years about what are these
computers doing for us. We know the instant access to
information that it gets us and the communication that it gets
us.
I think we're at a similar stage with Intelligent
Transportation Systems in the sense that we have many isolated
examples of ITS systems that work and work very effectively. We
don't really know. We don't have an experience of how effective
they can be as they become inter-networked and when the
operators begin to gather information not just on one city or
one part of the city, but on entire regions and States and
multi-State areas. It would have a dramatic impact on the
operations of the system.
Senator Reid. Thank you.
Dr. Johnson, last year, the Federal Communications
Commission approved 511 as a nationwide telephone number for
traveler information. What's the department's timeframe for
implementing this number?
Ms. Johnson. The FCC has given us a timeframe which is 5
years. They're going to review what we have done with this
incredibly valuable resource.
Senator Reid. Five years from when?
Ms. Johnson. Excuse me?
Senator Reid. When is the 5 years up?
Ms. Johnson. My belief would be about 4 years from now. We
have already had the first 511 telephone call, in the
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan area. That will be
followed by four more early deployment sites. We are providing
grants to States to do the transition planning that is needed
to kind of carve up the States in a way that allows them to
work with the wireless community on routing calls and that type
of thing.
Right now, ITS America, APTA and AASHTO under the
chairmanship of Mr. Tinklenberg are putting together a set of
guidelines that will go out to States and localities on
essentially how to do this. We look at this as a very popular
service that will be demanded by the citizens.
Senator Reid. Thank you very much.
Senator Warner.
Senator Warner. Mr. Chairman, you just brought up the key
question. What can we do to incentivize more application of
this technology? I've only got fragments of the story, but
staff advises me that while we have put out under TEA-21
certain amounts of money for these programs, the
appropriators--somehow there's some earmarking going on and the
projects don't exactly parallel the goals of ITS. Am I correct
in that, Dr. Johnson?
Ms. Johnson. In TEA-21, you laid out a set of criteria that
were to be followed with this set of money.
Senator Warner. That's correct. I've got them right here in
front of me.
Ms. Johnson. The primary purpose was for integration. It
was essentially to serve as a bridge between a research
program, and ultimately using Federal-aid funds to use ITS.
Every dollar, and sometimes more, that was authorized has been
earmarked. To date--and there's some question this year--but to
date, we have been successful in working with each earmark in
requiring them to meet the criteria set forth in TEA-21. While
we think the program would have been substantially more
effective in leveraging more deployment if it had not been
earmarked, we believe that those projects that have been funded
have achieved the goals of the authorized program.
Senator Warner. Your answer is skillfully given, but
clearly I think the chairman and I and others have some
homework to do with our highly esteemed colleagues on another
committee.
But, I believe as we address--as the chairman pointed out--
the next item here, we've got to put in a stronger and more
rigid set of incentives to help get this force multiplier out
to the public. I hope that other segments of the highway
industry--I mean, the builders are among the most responsible,
really, in my State. I have a high personal regard for them. I
just don't think they should view this as a threat to putting
down more concrete and asphalt. I know members of the local
governing bodies in my State, whether it's the cities or the
counties, want to point to ``that's my road.'' But I think
legislators can point with equal pride to ``that's my system''
and that road is now far more efficient than it was before we
put in this system.
So anyway, we've got to work on that.
Mr. Yermack, a question--I have followed with great
interest--and I don't doubt that Congress is going to look into
this legitimate debate on cell phones, and whether or not it
distracts. The chairman asked you about the navigation
equipment. I think that's a first cousin to the cell phone
issue, and we better be prepared to address it.
But I'd like to also bring to your attention one other
thing, and this applies to everybody here. I deal a great deal
with senior citizens--I'm not too far distant from being one
myself--but, you know, I'm still active, fully. But they talk
about when they, for instance on the Dulles Highway, are rushed
into these chutes to pay their tolls or to put their Smart Tag
in, or to do other things. They've got a microsecond to make a
decision which lane they go in. Sometimes it's not clear
visually to help these folks, particularly strangers, get in.
You hear the screech of wheels and brakes and everything as
people suddenly realize they're trapped in the wrong lane.
Let's help out a little bit in that system.
Do you want to comment on the cell phone thing? Is that a
first cousin? Do you want to say a few words on that?
Mr. Yermack. I'd be happy to, sir. I think that the cell
phone debate in many ways highlights an issue that we have been
living with for a long time, and that is the issue of keeping
drivers focused on their job and not having them distracted by
other devices in the car. While the cell phone debate is the
latest in the list of issues that provide distraction, I think
really changing the station on a radio or being distracted by a
baby in the backseat, or changing a CD can be equally
distracting. I think finally we are now beginning to get a
significant amount of research being done by the members of ITS
America and by the automobile companies to determine what, in
fact, are the effects of those devices on driver reflex.
Senator Warner. OK. We've got to concentrate on that. You
know, your passenger conversation, or all kinds of things that
begin to build and add up. I think your area here is so key to
greater utilization of our roadways that we've got to somehow
meet, address and resolve that dispute in a very responsible
way.
Mr. Tinklenberg, first, AASHTO has just been of great value
to this committee and those of us who have been active in
highway legislation for years. You're fortunate to be
associated with such a marvelous group of advisers. But do you
have a comment on the incentives--what we might do, start
working on?
Mr. Tinklenberg. I think, Mr. Chairman, Senator, I think as
Dr. Johnson indicated, that there are a number of things in
terms of bringing the institutional support together to look at
operational issues within an entire region. I'm sure our region
is like many others in the country, that there are many
governmental units operating different pieces of the system,
and somehow bringing them together in a way that maximizes the
opportunities on all of that is an important one.
It's interesting, Mr. Chairman, you raised the issue of 511
a moment ago. One of the side things that's happening with the
development of 511 is that as the public begins to be more
familiar with that system and use it more often, they're going
to be expecting that that information will be available in
their State and in their region. They're going to be asking why
it isn't if it isn't. Part of our deployment is going to be
driven by the public's expectation that good information be
available.
Senator Warner. You're right on target. I think the best
leverage we can get is to get the general public to talk to
their State legislators and a few others. But Mr. Chairman, I
think to expedite things, I'll put the rest of my questions in,
if I may, for the record.
Senator Reid. I will do the same.
Senator Warner. I thank the chair. This is an excellent
hearing. I think you're achieving your goals.
Senator Reid. Thank you, Senator Warner.
This panel is excused. Thank you very much for your time
and effort.
Our first witness in the second panel is James Beall, San
Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Mr.
Beall, as soon as they get a seat there for you.
STATEMENT OF JAMES BEALL, JR., CHAIRMAN, SANTA CLARA BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS, SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION, SAN JOSE, CA
Mr. Beall. Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. My name is Jim
Beall, and I've been a commissioner for the Bay Area
Metropolitan Transportation Commission for about 15 years, and
currently am chairman of the Santa Clara County Board of
Supervisors in San Jose.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is the
metropolitan planning organization for the nine-county Bay
Area. We have 6.8 million people in our 9 counties and 100
cities, and 7,000 square miles including San Francisco, San
Jose and Oakland.
I want to talk today about some of the things we're doing
in our area. The first example I wanted to bring to your
attention is in Santa Clara County--my county--we have a multi-
agency team led by the city of San Jose and the county, and
we're working to coordinate the ``Smart Corridor'' along
freeways, expressways, local streets, with public transit in a
15-mile corridor. We're having fiber-optic cables carrying
data, video images, traffic signals, cameras and computers into
a single network, enabling our traffic managers to spot
accidents, congestion, changed timing patterns, instantaneously
alert drivers to problems, and dispatch emergency services.
We have also in the Bay Area implemented fast-track
electronic toll collection on all Bay Area toll bridges, and
that's nine bridges, to let drivers pre-pay tolls without
stopping, and they can use the same device in southern
California toll roads 500 miles away.
In the Bay Area, we have also installed roadway detectors
and closed-circuit televisions to collect up-to-date minute
data on what's happening on our roads. The Bay Area Traffic
Management Center uses these high-tech tools to monitor traffic
conditions and dispatch help as needed. We also use that for
coordination of special events in the Bay Area.
Some of the examples of results in the transit area include
what we have now have instituted in the Bay Area a test. We're
starting to implement the one car TransLink card. This is a
smart card to pay their bus, train, ferry fare under a pilot
program coordinated with 21 separate transit agencies, so one
card for all 21 transit agencies in the Bay Area. The universal
transit ticket stores the value and deducts the cost of a trip
when the card is passed near a reader on board the vehicles or
at fare gates.
The Bay Area also, as you mentioned earlier, the Bay Area
is also involved in--we have a single region-wide phone number
for up-to-date traffic information on the freeways, as well as
direct connections to all the public transit operators, ride
sharing and other services. MTC is implementing the effort in
the Bay Area to become the first region in California to offer
this service through the national designated transit
information number, the 511. So we're leading the charge on
that.
What are the results? Well, the California Department of
Transportation estimates the travel time savings of over 25,000
hours per year, and fuel savings of more than 55,000 gallons
during the initial phase of the electronic toll collection
system that is now in place on all nine Bay Area toll bridges.
Each month in the Bay Area, 50,000 Bay Area residents call our
TravInfo--the regional transportation information phone
number--for traffic, public transit and travel information.
A survey evaluating the service indicate that 45 percent of
the callers change their travel behavior after receiving the
information. Also, more than 10,000 Bay Area drivers per month
use one of the 3,500 wireless telephone call boxes installed by
MTC along the region's highways. The call boxes are a direct
line to dispatchers who can then send the police, fire,
paramedics, towing or other assistance.
We have our roving tow trucks, the Freeway Service Patrol,
that MTC operates, and this covers 400 miles of Bay Area
freeways. We respond to 9,000 incidents per month. In addition,
increasing the travelers' safety and reducing air pollution,
the tow trucks cut congestion-related delay by 3.5 million
hours and fuel consumption by 1.4 million gallons annually.
Mr. Chairman, as you can see, we think that TEA-21 is
working in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is important to note
that our Bay Area ITS programs have been funded by the flexible
features you have in TEA-21, and we encourage continued
mainstreaming for such projects as a further commitment by the
Federal Transportation Policy to better manage the
transportation system we have.
Our experience with the ITS confirms that we believe that
the Federal initiative in sponsoring a national ITS program was
a far-sighted move and will continue to pay positive dividends
far into the future. We urge you to renew the national
commitment.
We have the attachment. We have the packet and the
information, and I'd be happy to answer questions--along with
my staff who has come with me, Melody Crody. She is the manager
of our Transportation Coordination and Access Program at MTC.
Thank you for your time, Senator.
Senator Reid. Mr. Beall, if we accomplish nothing else
today in listening to your statement it would have been worth
the hearing, because it gives us as legislators the incentive
to work more on this idea that started out as kind of an idea
that Pat Moynihan had, and people kind of laughed at him when
he first talked about it. I certainly wish Senator Moynihan
were here to hear what you had to say, because it certainly to
me indicates that we have made some progress and can make a lot
more progress.
Mr. Manning.
STATEMENT OF MARTIN MANNING, DIRECTOR, CLARK COUNTY DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC WORKS, LAS VEGAS, NV
Mr. Manning. Senator Reid, thank you very much for allowing
me to be here today in front of your subcommittee.
I am Marty Manning and I'm the president-elect of the
American Public Works Association, as well as the Public Works
Director for Clark County, NV.
My comments are going to be about as brief as I can make
them, and basically the things I'm here to talk about today is
a little bit about----
Senator Reid. You never have a bad speech if it's short,
you know.
Mr. Manning. Yes, sir.
I'm going to talk a little bit about the American Public
Works Association, and certainly the kinds of experiences that
we've had with ITS in Clark County, which have been very
positive.
Our association, APWA, serves more than 26,000 members, and
it is concerned with the operation, maintenance, renewal and
improvement of the Nation's infrastructure by promoting
professional excellent and public awareness through education,
advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. We have a vital
interest in the reauthorization of TEA-21, and in fact, we have
a reauthorization task force currently in place that is working
diligently to develop and promote some APWA recommendations for
reauthorization.
Additionally, APWA is teamed up with other organizations to
comprise a local officials transportation working group, which
is made up of organizations representing elected county and
city officials, as well as development organizations,
technology and city/county managers. APWA also serves as a
member of the steering committee for the Federal Highway
Administration's national dialogue on operations.
We hope that you will look to APWA as a valuable resource
as you and your staff members proceed through the
reauthorization process. With so many unmet transportation
funding needs, APWA believes that it is imperative to maintain
the basic goals of TEA-21 by protecting the funding firewalls
and allowing for as much local funding flexibility as it is
possible to give.
Further, as our members deal directly on a daily basis with
system users, we have a strong understanding of how it is to
best address some of our local problems in transportation
issues within our communities. The deployment of ITS tools, in
conjunction with the construction of needed improvements, would
assure that existing transportation infrastructure may operate
at higher capacity and that new improvements would also operate
more efficiently, and also to be more economical to build.
As you know, Clark County is one of the most rapidly
growing areas in the Nation. We've come to expect new residents
at a rate of 3-5,000 a month, and we also expect to welcome the
arrival of as many as 35 million visitors this year to the Las
Vegas destination resort areas.
This continuing growth puts a lot of pressure on our
transportation systems--our networks of highways, streets and
roads. In Clark County, NV, we're becoming true advocates of
the management tool products that ITS offers, and the capacity
and safety benefits that they represent to us. Existing
intelligent transportation systems are being improved and
integrated with new system tools that are now being installed.
The installation of ITS products in the urbanized Las Vegas
Valley has only been possible--and this is important to us--by
the creation of hard, real, meaningful partnerships among
Federal, State, local governments, as well as our private
sector partners.
As an example, the Las Vegas-Area Computer Traffic System
provides computerized traffic signal control in all of the
jurisdictions in the Las Vegas Valley. The system is operating
under an agreement among the Nevada Department of
Transportation, our Southern Nevada Regional Transportation
Commission. Our three incorporated cities in the county provide
substantial travel time improvements through a growing
urbanized area with a population approaching 1.4 million
people. It also has provided some significant real benefits in
air quality.
While our system was originally installed with a Federal
grant and NDOT assistance, the incorporated cities in the
country pay for its continued operation and maintenance. The
Las Vegas-Area Computer Traffic System was an initial step into
ITS for us, but recently, further steps are now underway.
Additional improvements to the system have been added which
provide new computer hardware and software, high-speed
telecommunications facilities between our traffic signals and
our computers, television observation at critical
intersections, and high-tech local traffic signal controllers.
In addition, the Nevada Department of Transportation is
proceeding on additional ITS projects to create a highway
management system that will provide the functions of traffic
control, incident management and route and pre-trip traveler
information, and a user service for archived data. The highway
management system is called FAST and it will be integrated with
the arterial management system under the Las Vegas-Area
Computer Traffic System, and they will both be located at a
common location that is going to be shared with the Nevada
Highway Patrol's dispatching center.
So we're bringing the pieces together to make a management
system. Each system will operate with a common staff and an
operating agreement among, again, NDOT, the Regional
Transportation Commission, our three cities and the county.
Construction of this, the initial phase of the FAST highway
management system is going to begin before the end of this
year, and it will be completed in 2 years. The construction
will encompass the installation of ramp meters at selected
locations, as well as high-occupancy vehicle bypass ramps,
arrangements with the Nevada Highway Department to make sure
that traffic enforcement secures those things, a dynamic
message signage at selected locations to provide road
information and incident information to motorists, and the
construction of an arterial and highway management operations
center which will bring all of those agencies together. Upon
completion of the project, the Las Vegas urban area will be
well on the way to the creation of an integrated arterial and
highway management system.
As a county public works director, I can appreciate the
value that ITS brings to us. The management tools and
technologies we've already installed and the potential values
in the extension of this management system will provide real
system improvements in our area.
In conclusion, we recommend the continued support of the
ITS program, and certainly the recognition of its value in
identifying and developing transportation system management
technologies that we think are needed to improve the capacity
and efficiency of the Nation's highways, our roads and our
streets. In addition, we recommend that the overall goals of
promoting safety, efficiency and economy and enhancing
mobility, providing accessibility to transportation, as well as
improving the productivity of travel, the safeguarding of the
environment and reducing energy consumption certainly are a
very solid basis for the development of the ITS program of the
future.
That concludes my remarks, but I have a couple of other
things to say, Senator Reid.
Senator Reid. We'll have to have you say that a little
later, OK?
Mr. Albert, it's your time to testify. Do you teach at the
University of Montana?
Mr. Albert. I teach, but I direct a research center there.
Senator Reid. But also part of your duties are teaching?
Mr. Albert. Correct.
Senator Reid. I was reading your resume, and I couldn't
determine that. I saw you were associated with Montana State,
but I didn't know if you taught also.
Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF STEVE ALBERT, DIRECTOR, WESTERN TRANSPORTATION
INSTITUTE, BOZEMAN, MT
Mr. Albert. Good afternoon, Chairman Reid.
I'd like to begin by thanking you for this opportunity to
share our views and perspectives on Intelligent Transportation
Systems, and specifically rural ITS, which is quite often
overlooked.
My name is Steve Albert. I'm the director of the Western
Transportation Institute at Montana State University. WTI's
mission is to make rural travel and transportation safer, more
convenient and more accessible. WTI is the Nation's leading
research center focusing on rural transportation issues, with
projects in over 30 States, 10 national parks, and WTI was
recognized by ITS America for outstanding achievement in rural
ITS.
In addition to serving as WTI's director, I also serve as
the Rocky Mountain ITS America Chapter president and various
National Academy of Sciences positions.
My testimony today was developed in partnership with
constituents from around the country, not just from one
organization, and I will address the following three areas: the
magnitude and severity of rural transportation challenges,
specific examples and benefits of ITS deployment, and future
focus areas where additional emphasis and resources should be
placed.
For the last 10 years, rural constituents have heard our
transportation leaders highlight congestion as our Nation's
leading challenge. Programs such as Operation Timesaver, Model
Deployment Initiative and other urban initiatives have been the
showcase of administrations. However, these showcase programs
have little, if any, application to approximately 80 percent of
our Nation's roadways, or roughly 4 million miles. Unlike urban
areas that have congestion as a primary single issue, rural
needs are move diverse, complex and only tangentially related
to congestion.
So what are some of those rural statistics? Sixty percent
of the fatal crashes happen in rural America. Crash rates are
2.5 times greater in rural America. Local roads are three times
less safe than our Interstate system. Limited communication
coverage, specifically wireless, causes notification to be
twice as great as urban areas. Weather is a deadly factor in
rural America. Tourism is our economic engine. National parks,
which get 266 million visitors a year, are expected to increase
by 500 percent over the next 40 years. Native Americans die at
six times the national average in motor vehicle crashes.
Animal-vehicle collisions, which are about 726,000 each year,
cost $2,000 each, or about $1 billion being wasted in annual
expenditures. Thirty-eight percent of our rural population has
no transit service.
While these statistics do paint a picture, there are some
success stories in rural ITS, and I'd like to go through a
couple of those examples. To prevent crashes, the Colorado
Department of Transportation has implemented a downhill speed
advisory system that advises truckers outside the I-70
Eisenhower Tunnel outside Denver of the appropriate speed they
should be going based on axle configurations, speed and weight.
It has reduced travel speeds of trucks by 20 miles an hour and
eliminated fatalities the last 3 years. California DOT has a
similar system.
To respond to emergency services, the Virginia Department
of Transportation has used hand-held portable digital
assistance to transfer patient care information between
ambulance drivers and the doctors so that we can do a better
job of responding to patient care.
To enhance travel and tourism, Yellowstone National Park is
implementing a Smart Pass system similar to what you heard
today in San Francisco, that will allow for frequent users to
have a transponder on their vehicle and be enter and bypass
gate congestion.
Surface transportation and weather--what are we doing?
Through the Greater Yellowstone Travel and Weather Information
System, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota are
implementing one system that will allow travelers to call in
and hit pound-safe on their cellular phone and get weather
information on the road that they're on 60 miles in advance, or
1 to 1\1/2\ hours that will give them specific information
about what they're about to encounter.
So what are some of the future needs, even though we have
some success stories? One of the things that we are beginning
to realize in rural America and that needs to be spread around
the country is that the highest use is not necessarily the
highest need.
Some of the things that we see that are really a need is to
conduct additional outreach, to have rural stakeholders
understand what does ITS mean to them; what are the benefits;
integrate funding across Federal and State agencies. Rural
transportation is really much more than just transportation.
What we commonly find is that Federal and State agencies are
stovepiped. Health and Human Services only look at their
issues. DOTs only look at their issues. But when you look at
transportation, it goes across those agencies. A blue ribbon
committee needs to be looked at to address how do we create a
one-stop shopping for rural transportation.
Improved communication coverage--response times are twice
as great in rural areas. We need to have better cellular
communication and some basic level of detection on our
roadways. Develop projects that are more multi-State in nature.
Travelers do not care about jurisdictional boundaries. What
they want is information on multi-State opportunities. Create a
rural model deployment initiative that while similar to the
metropolitan initiative, but make it on multi-State basis;
identify tourism opportunities, given that tourism means jobs
in rural America. It's the economic engine. Work closer with
tourism organizations.
In closing, while there are isolated success stories that
can be highlighted, there are still many challenges yet to be
addressed. In keeping with the rural spirit, the subcommittee
and the U.S. Department of Transportation have the opportunity
to become pioneers in making a renewed commitment to rural ITS.
As we like to say in the West, our forefathers are pioneers,
not settlers.
Senator Reid. Mr. Albert, the point is that the people that
are injured and killed on rural highways are not necessarily
people who live in rural America.
Mr. Albert. That's correct, especially when you look at
truckers.
Senator Reid. I think that's a point we have to make. So
improving the Intelligent Transportation Systems in rural
America helps us all, not just those who live in rural America.
You had something more you wanted to say, Martin?
Mr. Manning. I just had some observations, Senator Reid,
and that is that we wanted to be able to express our
appreciation for the direct help that you've provided us for
our Smart Bus program.
Senator Reid. Don't be spreading all that stuff around
here, you know, all the stuff I've----
Mr. Manning. In addition Senator, you'll be happy to know
that the bus rapid transit demonstration now has five CIVUS
buses under order.
Senator Reid. You see, what you need to do is tell
everybody that's at home, but not back here.
Mr. Manning. OK.
Senator Reid. I'm only kidding.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Manning. These are really kind of wonderful because it
gives us an opportunity to have transit vehicles that have a
very good chance with some preemption of signals of being able
to go down an advanced guidance system and to be able to
preempt signals and actually deliver people to the places that
they want to go before vehicular traffic does. They have the
capacity of carrying as many as 178 people.
Then finally, I wanted to thank you personally for the very
successful transportation summit that you sponsored. We
appreciated very much the opportunity of joining with other
officials to be able to address the question of transportation
needs and priorities in the Silver State. We appreciate the
leadership that you really demonstrated in putting that
together.
Senator Reid. We have all that it takes to be a poster
person, community for problems that develop with mass--I
shouldn't say ``mass''--with rapid growth. We've had so much
growth there, and Clark County's done a remarkable job paying
money without any Federal help doing a lot of roadbuilding on
their own. So I think it's the least the Federal Government can
do is to try to help with some new innovations for rapidly
growing Clark County.
So thank you very much for representing your association,
but also representing Clark County here today.
Mr. Beall, you've painted a good picture, as I've said, but
where do you go from where we now are? What's next?
Mr. Beall. Well, I think, like you said earlier, we're in
a----
Senator Reid. I also want to say this, you're the first
elected official we've had here today. You're elected to the
position you hold.
Mr. Beall. Twenty years now.
Senator Reid. So we're proud that you're doing such a good
job as an elected official, and they had the confidence to send
you here to represent this important entity that you represent.
Mr. Beall. Well, the one thing I wanted to respond to you
by is, we have to get in the operational phase now. There has
been a lot of challenges in terms of development, and now we're
getting into operational. So that's what we're doing right now.
I wanted to add also regarding fast-growing areas, the
Silicon Valley had been growing fast and it still is, really,
in terms of the traffic congestion and the traffic. Despite
what people see in the economy, we're still growing. This kind
of stuff is quick. It gets done fast and it responds to that
fast-growing economy. So one of the aspects of the Intelligent
Transportation System programs is you can do it quick. You can
get some if the stuff done quickly and it can expand your
traffic system's capacity to respond to those quick-growing
economies that are out there in our country. I think that's
something to consider when you look at this at a national
level. That was very important to us. It really saved us in a
lot of areas.
Senator Reid. I have to be at the Senate floor by 5
o'clock, but here's a question that I have. There has been
testimony, and others have talked about the fact that ITS
deployment funds since 1998 when we started the program,
really, have been earmarked by Appropriations Committee, rather
than giving discretion to the Department of Transportation. Do
any of you have any problems with any of these earmarks? Have
they caused any problems or have they delayed or impaired
deployment of other Intelligent Transportation Systems that any
of the three of you are aware of?
Mr. Beall. I don't believe we've had an earmark.
Senator Reid. OK. You know of no reason the earmarks have
interfered with any of the work you're doing?
Mr. Beall. No, sir.
Mr. Albert. Senator Reid.
Senator Reid. Yes?
Mr. Albert. I've been a receiver of those earmarks, so let
me try to respond. Many of the earmarks that we have gotten
either in working with Senator Burns or Senator Baucus have
been to deploy solutions in rural America. It hasn't, from a
University standpoint, it hasn't been just to produce reports.
About 70 percent of the funds that we have actually secured
have gone to putting something in the ground, whether those be
electronic kiosks and rest areas or an AVI system in
Yellowstone National Park, or traveler information.
But the reason that we have been doing earmarks is because
there was no rural funding. We could not get it, so that we had
to use political constituents. I don't know what percent of
those earmarks were actually rural.
Senator Reid. Well, I want to express my appreciation for
the committee for your testimony here today. I am anxious to
put together the bill next week. In fact, I'm meeting with
Senator Moynihan this Friday to get his views. He has done so
much for transportation in this country, and get his views as
to what we should do. I'm happy to be able to report to him on
what has transpired at this hearing.
This hearing stands in adjournment.
[Whereupon, at 4:47 p.m. the hearing was adjourned.]
[Additional statements submitted for the record follow:]
Statement of Christine Johnson, Director, Intelligent Transporation
Systems Joint Program Office
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to discuss some of the
challenges that face our Nation's transportation system and the role of
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in meeting these challenges.
As Secretary Mineta has said, transportation is key to our Nation's
well-being, whether measured as economic growth, as international
competitiveness, or as quality of life. On the whole, our system of
highways and bridges works well in maintaining the strong economic
performance of the country, and a recent Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) survey of surface transportation customers shows increasing
levels of satisfaction with the physical condition of our
infrastructure.
However, the same survey shows traffic congestion and highway
safety are growing concerns for the traveling public. The survey also
reveals that the public is reluctant to turn to capacity expansion as a
first alternative to alleviate congestion because of the costs in
taxes, environmental impacts, and space. Survey respondents favored
solutions that minimize delays associated with roadwork and make our
existing system function better--operational solutions, many of which
are underpinned by ITS infrastructure. Through application of modern
information technology and communications, ITS can improve the quality,
safety, and effective capacity of our existing infrastructure. While
good operation does not replace construction, it can certainly enhance
it.
ITS PROGRAM UNDER TEA-21
With the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA-21), Congress reaffirmed the role of the U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT) in development and integrated deployment of ITS
technologies. Authorization of $1.3 billion through Fiscal Year 2003
has made possible significant advances in the ITS program, and I would
like to highlight some of the accomplishments.
The ITS Program under TEA-21 has four primary features: (1)
research and development funding providing for significant research;
(2) incentive grants to States and cities to foster integrated ITS
deployment; (3) a requirement that all ITS projects carried out using
Federal-aid highway trust funds use nationally established ITS
standards and be consistent with a national architecture; and finally,
(4) in an attempt to ``mainstream'' ITS into regular transportation
investments, TEA-21 makes clear that many categories of Federal-aid
highway funds can be used for the purchase and operation of ITS
technology. In my testimony today, I would like to provide a status
report on each of these areas.
ITS Research and Development
Let me begin by discussing our research and development efforts.
TEA-21 authorized a total of $603 million in ITS research and
development funds for fiscal years 1998-2003. For fiscal years 1998-
2001, after specific statutory reductions, $342 million have been made
available in approximately the following proportions:
60 percent for research and field tests; 14 percent for development
of standards and maintenance of the National Architecture; 9 percent
for training and technical assistance to States, local governments, and
transit properties; 7 percent for evaluation; and 10 percent to provide
technical support for the administration of the program.
These resources have been used to advance the state-of-the-art in
ITS through research and development, demonstrate new technologies
through operational tests, promote integration through the National ITS
Architecture and ITS Standards, and foster deployment by providing
technical assistance and training to State and local governments.
ITS research and development is a very complex program that is
roughly equivalent in size to FHWA's Surface Transportation Research
Program. I would like to highlight some of the major initiatives that
are underway in the ITS research and development program as a result of
TEA-21.
Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI)
The IVI is focused on reducing motor vehicle crashes by enhancing
driver performance through technology while, at the same time,
mitigating the distracting impacts that the introduction of vehicle-
based technology can have on the driver. This is a multi-modal effort
within the Department, carried out by the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) on transit buses, by the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) which has the lead and works with the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on trucks and
motor coaches, and in FHWA on specialty vehicles like snow plows. The
majority of the program, however, is focused on passenger vehicles and
is carried out primarily by NHTSA. Our research indicates that, when
fully deployed, approximately 1.1 million or about 17 percent of all
passenger vehicle crashes could be prevented using three of the simpler
warning systems--rear-end collision, road departure, and lane collision
warning systems. This would represent a savings of about $20 billion in
annual economic costs due to automobile crashes. In order to seek a
full range of views on IVI program priorities and directions from major
stakeholders and the scientific community, we have asked a panel of
experts from the National Academy of Sciences to provide periodic
guidance and assessment of the work underway.
Early IVI research has already contributed to the emergence of a
number of vehicle-based safety systems that are available in the U.S.
market today, including rear-end collision and rollover warning for
heavy trucks, night vision systems for passenger cars, and adaptive
cruise control and lane departure warning for both cars and heavy
trucks. However, recognizing that these technologies, in combination
with other in-vehicle devices, can have a distracting influence on the
driver, decreasing safety rather than improving it, we are also
conducting research on driver distraction, independently and in
cooperation with automobile manufacturers and others. In addition, we
are advancing concepts which enhance communication between the vehicle
and roadway infrastructure to address problem areas such as
intersection and run-off-the-road crashes.
Intelligent Infrastructure
Metropolitan and Rural Operational Test Program. Under the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), the
ITS program funded over 80 operational tests that demonstrated the
effectiveness of numerous advanced traffic management technologies that
have become a part of the deployment program. Through focusing
resources on a priority set of field operational tests under TEA-21, we
are greatly widening the original vision of ITS. For example, we are
working closely with:
The Department of the Interior, to examine the potential of ITS for
reducing congestion in National Parks; Police, fire and emergency
medical service (EMS) communities, to implement use of ITS for quicker
identification of crashes and improved coordination of the emergency
response; The National Weather Service, to obtain better surface
weather information for winter maintenance and to better inform
travelers during major weather evacuations; Highway agencies interested
in applying variable speed limits within work zones as a way to
increase the safety and reduce overall delays in construction areas;
and Local communities, to examine ways ITS can be used to improve the
safety of pedestrians.
Commercial Vehicle Operations. The goal of this program is to
improve the safety and productivity of commercial vehicle operations by
using electronic clearance of trucks through weigh stations, using e-
government technology to streamline the credentialing process and, most
importantly, by making carrier safety information available to
inspectors at the roadside.
The program also has great potential for streamlining border
crossings. Work is underway in more than 40 States to plan, design, and
implement these technologies. Complete systems are in place in four
States, with three more States scheduled for completion by the end of
this year.
Support for Deployment. Deploying ITS at the State and local levels
requires a change in transportation culture and the development of new
skills among the staff. It requires a shift in thinking, from primarily
construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure, to active management
of the transportation system to assure smooth operation and maximum
safety. It requires a broadening of the traditional civil engineering
skill base to include systems engineering, computer science, and
electrical engineering. To meet these challenges, we have implemented
an aggressive training and workshop program for Federal, State, and
local transit, public safety, and highway officials. Topics being
addressed range from architecture and systems engineering, to
communications design and software procurement. We currently offer over
25 training courses in various aspects of ITS planning, development,
deployment, and operations. Our course on the National ITS Architecture
has been provided to over 2,600 Federal, State, and local officials and
consultants. In addition, we have also provided extensive technical
assistance to States and local governments through our field and
headquarters staff, and through a peer-to-peer technical assistance
program. One of the most effective programs involves ITS scanning tours
for local officials which allow them to see ITS deployments and talk
directly to other officials on why the decision was made to deploy ITS.
Intelligent Railroad Systems. The Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) and the FTA are working together on the development of
Intelligent Railroad Systems, a subset of ITS. Intelligent Railroad
Systems will incorporate new sensor, computer, and digital
communications technologies into train control, braking systems, grade
crossings, and defect detection, and into planning and scheduling
systems as well, and will apply to freight, intercity passenger, and
commuter railroads. Work has begun on the development of the
architecture for Intelligent Railroad Systems.
ITS Deployment Incentives Program
The second major provision for ITS in TEA-21 is the Deployment
Incentives Program. TEA-21 provided $679 million in Deployment
Incentives funds. These funds serve as a bridge between the research
program and, ultimately, the mainstreaming of ITS. A particular focus
was integrating legacy, or pre-existing, systems. The belief was that,
while the States could purchase hardware with non-ITS Federal-aid
highway funds, a Federal incentive was needed to encourage them to go
the ``extra mile'' in making systems talk to one another. An additional
objective of the program is to advance the deployment of the Commercial
Vehicle Information Systems and Network (CVISN). In fact, Congress set
a goal to have a majority of the States deploy CVISN by September 30,
2003.
The ITS Deployment Incentives Program has been fully earmarked by
the Appropriations Committees each year since 1998. These earmarks have
directed the funds to specific State and local jurisdictions, but have
also specifically required that the funds be used in accordance with
the provisions contained in TEA-21. As the attached chart reveals, the
number of projects relative to available dollars has been steadily
increasing. While the Department believes that the program would be
most effective if the funds were competitively awarded, we have worked
closely with the recipients to ensure that the funds are being used to
advance the goals of TEA-21. However, because of the earmarking, it is
doubtful that we will meet the congressional goal of CVISN in a
majority of the States by the end of 2003.
A mid-term assessment of the Deployment Incentives Program
conducted by the Department in 2000 showed that this program was
fostering deployment and integration across almost all of the key
elements of ITS infrastructure.
National ITS Architecture and Standards
Architecture Conformity
The third focus of the ITS program in TEA-21 is on the National ITS
Architecture and Standards. TEA-21 included a provision that all ITS
projects funded out of the Highway Trust Fund had to conform with the
National Architecture. The goal was to foster integration and
interoperability.
We have worked closely with our State and local partners to develop
an approach for implementing this requirement that would give States
and metropolitan areas freedom to develop their own architectures, that
fit their unique needs, but with key elements compatible with the
National Architecture. By taking this approach--that ``one size does
not fit all''--we have received broad support from the transportation
community on the National Architecture requirement.
We are now in the process of rolling out an aggressive program of
training, workshops, and direct technical assistance to highway,
transit, and public safety agencies to help them develop architectures.
In addition, there are comprehensive workshops for States to develop
their own CVISN architecture based on the National Architecture and
Standards. To date, approximately 100 State, regional, or project
architectures are underway and 34 States have completed CVISN
architecture.
Thirteen regions have completed architectures.
Standards
TEA-21 calls on the Department to develop and implement standards
on a very aggressive schedule. It then requires recipients of funds to
use these standards when purchasing ITS technology.
We have partnered with industry standards-setting groups for
development of more than 80 standards. The Secretary of Transportation
has identified 18 ITS standards to be critical to national
interoperability. To date, nearly 55 standards have been completed and
all but two of the standards that are critical for national
interoperability have been completed. Work is also progressing on the
development of ITS standards at highway-rail intersections.
We are now shifting our attention to the implementation of these
standards. Working with State and local governments we are testing the
standards, using the ITS Deployment Incentives program to provide early
field demonstrations of the standards, and working through our field
staff to provide training and technical assistance in the procurement
and use of the standards. We believe this is a critical step before we
officially adopt these standards, in order to insure that they are
robust and well accepted by users.
Mainstreaming
The last ITS element in TEA-21 that I would like to address is
``mainstreaming'' and, in doing so, answer a few questions that I know
surround the program. Why isn't ITS deployment more visible? Is it
working? Why don't we see more of it? And, can't we do better than
overhead message signs that say ``Congestion Ahead''?
TEA-21 clarified that non-ITS Federal-aid highway funding sources
(National Highway System (NHS), Surface Transportation Program (STP),
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ)) could be used to
purchase and operate ITS infrastructure. As we look across the United
States, we see many encouraging signs that ITS Deployment is happening:
More than 40 States are planning, designing, or deploying a part of
CVISN; 55 of our 75 largest metropolitan areas have begun significant
deployment of ITS; nearly 70 percent of all toll facilities use
electronic toll collection; more than 50 traffic control centers are in
operation and many more are planned; more than 31 percent of fixed-
route buses in our larger metropolitan areas are equipped with
automatic vehicle location technologies; and more than one million
vehicles are equipped with automatic crash notification. More than 700
traveler information websites have been created (over 500 exclusively
transit sites, nearly 200 exclusively traffic sites, and several
multimodal sites); and now, with the allocation of the 511 telephone
number, traveler information will soon be a telephone call away. The
first 511 call took place in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
metropolitan area in June of this year, and work is underway to
implement 511 in Virginia, Arizona, California, Nebraska, Minnesota,
and Utah.
These deployments are making a difference in reducing crashes,
managing congestion, and improving the quality of life in communities.
For example:
A study in Virginia illustrated that if ITS had NOT been deployed
on I-66, congestion would have been 25 percent worse!
The Ramp Metering Test in Minneapolis demonstrated that ramp
metering improved freeway travel time 22 percent, reduced crashes 24
percent, and improved freeway throughput 14 percent.
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) reduced paratransit expenses in
San Jose, California, from $4.88 to $3.72 per passenger.
Evaluations of adaptive traffic signal control systems have
demonstrated reduction in delays of 14 percent to 44 percent, and a
similar reduction in stops of 10 percent to 41 percent.
Studies in 3 cities (Los Angeles, Rochester, and Phoenix) showed
that pedestrian detection devices that automatically activate traffic
and crosswalk signals at intersections reduced pedestrian and vehicle
safety conflicts by 40 percent for some types of conflicts to as much
as 89 percent for certain others.
In a study of 40,000 inspections, safety inspectors increased the
number of unsafe commercial drivers and vehicles removed from the
highway from 8,000 to 12,000 by using advanced safety information
systems instead of traditional methods.
Further, as President Bush's energy policy recognizes, in reducing
congestion ITS is a valuable strategy for fuel conservation.
Every year we catalog results of the studies on ITS deployment in
an annual report on ITS benefits.
While we are encouraged by these examples of deployment, and the
benefits they have demonstrated, there are very few places where a
complete metropolitan system could be considered to be in place, let
alone a Statewide or National system. One recent estimate suggested
that over the last decade we have moved from about 6 percent of our
major metropolitan systems being instrumented to about 22 percent
today. Not bad, but a long way from complete! Hence, we still face
``Congestion Ahead'' signs, as opposed to signs that give us detailed
information on travel times and alternate routes--as they do in Paris.
Although ITS solutions are eligible for most Federal-aid funding
categories, these projects are competing with traditional construction
needs for the available funds. This may negate the effectiveness of the
TEA-21 provisions making non-ITS funds available and may be slowing
deployment. FHWA is conducting interviews and surveys to determine if
this is a valid assessment.
Our experience suggests that some of the issues may be deeper than
money. The institutions that we have today, particularly at the State
level, were organized around constructing projects or enforcing the
law. Those missions are quite different from the mission of managing or
operating a road system to a particular performance level.
Historically, adding capacity was the solution to congestion issues.
Today, however, we need to focus more broadly on how to improve safety,
productivity, and the operations of the specific highway and of the
transportation system through ITS techniques.
For example, we have begun to realize that no institution ``owns''
the congestion or safety problem at the local level or State level, and
no institution has the right players around the table such that they
could be accountable for the daily performance of the system. The
exception is the rare occasion when a major special event, such as the
Olympic Games, comes to town. Except for those special events, no
institution has enough of a stake in the performance of the system on a
daily basis to insist on developing the electronic network that would
enable the effective operation of the system.
And so, deployment is occurring at the margins, as budgets or
earmarks permit, or major special events demand.
THE ROAD AHEAD
In many ways, the nationwide deployment of ITS mirrors the creation
of the Interstate System, both in its potential for profoundly changing
the delivery of transportation in the United States and in the
magnitude of the challenge in getting it accomplished.
If we are going to move from spots of deployment to a full
``electronic'' national system of smart vehicles and smart roadways for
safety, savings, and productivity, it will require the same type of
programmatic commitment and institution building that we undertook for
the Interstate system in the 1960's and 1970's. It will require us to
do more than try to fit ITS into existing funding mechanisms, Federal
regulations, and a transportation culture that has been created around
a construction mission. It will require us to step back and think as
boldly and as creatively as our predecessors did when they created the
blueprint for the Interstate System.
As we begin to look toward the reauthorization of the surface
transportation program, it will be important to consider what needs to
be done to create an environment where we have the funding,
institutions, and policies that will support the achievement of this
vision.
In closing, thank you again for this opportunity to describe the
status of the ITS program. I would be pleased to respond to any
questions you might have.
CHART
ITS Deployment Program
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding
Available (In
Fiscal Year No. of Projects millions of
dollars)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998................................ 44 83.9
1999................................ 71 92.7
2000................................ 79 98.4
2001................................ 96 103.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Statement of Elwyn Tinklenberg, Commissioner, Minnesota Department
of Transportation
INTRODUCTION
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, my name is Elwyn
Tinklenberg. I am Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of
Transportation and Chair of the Advanced Transportation Systems
Subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO). I am here today to testify on behalf
of AASHTO, and want to thank you for your leadership in holding this
oversight hearing to review the Nation's progress in deploying
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for the benefit of the
Nation's travelers.
The Intermodal Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and
the Transportation Equity Act of 1996 (TEA-21) clearly established a
national direction for the transportation community to develop and
employ new technology to modernize the Nation's transportation system,
improve customer service, make it safer to use and to improve the
quality of life for the Nation.
I am pleased to report that based on our 10 years of effort the
surface transportation community has responded, in ways never
anticipated and to levels never expected. However, the transformation
is not yet complete. The foundation has been set and the best is yet to
come. ITS has made pervasive inroads in many areas from metropolitan to
rural America, improving safety, weather and traveler information,
vehicle design and safety, driver protection and customer service. We
have successfully begun transferring technology from NASA and the
Defense Industries to the transportation arena. New partnerships never
before envisioned have become a way of doing business for the public
and private sector and we are establishing the needed foundation for
interoperability through a national architecture and nationally
consistent standards. And it is making it possible for government to
operate differently through new organizational arrangements, better
consistency and effectiveness of service, and stretching the use of the
system.
Today we want to focus on what we have done, the benefits that have
accrued to the Nation, showcase what we believe to be a true surface
transportation success story, and offer some thoughts for the future.
the need for intelligent transportation systems tools and approaches.
The 2000 Census reinforced, with regard to the transportation
capacity, that this country cannot rely solely on building new capacity
to keep up with population growth. The U.S. population grew by 32
million this last decade: California by 4.1 million, Texas by 3.8
million, Florida by 3 million, five Western and Southern States by one
million or more, and 14 additional States by from 500,000 to one
million.
Vehicle miles of travel (VMT) have been growing twice as fast as
our population. We believe that the leveling off of VMT that we have
seen over the past year is not likely to continue very long into the
future, and growth in VMT will resume. Freight has been growing even
faster than VMT. Freight is expected to more than double in volume over
the next 20 years, and it is anticipated that 82 percent of those
shipments will travel over the roads.
Over the last 40 years, the U.S. population grew by 100 million and
is expected to grow by an additional 100 million the next 40. From the
1960s through the 1990s, the United States built the 47,000-mile
Interstate Highway System, and more than 200,000 miles of additional
arterials. This network provides the mobility that has made the modern
American economy possible. Our productivity and competitiveness depend
on it.
The strategy for the last forty years was to build the highways
that were needed for the prospering economy. However, most of that
construction occurred during the first half of the period. From 1956 to
1979 total highway system lane miles increased by 1.1 million miles.
From 1980 to 1999, the increase was less than one-third of that--only
300,000 miles were added to the system. The fact that we have
congestion is not surprising.
There is a crisis of capacity--on the highways, on buses, in the
air, and on trains. What we need now is a vision of how to sustain and
then enhance our mobility for the next 40 years. And that vision must
recognize that we need to use new tools and technologies to improve
safety, while adding needed new capacity.
Technology holds the promise of improving traffic throughput by 15
percent or more in major urban corridors facing severe congestion. This
includes, for example, better traveler information through 511 systems,
incident management to clear accidents and assist stranded motorists,
advanced traffic management centers, electronic toll systems and
electronic clearance system for commercial trucking.
Of course, increasing transit must also be part of the strategy to
help add capacity and reduce congestion. In 1999, transit ridership
reached 9 billion for the first time since 1960. That is good news for
highway and State departments of transportation have a stake in seeing
it increase still more. Doubling transit ridership over the next 10
years would be an ambitious goal. In some of the most transit-oriented
regions, that would increase transit's share of trips to as much as 20
percent. In most other areas, a doubling would mean increasing the
percentage of trips made by transit from 2 percent to 5 percent.
Increasing transit ridership is a vital part of the solution, but
investment in transit alone cannot solve the capacity problem. Overall,
doubling transit ridership would, at best, meet 10 percent of travel
demand, leaving a substantial gap in the capacity needs for the
remainder of passenger trips and all of freight.
Even if we can achieve the ambitious goal of meeting a total of 25
percent of demand through increasing transit and through technology
deployment and improved operations, the remaining 75 percent
realistically can only to be met by building additional capacity. New
capacity--to remove bottlenecks, improve intermodal connections and
ease congestion--will be needed throughout the country. It will be
needed in areas in the Midwest and East with moderate population
growth, but significantly increased traffic. It will be absolutely
essential in the areas of the South and West facing rapid growth.
THE PROMISE OF TECHNOLOGY BEING FULFILLED
I am proud of what we have accomplished in my State of Minnesota.
Minnesota has a broad range of ITS technologies deployed, planned, or
being tested and evaluated. Let me mention a few:
<bullet> Statewide Road/Weather Information System (RWIS)--86
stations statewide provide real-time pavement and atmospheric data and
forecasts.
<bullet> 511--In November of this year wireless callers will be
connected to the statewide road/weather information service. Future
efforts will include transit and traffic conditions.
<bullet> Statewide system of transportation operation and
communication centers including computer-assisted dispatching, mobile
data terminals and automatic vehicle location for the MN State patrol.
<bullet> Adaptive signal systems integrated with regional ramp
metering in the Twin Cities. The ramp metering systems have improved
freeway travel time 22 percent, reduced crashes by 24 percent, and
improved freeway throughput by 14 percent.
<bullet> Automated scheduling of transit Federal technical
assistance and special deployment funding along with a skilled
workforce and leadership in Minnesota helped to shape the success we
have achieved.
Since 1994, when the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) ITS
Joint Program Office in conjunction with AASHTO and ITS America began
tracking and evaluating the deployment of ITS technologies and
documenting their benefits, a clear pattern has begun to emerge.
As of the year 2000 for the seventy-five largest urban areas in the
country the following has occurred in deployment: twenty-four cities
have a high level of integrated ITS tools, 22 percent of freeway miles
have real time data collection technologies, 73 percent of toll
collection lanes have electronic toll collection capability, 31 percent
of fixed route transit facilities have automatic vehicle location
technology and 49 percent of signalized intersections are under
centralized or closed loop control.
The ITS technologies, tools and practices being deployed across the
country have seven major focus areas: Metropolitan, Rural, Transit,
Commercial Vehicle Operations, Intelligent Vehicle Initiatives,
Standards Development and Partnerships. Metropolitan deployments have
concentrated on freeway and arterial management, incident and emergency
response, electronic toll collection and payment, transit system
management, and regional multimodal traveler information. In the rural
environment deployments are focusing on crash prevention and security,
emergency services, travel and tourism services, traffic management,
road weather information, transit, and operations and maintenance. The
transit initiatives include automatic vehicle location and dispatching,
security, and record keeping systems. The commercial vehicle focus is
on safety assurance, credential administration, electronic screening
and operations. Intelligent vehicle initiatives dealing with driver
assistance services and employing improved technology in snow and ice
control fleets and public safety operations. We also put in place
standards for the tools and software that are needed and facilitated
new public/private partnerships and public/public partnerships.
Some Highlights of the Benefits of Deployments in Metropolitan Areas
<bullet> Some of the most impressive benefits of the ITS Program in
the first generation have been realized in the major metropolitan areas
across the country. From arterial and freeway management to emergency
and incident response to electronic toll collection to better traveler
information these technology deployments are improving safety, reducing
trip delay/improving trip reliability, and reducing costs to the
transportation user.
<bullet> Dynamic message signs have been deployed in virtually all
major metropolitan areas to improve driver information on major
freeways.
<bullet> Automated enforcement of traffic signals has reduced
violations from 20 percent to 75 percent.
<bullet> Adaptive Signal Controls have reduced traffic delay from
14 percent to 44 percent, while reducing fuel consumption anywhere from
2 percent to 13 percent, and reducing stops from 10 percent to 41
percent.
<bullet> Ramp metering has shown 15 percent to 50 percent reduction
in crashes. Recent studies have shown a 16 percent increase in
throughput with an 8 percent to 60 percent increase in speeds on
freeways.
<bullet> 360 agencies across the country have installed signal
preemption systems for emergency vehicles improving emergency response
times to life threatening events.
<bullet> Incident management systems installed across the country
are estimated to be reducing travel delay from 95,000 to 2 million
hours per year.
<bullet> Electronic Toll Collection systems like E-Zpass have
reduced staffing at toll collection booths by up to 43 percent, money
handling by almost 10 percent, and toll road maintenance cost by 15
percent. In addition, travelers have been able to adjust their starting
times by up to 20 percent. These systems are also contributing to the
reduction of Carbon Monoxide (8 percent), and Hydrocarbons (7 percent)
in metropolitan areas.
Some Highlights of the Benefits of ITS Deployments in Rural Areas
Rural activity has focused around improving emergency response/
services, traveler information, road/weather information, operations
and management, and developing partnerships between State and local
agencies.
Road/weather information systems have been implemented in almost
half of the States. The information is being used to better utilize
snow and ice operations and provide traveler information prior to and
during winter operations.
New technologies are being used to allow improved tracking of
snowplows and technology to allow snowplow operators to see the road
even in the worst of conditions.
Highway-rail grade crossings have been made safer through the use
of new technologies.
95 percent of drivers equipped with Mayday/Onstar type systems
reported feeling more secure.
Some Highlights of the Benefits of ITS Deployments in Transit Systems
In continuing surveys of over 500 transit systems across the
country we find deployment of ITS technologies have focused on
automatic vehicle location (AVL), operations and scheduling software
programs, automated dispatching, use of mobile data terminals in buses,
security systems within buses, and pre-trip passenger information.
These transit systems are representative of both metropolitan and rural
systems.
AVL, a basic building block for ITS applications in for transit
systems, is used by dispatchers, vehicle operators, schedulers,
planners, maintenance staff, supervisors, and customers. It has been
deployed in a variety of areas across the country. Where deployed, AVL
has improved in schedule adherence ranging from 12.5 percent to 90
percent.
Customer complaints are reduced by up to 26 percent with the
installation of computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) and AVL systems.
Silent Alarm systems have supported a 33 percent reduction in passenger
assaults where deployed.
Software that assists scheduling, dispatching, record keeping and
billing have reduced agency-operating costs by up to 8.5 percent per
vehicle mile.
Some Highlights of the Benefits to Commercial Vehicle Operation
Three main technology areas are designed for commercial vehicle
operations (CVO) applications are safety information exchange,
electronic screening and electronic credentialing.
As of 1999, 84 percent of the States were using Aspen, a software
system that facilitates recording and processing of inspection data and
provides historical information on the safety performance of motor
carriers.
Nearly 7000 motor carrier fleets nationwide are participating in
such electronic screening programs as Pre-Pass or NORPASS, which is
saving operators significant time in bypassing of inspection and weigh
stations.
Some Highlights of the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI)
Research and development activities underway with industry are
heavily focused at the potential safety benefits of IVI.
Given that approximately one-third of fatalities are related to
run-off-the-road and one-fourth with intersections, the following
activities will truly help reduce fatalities in the future.
<bullet> Road Departure Crash Warning--An operational test for a
system that can warn a driver when they are about to drift off the
road, or are traveling too fast for an upcoming curve.
<bullet> Intersection Collision Avoidance System--The Intersection
Collision Avoidance System is designed to provide a driver with
warnings of an impending crash or potential hazards at intersections.
<bullet> ``Rollover Stability Advisor'' to address large truck
rollovers.
<bullet> An operational test of large trucks equipped with a
collision warning system and an advanced braking system.
<bullet> An operational test of an infrastructure-assisted hazard
warning system for commercial vehicles.
<bullet> An operational test of a fleet of snowplows equipped with
collision warning and lateral guidance.
<bullet> Adaptive Cruise Control--Automatic ``headway keeping'' to
maintain safe space between vehicles and warn drivers if following too
closely.
Some Highlights of ITS Standards Deployment
ITS standards are the means by which the agencies and industry
ensure that the tools and technologies being deployed are adaptable and
interoperable over time.
We are pleased to report that the ITS standards development
partnership with the several organizations has been very successful.
The Federal, State, local and private sector partnership has:
<bullet> Developed over 50 key ITS standards.
<bullet> Balloted and approved by AASHTO 24 ITS standards and will
be balloting another 23 within the next 3 years.
<bullet> Supported training in the application of key ITS
standards, encouraged State departments of transportation to deploy ITS
technologies using the new ITS standards, conducted case studies of the
applications of ITS technologies to share with others, and produced a
series of guide documents to assist with the application of the
standards.
<bullet> Given special attention to the deployment of actuated
signal systems, dynamic message signs, traffic management center-to-
center communications, incident management, and road weather
information systems.
As widely understood in the computer and communications world, the
technology is changing so rapidly that standards developed today are
soon obsolete or in great need of revision and enhancement. Thus it is
important that the partnerships with FHWA, the Institute of
Transportation Engineers (ITE), the National Electrical Manufacturers
Associations (NEMA) and others be maintained and that funding to
support the development and enhancement of standards for evolving
technologies continue.
PARTNERSHIPS CREATED THROUGH ITS RESEARCH AND DEPLOYMENT
One of the exciting benefits of the research, testing and
deployment of new ITS technologies has been the unique partnerships
that have been formed over the last 10 years. Federal, State and local
governments have found that ITS technologies have created an
environment in which new sharing opportunities can be realized.
Associations like ITS America, ITE, NEMA, American Public Works
Association (APWA), American Public Transportation Association (APTA),
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) and others
have come together to ensure consistent public agency and industry
communication and development of guidelines, input to national
directions, and provision of new services to the public. Examples
include:
<bullet> Transportation operations and management centers are
springing up all over the country. These operations/communications
centers feature unique partnerships between State and local agencies,
law enforcement and public safety agencies and in some cases transit
operations. The foundation of these partnerships is the need for common
information which is enabled by the shared technology tools needed by
all agencies, such as automatic vehicle location (AVL), CAD and joint
operations in responding to incidents and emergencies and in providing
traffic conditions reporting via the Internet through other means.
<bullet> National partnerships have been formed between AASHTO, ITS
America, APTA, AMPO, Cellular phone associations, FHWA and others to
guide the uniform deployment of the new national traveler information
phone number 511.
<bullet> Jointly sponsored national and international conferences
to share and advance the State of the use of ITS technologies.
<bullet> Partnerships that have been formed to develop and maintain
the standards that provide the unifying operations between public and
private sector partners.
<bullet> Numerous public/private partnerships have been implemented
as ITS systems and technologies have been researched and deployed
throughout the country.
<bullet> Unique partnerships that have been formed between Federal
and State agencies, national associations and the higher education
community to cooperatively pursue ongoing research and testing of new
technologies and educational programs to mainstream ITS into use
throughout the Nation.
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
While much has been accomplished, the work is not done. The
transportation community is now just beginning to realize the full
potential of the ITS tools and technologies from the first 10 years of
research, testing and deployment. These are truly exciting times in
technology deployment. ITS is worldwide in its scope, long-term in its
impact and commitment, and opening the opportunity for us to truly
manage and operate our transportation systems in concert and make the
customer experience seamless. We have turned the corner and ITS has now
become pervasive and unseen in our society. The opportunities we face
in the next generation of work in ITS include:
<bullet> Integrating systems through ensuring that our standards
are open, flexible and easy to use. We must make sure that we do not
build barriers to deployment of the next generation of advanced
systems.
<bullet> Creating partnership opportunities among public
organizations at Federal, State and local levels to ensure that we
realize the full potential of ITS tools. ITS requires that the public
and private sectors cooperate at a level not previously required. This
will require reform of rules affecting the relationship between
government and private sector providers.
<bullet> Institutionalizing an operations approach to managing our
transportation systems. To optimize efficiency, organizations must now
institutionalize these tools and commit to providing services in ways
that are customer focused.
<bullet> Continuing the Federal research and operational testing of
the technologies that are emerging for new and better ways of providing
customer service and different ways of doing the transportation
business. We will need continued efforts on better system integration
tools, improved data collection and vehicle monitoring technologies,
advanced transportation system management technologies, intelligent
vehicle initiatives--with a strong emphasis on crash avoidance,
integrated user information systems, and human factors.
<bullet> Continue strong Federal funding for educating and training
a differently skilled transportation professional and then integrating
them into transportation organizations.
<bullet> Continue Federal support for continually monitoring and
updating the scores of technical standards as technology changes and as
deployment experiences suggest modifications to the standards.
<bullet> Focusing on achieving public awareness and political
support to more clearly articulate how ITS is contributing to safety
and quality of life, while offering them true choices in how their
travel time is most productively spent.
<bullet> Recognizing that the traveler is truly a customer with
varying individual requirements. ITS can make it possible for the
customer to expand their options and pattern their transportation
options to fit their life styles.
<bullet> Committing the necessary resources to deployment of ITS
technologies by Federal, State and local governments and the private
sector. This includes continuing the special Federal funding for
deployment.
<bullet> Simplifying ITS project approvals through possible changes
to administrative regulatory and statutory requirements.
We are at the end of the beginning. We must now finish the journey.
We must now reach to create integrated and market driven systems that
cause us to work together in new and different ways to improve the
operation of our systems, and to improve safety and our quality of
life.
Statement of Lawrence Yermack, Chairman, Board of Directors,
Intelligent Transportation Society of America
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Chairman Reid, Ranking Member Inhofe and Members of the Committee,
thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Intelligent Transportation
Systems program with you today--systems that are saving lives, time,
and money, and improving the quality of life for all Americans. My name
is Lawrence Yermack; I am the Chairman of the Board of the Intelligent
Transportation Society of America (ITS America). ITS America is a non-
profit 501(c)(3) organization, with over 600 members, including State
departments of transportation, associations, non-profits, universities,
and private companies. These member organizations represent some 60,000
individuals involved in intelligent transportation programs around the
world. ITS America also serves as a utilized Federal Advisory Committee
to the U.S. Department of Transportation, rendering programmatic advice
to the U.S. DOT on issues of research, development, and deployment of
ITS technologies.
Since its founding in 1990, ITS America has been, and continues to
be, the only public-private partnership focused exclusively on
fostering the use of advanced technologies in today's surface
transportation systems. ITS America first received modest Federal
funding under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
(ISTEA) of 1991 (P.L. 102-240, Dec. 19, 1991). Since 1991, the national
ITS program has pursued research, technology development, and field-
testing of ITS technologies, and has promoted the deployment of ITS
applications.
In addition to serving as the volunteer Chairman of ITS America, I
am the President of PB Farradyne, Parson Brinckerhoff's intelligent
transportation systems company, responsible for the financial
management, technical oversight and operations of the company. Over my
career, I have worked in both the public and private sectors and I have
considerable professional experience in the fields of financial and
program management of toll systems, ITS and advanced toll technologies.
I am honored to appear before you today to discuss the progress we
have made in deploying intelligent transportation systems. My message
to you today is this: the significant investment that the Federal
Government has made in ITS, along with investments made by States and
the private sector, have been well spent and have delivered meaningful
and significant benefits to the safety and mobility of the American
people.
To illustrate this point, in my remarks I will address how ITS has
been deployed across the country, discuss the many benefits generated
by deployment of ITS, and finally touch on the future direction of ITS.
A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING ITS DEPLOYMENT
Since the inception of the ITS program in the early 1990s,
government agencies--at all levels--have come to realize the important
benefits that ITS technologies can provide. Proper investment in ITS
can produce a safe, efficient, and environmental friendly
transportation system that provides mobility for all of its citizens.
The private sector also has come to realize the vast market
opportunity that ITS provides not only in the business-to-government
and business-to-business marketplaces, but also increasingly in the
consumer marketplace. The ITS program has laid the foundation for an
explosion in consumer-oriented technologies.
What Has Been Deployed?
At the end of 2000, 55 of the 75 largest metropolitan areas had met
the goal of medium-to-high deployment of ITS. Here are a few of the
significant milestones.
<bullet> Electronic toll collection has been installed on 73
percent of existing toll road mileage.
<bullet> Centralized or closed loop control has been installed at
49 percent of signalized intersections.
<bullet> Computer-aided dispatch has been installed in 67 percent
of the emergency management vehicles and 36 percent have in-vehicle
route guidance.
<bullet> Electronic surveillance has been installed at 65 percent
of the signalized intersection and 71 percent have emergency
preemption.
<bullet> Traffic Management Centers have been established in two-
thirds of the areas monitoring freeway traffic and providing early
notification of incidents.
Over 384 public transit systems nationwide have installed, or are
installing, components of ITS to provide the public with safer and more
effective public transportation.
<bullet> Advanced communication systems have been installed at 213
transit agencies.
<bullet> Automatic vehicle location systems have been installed at
154 agencies.
<bullet> Electronic payment systems have been installed at 108
transit agencies.
<bullet> Automatic passenger counters have been installed at 154
transit agencies.
<bullet> Automated Transit information is available 163 transit
agencies.
<bullet> Computer-aided Dispatch systems are available at 152
agencies.
<bullet> Traffic signal priority is available at 55 agencies.
CONSUMER AUTOMOBILE PROGRAMS
Telematics devices (advanced in-vehicle communications
technologies) allow for automated crash identification, keyless entry,
remote diagnostics, and a variety of mobile commerce applications.
According to a study by McKinsey & Company, the telematics marketplace
will likely generate up to $100 billion in sales in the United States,
Japan and Western Europe by 2010.
Onstar, one of more recognized telematics brand names, currently
has 1.2 million subscribers. Over 8 million navigation units have been
deployed in automobiles worldwide. The Federal ITS Program has been
essential to the growth of this emerging marketplace as well as to the
development of other safety-enhancing vehicular technologies.
The Light Vehicle Program of the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative is
a crucial part of this deployment. The program establishes minimum
performance requirements and standards, and fosters the development of
cooperative systems, both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-
infrastructure.
Examples of completed accomplishments are the NHTSA/Volpe analysis
of Forward Collision and Roadway Departure countermeasures and the
Field Trial of Adaptive Cruise Control systems. Ongoing research
projects include the Field Trial of a Forward Collision Warning system
and the establishment of the IVI Enabling Research Consortium for joint
public-private research. Key future efforts will include the Field
Trial of an advanced Roadway Departure system and the identification
and design of cooperative systems for near-term deployment.
There are two significant means by which the IVI program has
accelerated the growth of in-vehicle electronic marketplace. As
wireless and location technology has progressed, there has been a
concomitant increase in the ability of vehicle manufacturers to offer
safety, information and entertainment features. IVI research is
revealing the safety effects associated with these systems and will
determine the availability of these features while the vehicle is in
motion. Safety warning systems based on IVI activities include deployed
Adaptive Cruise Control with safety warnings and first-generation
Roadway Departure Warning systems (announced for deployment).
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PROGRAMS
The trucking industry has begun to adopt three ITS technologies in
attempt to enhance the safety, efficiency, and productivity of the
movement of goods on America's roads: transponders, Commercial Vehicle
Information Systems and Networks (CVISN), and Intelligent Vehicle
technologies for heavy trucks.
Transponders have the ability to monitor drivers, vehicles and
loads to ensure safe, and efficient operations. For instance,
transponders which have already been approved for use by the U.S.
Customs Service, allow a safety enforcement agency such as the State
Police, or State Motor Vehicle Department to input data related to
safety, taxes, permitting, driver identification and freight load
information in a single device. Use of this type of technology ensures
the safe operation of all trucks, including those domiciled outside our
Nation's borders, as they travel on U.S. roads, while permitting the
tariff agency to perform its functions as well. The goal is to
facilitate the deployment of a single multi-purpose transponder to
handle functions including toll payment, safety, credentialing, weigh
in motion pre-clearance, and other e-commerce applications. This is a
rapid growth area and presently there are 30 States, which employ
transponders for preclearing trucks through roadside inspection
stations. The 13 Northeast states throughout the Interagency Group
employ a single transponder known as EZPass for its electronic toll
collection system which boasts of over 6 million devices in use today.
These types of transponders can ultimately be used at the borders to
record and monitor the entry of safe vehicles and drivers into and
throughout the country.
The second area of interest is credential administration. States
and the motor carrier industry have collaborated to develop and deploy
such programs consistent with the Federal Commercial Vehicle
Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) architecture.
Eight States have completed the initiation of a CVISN and 34 others
are actively in the process of completion. Results of testing have
shown many positive results including a 75 percent reduction in the
current cost of credential administration for both the States and
industry, with a $20 per process savings in fees (Kentucky estimates
based upon systems deployed in the State). Also a cost/benefit savings
for motor carriers ranging between 4:1 and 20:1, depending on carrier
size (American Trucking Associations Foundation Study), and reductions
in State administrative costs resulting in these programs being self
sufficient in most States (study by the National Governors
Association).
The last area of potential benefits from technological deployments
relates to the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative for Heavy Trucks. This is
an ongoing program sponsored by the U.S. DOT with partners from various
private sector enterprises. The benefits derived from front-end
collision warning devices when coupled with the action of the adaptive
cruise control systems are potentially enormous. Field Operations Tests
are underway to determine the exact extent of these expected savings,
not only in dollars, but also in lives saved. Other tests now underway
include work zone warnings, and rollover warning and protection
devices.
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED?
Four benefit areas and associated goals have been identified
against which change and progress can be measured. These goals provide
the guideposts for fully realizing the opportunities that ITS
technology systems can provide in enhancing the operation of the
Nation's transportation systems, in improving the quality of life for
all citizens, and in increasing user satisfaction, whether for business
or personal travel.
SAFETY BENEFITS
Some of the benefits that have been realized by using ITS to
improve safety include:
<bullet> Automated enforcement of traffic signals has reduced
violations 20 percent to 75 percent, leading to reductions in crashes
and fatalities.
<bullet> Ramp metering has shown that these systems reduce crashes
by 15 percent to 50 percent.
<bullet> Implementation of ITS results in smoother traffic flow and
fewer stops, which enhances safety by providing less speed variance and
fewer opportunities for conflicts.
<bullet> Road Weather Information Systems, combining pavement
condition and other environmental sensors with driver advisories
through Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), have proven effective in lowering
speeds and increasing safety during adverse driving conditions.
<bullet> Provision of a silent alarm feature with an AVL system
helps improve safety of many transit systems around the country. In
Denver, this feature decreased the number of passenger assaults per
100,000 passengers by 33 percent between 1992 and 1997.
EFFICIENCY BENEFITS
Some of the benefits that have been realized by using ITS to
improve system efficiency and economy include:
<bullet> Adaptive signal control has reduced delay from 14 to 44
percent.\1\
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\1\ Data on the benefits of ITS that are presented in this section
and subsequent sections of the White Paper were extracted from the ITS
Benefits database, located at http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov/
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<bullet> Aggressive incident management programs have saved
travelers in metropolitan areas 100,000-2,000,000 hours per year.
<bullet> Ramp metering systems have produced 8 to 60 percent
increases in speed (i.e., improved throughput) on freeways.
<bullet> Electronic toll collection can reduce the costs of plaza-
related roadway maintenance by 14 percent. A study of the Carquinez
Bridge in California estimates a person-time savings of nearly 80,000
hours (per year), more than $1 million in lost time.
<bullet> Incident management has saved travelers in a metropolitan
area $1-$45 million per year, depending on the extent of the system.
<bullet> An electronic fare payment system in New Jersey has saved
$2.7 million in reduced handling costs of fare media with increased
revenues of 12 percent after automated fare collection implementation.
<bullet> Implementation of ``next vehicle arriving'' technology,
AVL (automatic vehicle location), and CAD (computer-aided dispatching)
has added more certainty for many transit riders in several cities. In
the Denver Regional Transportation District, for example, the number of
passengers that arrived at stops late decreased by 21 percent; in
Portland, Oregon, the Tri-Met system achieved a 9.4 percent improvement
in on-time performance.
MOBILITY BENEFITS
Some of the benefits that have been realized by using ITS to
improve users' mobility in and access to the transportation system
include:
<bullet> Advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) have improved
the ability of individuals to manage their travel, improving the
likelihood of choosing a departure time, route, and mode of travel
enabling them to arrive at or before desired arrival time. ATIS users
reduce late arrivals by 69 percent when compared to those who don't use
ATIS.
<bullet> The Federal Communications Commission has allocated the
``511'' number for the provision of traveler information. Data gathered
by traffic management systems, including accidents, road conditions,
and alternative routes can be directly accessed by drivers to empower
drivers to make optimum route selection, to shorten travel time, and to
reduce the stress of congestion.
Smart card technology is simplifying the daily commute of more than
100,000 daily transit users in the Washington DC area. The New York
City Metro Card system is expected to save an estimated $70 million per
year in fare evasion. Ventura County California will save an estimated
$90,000 by eliminating transfer slips.
Public transportation providers in rural areas can achieve cost
efficiencies by increasing ridership. The CAD system in Sweetwater
County, Wyoming (which allows same-day ride requests to be accepted)
has contributed to a 3,000 passenger monthly increase while reducing
operational expenses by 50 percent over a 5-year period on a per
passenger basis.
HOW HAS ITS PROMOTED A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND REDUCED ENERGY
CONSUMPTION?
Some of the benefits that have been realized by using ITS to
mitigate the negative community and lifestyle impacts of congestion,
crashes, air quality, noise and other factors include:
<bullet> Electronic Toll Collection in Florida has resulted in
emissions reductions of 7.3 percent for CO, and 7.2 percent for HC with
40 percent ETC usage.
<bullet> Improvements to traffic signal control systems have
reduced fuel consumption between 2 percent and 13 percent.
<bullet> TransGuide in San Antonio, Texas reports estimated fuel
consumption savings of up to 2,600 gallons per major incident as a
consequence of reduced congestion during incident response and
clearing.
<bullet> The development and use of better models and more robust
data on environmental impacts will provide more information on the
extent to which ITS technologies positively affect the environment and
how ITS can be used proactively to address problems in nonattainment
areas. The future goal is to save a minimum of one billion gallons of
gasoline each year and to reduce emissions at least in proportion to
these fuel savings through the use of ITS technologies.
WHAT ROLE HAS ITS AMERICA PLAYED IN DEPLOYMENT?
Since its inception in 1991 ITS America has served a pivotal role
in the development and deployment of ITS technologies and systems. In
1992 ITS America developed the first Program Plan which has served as
the blueprint for ITS deployment in the last decade. ITS America was
instrumental in the development of the National ITS Architecture and
development of standards working closely with the Standard Development
Organizations. Today, ITS America continues to bring the diverse
interests of the ITS Community to the table to foster cooperative
development and deployment of these technologies. As rate of deployment
increases, the need for this cooperation between State, local, and
Federal Government and the private sector only increases. ITS America's
technical committees (which meet with regularity) continue provide a
forum for technical experts for the private sector, government,
academia to reach consensus essential to the timely deployment of ITS
systems.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
In each of these areas, the integrated nature of ITS technologies
and services promotes opportunities (and presents challenges) for the
institutional reform and reinvention that is so critical to the next
stage of the transportation service delivery and infrastructure
management.
In the future, the initial investment in ITS infrastructure and in-
vehicle technologies may be seen as the first wave of a technology
revolution. The second wave of the ITS technology revolution will be
the integration of localized intelligent transportation systems into
larger and larger integrated networks of information. Communications
from vehicle-to-infrastructure and from infrastructure-to-vehicle will
become richer. Both the quality and quantity of data transmission will
increase. And as a result of network integration, not only will we see
greater efficiencies in America's transportation system; we will see a
fundamental shift in how America does business.
For example, the mass adoption of personal computers in the 1970s
and 1980s did not significantly increase workplace productivity until
these computers were networked in the 1990s--and then the increased
productivity was dramatic. Similarly, while the initial investment in
ITS has produced only modest gains in efficiency, once these
transportation information systems are widely deployed and networked,
then, we will enjoy dramatically increased efficiencies.
Development of an Integrated Network of Transportation Information
The future vision for surface transportation is based on
information management and availability, on connectivity, and on system
control and optimization--in short, the creation of an integrated
national network of transportation information.
The information to be gathered and managed includes the physical
State of the infrastructure, how it is being used (real-time and
historically), how it is being maintained, and the environment,
including relevant weather conditions. This information network depends
on forging new forms of stakeholder cooperation across all sectors.
Seamless Travel for People. For the traveling public, an integrated
network of transportation information makes travel reasonable and
convenient for all users, regardless of age or physical disability. It
means availability of static and real time information on the
availability and condition of components of the transportation system
that will allow choice of travel mode. It means full coordination
between transit, rail, highway, and arterial systems. It means
eliminating missed connections and, through work-zone management,
eliminating confusion during detours and diversions.
Information will be available on all modes via web-based, radio and
calls centers and will include automobile and transit travel. Other
information services will include online mapping and driving direction,
en-route variable message signs and kiosks, and personal subscription
services as well as real-time information for both pre-trip planning
and enroute modifications, covering the current and expected
conditions.
Seamless Freight Movement. For the movement of freight, an
integrated network of transportation information means the availability
of information that will facilitate shipments moving more efficiently
from origin to destination both within and across modes. It means real
time information at points where shipments transfer from one mode of
transportation to another and cross-jurisdictional boundaries. Shippers
and customers will have better information on the location of cargo and
mobile assets throughout the trip. It means information will be
exchanged more efficiently to and among regulatory agencies.
Advanced Crash Avoidance Technologies
Advanced crash avoidance technologies will help to significantly
reduce the number of vehicle crashes. Unprecedented levels of safety,
mobility, and efficiency will be made possible through the development,
integration, and deployment of a new generation of in-vehicle
electronics and vehicle automation. These technologies also support
selective automated enforcement, including the determination of fitness
to drive.
In-Vehicle Electronics and Vehicle Automation. Four kinds of in-
vehicle electronics products will be available: information products,
diagnostic/prognostic products, driver assistance products, and active
safety products. All will help drivers and vehicles to perform better
and more safely.
Driver Qualification and Automated Enforcement: Technology will be
available to assure that a driver/operator is appropriately licensed,
unimpaired, and alert. Automated enforcement that is carefully applied
and protective of personal privacy will reduce crashes and encourage
safe and responsible driving.
Automatic Crash Detection and Response
Getting emergency response teams to the scene of a crash or other
injury-producing incident as quickly as possible is critical to saving
lives. ITS technology will allow emergency response teams to receive
timely notice of the incident and be efficiently routed to the scene
and then to the hospital. It means they will be aware of and able to
convey the nature and degree of the injuries and thereby provide timely
medical care.
Traffic-sensitive route planning software will identify which EMS
unit, among those available and appropriate for the specific incident,
can arrive at the accident site in the shortest travel time. Route
guidance software will efficiently direct the unit to the scene, with
the way cleared and the trip speeded by traffic signal preemption and
other traffic control mechanisms. At the scene, direct audio and video
communication with the trauma center will provide the EMS team with
instructions on immediate treatment.
Advanced Transportation Systems (encompassing multiple transportation
modes)
Advanced transportation systems facilitate better management of the
flow of vehicles (automobiles, public transit vehicles, and trains)
through the physical infrastructure; better vehicle operator decisions
based on the cooperative exchange of data between vehicles and the
infrastructure, and system automation.
Advanced Transportation Management Systems. Advanced transportation
management systems enable area-wide surveillance and detection, rapid
acquisition of traffic flow data, real-time evaluation of traffic
flows, predictive capabilities regarding near-term, real-time
operational responses to traffic flow changes, and evaluation of the
operational responses to traffic flow changes.
Vehicle-Infrastructure Cooperation. An important foundation for
effective transportation management is an exchange of information
between equipped vehicles and the infrastructure. The infrastructure
may include instrumented roadways or wireless communications between
vehicles and an information provider. Vehicles will report on the rate
at which traffic is flowing, the condition of the roads, weather
conditions, etc. The infrastructure-based system will analyze these
data to create an overall understanding of the roadway environment and
report this back to vehicles and their drivers/operators to use in
planning travel.
Transportation Automation. Technologies will include automation of
all or part of the driving task for private cars, public transportation
vehicles, and maintenance vehicles through an intelligent physical
infrastructure. The primary objective is to increase capacity and flow.
Research in infrastructure-vehicle automation will include automated
rapid transit systems, precision docking of vehicles, dedicated lanes
for automated trucks, automatic guidance of snow removal and other
maintenance vehicles, and eventually, fully automated passenger
vehicles.
Mobile Commerce. The same in-vehicle communication systems (or
telematics) which enable automated crash identification and vehicle-
infrastructure cooperation allows the automobile to become the point-
of-purchase for consumer transactions. Hotel reservations, shopping,
and even stock transactions can be (and to an extent are currently
being) conducted through the use of telematics devices. The GPS and
other vehicle-identifying technologies inherent in ITS, will enable
businesses to offer consumers location-specific goods and services. The
advent of mobile commerce will be part of the fundamental shift in how
Americans do business through the use of ITS.
CONCLUSION
ITS research and deployment must continue to flourish within the
foreseeable future. ITS technologies are quickly becoming part of the
fabric of design and operation of our Nation's transportation system
and hold the promise of continuing to provide our citizens the most
efficient, the safest and the most environmentally sound transportation
system in the world. We look forward in working with you to design a
continuing ITS program that will fulfill the drams of the American
traveling public and the private sector industry that will benefit from
a vital ITS program.
Thank you.
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Responses from Lawrence Yermack to Additional Questions from
Senator Reid
Question 1. You mention in your testimony that 55 of our largest
metropolitan areas have begun significant deployment of ITS. You also
have set a goal that all 75 of these metropolitan areas have a medium
to high level of deployment by 2006. Can you explain what you mean by a
``medium to high level of deployment?''
Response. In order to monitor progress toward this goal (and more
generally monitor progress in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
deployment), the Department of Transportation has been tracking
deployment of five specific ITS components as well as their integration
in the 78 largest metropolitan areas. The specific components the
Department has been tracking are (1) freeway management or incident
management systems; (2) transit management or electronic fare payment
systems; (3) arterial management systems; (4) regional multi-modal
traveler information systems, and (5) emergency management systems.
These components were identified as best representing the critical
components of a comprehensive urban ITS deployment.
For each component, the Department is tracking its level of
deployment in each of these metropolitan areas using one or more
indicators and have established a threshold value for each indicator.
When certain indicators reach the threshold level, that metropolitan
area is considered to have achieved a medium level of deployment. An
area is considered ``high'' when it achieves the threshold value for at
least one indicator for each component (i.e., each of the five
components we are tracking are deployed to some minimal level in that
area.)
It should be noted that achieving these medium and high thresholds
only indicates that the metropolitan area has made a significant
commitment to ITS across a number of critical components. It should not
be interpreted to mean that the metropolitan area has fully deployed
ITS with a particular component or across all components. For example,
the indicator used for arterial management systems is the percentage of
signalized intersections in a metropolitan area under computerized
control. A jurisdiction that has more than one-third of their signals
under computerized control would be considered above the threshold in
that area. While this clearly demonstrates a commitment to deploying
ITS on their arterial roadways, it does not mean that all signals
within that jurisdiction that should be under computerized control are
all computerized.
Question 2. What will it take for you to meet this goal? What are
the biggest barriers to widespread ITS deployment?
Response. While the Department believes it is on track to meet this
goal, we must recognize that this is only the first step toward the
full deployment of ITS nationwide. At the current pace, most, if not
all of the largest metropolitan areas will have achieved a medium to
high level of deployment by 2006. While this measure indicates that
these jurisdictions will have made a significant commitment to ITS, it
also means that without more aggressive actions it will be many more
years before widespread deployment is attained.
The biggest barriers to widespread ITS deployment are:
(1) The lack of full knowledge of the real-time conditions on the
surface transportation system. For ITS to fulfill its promise of
operating the surface transportation system at the highest level of
efficiency requires the availability of realtime traffic, transit, and
roadway weather information. Today, less than 25 percent of the
National Highway System is sufficiently instrumented to provide this
information. If ITS is to be used to improve the management of
incidents, reduce delays through work zones, adapt to changing weather
conditions, and respond in emergency situations, we need to deploy the
necessary sensors, cameras, and communication systems to provide this
critical data.
(2) The lack of an institution to both champion and be accountable
for the operation of the surface transportation system. Existing
transportation institutions were largely created to build the
transportation system. Deployment of ITS enables and enhances the
operation of the system. There is no existing institution in a
metropolitan area that has responsibility and accountability for the
operation of the system. There needs to be a mechanism to bring the key
players to the table, including non-traditional transportation partners
such as police, fire, emergency management service, towing service
operators, parking operators, etc., to develop and implement a regional
operations plan.
(3) The lack of investment in ITS deployment and operations. Given
the significant infrastructure needs that exist, it is difficult for
ITS and operations projects to compete for funding. Acceleration of ITS
deployment will require stronger support for efforts that increase road
efficiency through intelligent transportation systems.
Question 3. How would you define full deployment? Are there any
metropolitan areas that you would consider to be close to fully
deployed?
Response. The Department has begun to develop a set of minimum
requirements for a fully functional surface transportation
``infrastructure.'' That work, which is not complete, will give us a
good part of the definition requested. In the meantime, insight into
the extent of deployment in leading metropolitan areas can be drawn
from our recent efforts to implement a mobility monitoring program. The
goal of this program is to identify cities with the highest levels of
instrumented freeways that could be used to develop measures of
mobility--travel time and its reliability. The ten cities that
participated in this effort were Atlanta; Cincinnati; Detroit; Hampton
Roads, Virginia; Houston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Phoenix;
San Antonio; and Seattle. Even in these leading cities the level of
instrumentation is highly variable ranging from 13 percent in the
lowest city to 63 percent in the highest city. This clearly
demonstrates the need for a more aggressive approach to the deployment
of surveillance and detection capability. Based on this analysis and
our knowledge of other ITS deployments, we believe the cities closest
to full deployment are Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul,
Phoenix, and Seattle.
Question 4. I would appreciate it if you would provide further
information in writing regarding the level of deployment in each of
these 75 metropolitan areas.
Response. We have attached the fiscal year 2000 Report on our
survey results of the 78 largest metropolitan areas. Included in that
report, on pages 49-51, is a table tracking the deployment levels of
each city in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Question 5. Last year the Federal Communications Commission
approved ``511'' as a nationwide telephone number for traveler
information. What is the Department's timeframe for implementing this
number? How many areas of the country have sufficient ITS
infrastructure in place to provide the traffic and transit information?
Response. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) order on
July 21, 2000, approving the use of 511 for traveler information
delivery, makes seven specific points in the assignment of 511. They
are:
1. 511 is assigned to government entities for both wireline and
wireless telephone services.
2. Technical details of implementation and cost recovery are left
with Federal, State, and local transportation agencies to determine.
3. Federal, State, and local transportation agencies are to
determine the type of information to be provided.
4. Federal, State, and local transportation agencies are encouraged
to ensure that 511 transcends municipal boundaries and is appropriate
to the national designation of the number.
5. Transportation agencies are encouraged to determine uniform
standards for providing information to the public.
6. U.S. DOT is encouraged to facilitate widespread deployment of
511.
7. The FCC will assess the deployment of 511 in 2005 to determine
if the number is in widespread use.
The FCC order very deliberately allows broad discretion on the part
of State and local transportation agencies in the implementation of
511. Paying for the 511 services is left to the State and local
agencies to determine. This is not a mandated public service.
The assignment of 511 is nationwide and the FCC expects that the
service will be available to the entire traveling public. However, the
Commission realizes that this nationwide deployment will take time. The
FCC uses the term ``national scope'' in discussing 511, and many
segments of the transportation community have interpreted ``national''
to mean ``Federal.'' This is not the intent of the FCC. The U.S. DOT
has been encouraged to facilitate deployment, not mandate it nor
regulate it.
The Department has been engaged in activities to facilitate local
agencies' deployment of 511.
The Department helped to establish a 511 coalition led by the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and
ITS America. This coalition is developing implementation guidelines
that will foster consistent 511 deployment from State to State. The
Department has also made available a 511 deployment assistance grant
program that will provide up to $100,000 per State to encourage
transportation agencies to work together with communications providers
to develop a Statewide plan for 511 deployment. The Department has also
developed a number of case study reports to describe the deployment
experiences of six jurisdictions that are considered the ``early
adopters'' of 511, and white papers to guide transportation
professionals and officials in the deployment of 511.
The FCC will look at the deployment of 511 in 2005 to determine if
there is widespread deployment of 511. The three-digit dialing codes,
211 through 911, are scarce resources. Thus, if the number is not being
used, the FCC could reassign the number to another use. However, there
are no reporting requirements on 511 deployment implied by this
statement. The U.S. DOT will keep the FCC informed about the status of
deployment to satisfy this requirement of the FCC.
The number of areas that have sufficient ITS infrastructure in
place to provide traffic and transit information grows over time.
Currently the Department is aware of over 300 telephone numbers that
disseminate traveler information as well as numerous others that
provide transit information. Few, if any of them, have complete
coverage of their entire metropolitan area. Instead they have
surveillance or sensing information that covers a portion of the
system, usually that most heavily traveled. Implementation of 511 is
considered a local matter, so consideration of whether or not enough
infrastructure is available rests with the local agencies. The
Department believes there is a need for increased surveillance
capability nationwide in order to support 511 and other traveler
information initiatives, as well as for improved operation of our
highway system, and we are pursuing various initiatives to improve this
information gap.
______
Responses of Lawrence Yermack to Additional Questions from
Senator Smith
Question 1. The basic infrastructure to allow traffic monitoring
usually consists of closed circuit cameras and loop detectors. I am
interested in how to ensure the limited use of these cameras for
traffic monitoring purposes only. Is it common for jurisdictions to
have a policy that does not allow video recording, using images for
vehicle or personal identification, or using the cameras for purposes
not related to traffic monitoring, such as law enforcement? Will this
limitation be incorporated into Federal ITS standards? What research is
DOT conducting to explore less costly or more technologically advanced
methods of traffic monitoring that do not involve the use of cameras?
Response. Surveillance cameras are valuable traffic surveillance
tools that serve many purposes. Their primary purpose is to confirm
that an accident or other traffic-impeding incident has occurred, to
accurately determine the location of the incident, and to determine the
extent of the incident and therefore the proper response (i.e., are
serious injuries likely, is there a potential for hazmat release,
etc.). Surveillance cameras are also used to confirm that various
traffic control devices are operating properly, such as the gates that
control reversible High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and variable
message signs. Another type of video camera with video recognition
capability is now being used to replace more common vehicle detection
systems such as inductive loops. These systems, while more expensive
initially, are much more reliable over time than the traditional loop
detector and therefore are gaining in popularity for such uses as
controlling traffic signals. Neither of these cameras should be
confused with cameras used solely for enforcement purposes such as red
light running systems, which are very different in design and intended
purpose.
State and local agencies that use traffic surveillance cameras are
very sensitive about the improper use of these cameras and have
policies and procedures in place to ensure proper use. It is very
common for jurisdictions to have a policy on the use of surveillance
traffic cameras that does not allow video recording, using images for
vehicle or personal identification, or using the cameras for purposes
not related to traffic monitoring, such as law enforcement. In fact, we
are not aware of any public agencies using cameras for traffic
surveillance that do not have clear policies in place for the use of
video images. For example, most, if not all, agencies who share this
video information with local television stations for traveler
information purposes also have clear policies about not making images
available of accidents where vehicles or victims could be identified.
Strong policies have also been established for other ITS systems, such
as electronic toll tags, to ensure privacy.
ITS America has established a set of privacy principles that most
members of ITS America have adopted for their own use. This is largely
a State and local responsibility and, since strong policies have been
developed and adopted by these entities, there does not appear to be a
need to establish Federal policies, regulations, or standards, at this
time. The ten ITS America principles deal with such topics as the
recognition and respect of individual privacy; compliance with
applicable State and Federal laws on privacy and information use;
anonymity; and commercial or secondary use.
In previous years, we have funded a number of efforts to advance
the State of the art in traffic surveillance and detection and are
currently evaluating technologies that would allow travel time
information to be gathered anonymously. We are not currently funding
any development work in this area, in part, because the State of the
art in traffic surveillance is so advanced and, in part, because the
market and therefore the privately funded development efforts are so
robust. Despite the wide range of surveillance technologies available
in the market these days, we would conclude, however, that the video
camera meets a number of special needs in traffic surveillance that
other detection systems cannot and are not likely to meet in the near
future. Therefore the use of these cameras is likely to continue to
expand both in terms of jurisdictions and coverage area. The events of
September 11 have caused a number of metropolitan areas, including
Washington, DC, to question the adequacy of their video surveillance
network to manage traffic during evacuations and other major events or
incidents.
Question 2. How can we structure the ITS reauthorization to
encourage the wider deployment of proven ITS applications that have
immediate benefits?
Response. There are three key leverage points which must be put in
place for widespread deployment and use of ITS funding:
(1) Full knowledge of the real-time conditions on the surface
transportation system. For ITS to fulfill its promise of operating the
surface transportation system at the highest level of efficiency
requires the availability of real-time traffic, transit, and roadway
weather information. Today, less than 25 percent of the National
Highway System is sufficiently instrumented to provide this
information. If ITS is to be used to improve the management of
incidents, reduce delays through work zones, adapt to changing weather
conditions, and respond in emergency situations, we must create the
incentives and requirements that will result in the quick deployment of
sensors, cameras, and communication systems, and the creation of a
nationwide intelligent ``infrastructure.''
(2) Institutional change. Key to the deployment of ITS, and
improved operations of the system will be creating points of
accountability and coordination for systems operations. Existing
transportation institutions were largely created for and operate from a
project-based culture. Operating the system is a 24/7 job that requires
a performance-based approach. It also requires that there be a
mechanism (similar to the metropolitan planning organizations for
infrastructure planning) that brings the key players--including non-
traditional partners such as police, fire, emergency response, towing
operators, parking managers, etc.--to the table to develop and
implement regional operations.
(3) Funding. Outside of the ITS program, the use of Federal funds
for ITS deployment has been limited. States have been slow to take
advantage of the changes made in TEA-21 that make it clear that ITS is
eligible under the mainstream Federal-aid highway programs (National
Highway System (NHS), Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion
Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). Given the
significant infrastructure needs that exist, it is difficult for ITS
and operations projects to compete for funding. Acceleration of ITS
deployment will require stronger support for efforts that increase road
efficiency through intelligent transportation systems.
Question 3. ITS deployment has not been significantly funded from
State formula funds when the funding must compete with construction
projects. Is the national architecture and standards now mature enough
that all States can take advantage of ITS formula funds?
Response. The investments that the Department has made in
architecture and standards development, as well as training, technical
assistance and technical guidance, have laid the foundation for the
nationwide deployment of ITS. In addition, local plans for ITS
deployment are being established through the implementation of the TEA-
21 requirement on architecture consistency. This requirement will
result in the development of regional architectures at the State and
local level. Collectively, these efforts will provide the mechanism for
guiding future ITS deployments. While continued investment in ITS
Research and Development is needed, the program is now mature enough to
support the widespread deployment of ITS through formula funds.
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Statement of Marty Manning, President-Elect, American Public
Works Association
Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee for the
opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Marty Manning and I
am the president-elect of the American Public Works Association. I am
also the Public Works Director for Clark County, Nevada. My comments
will be brief and will cover the views of the American Public Works
Association on this topic as well as the efforts of the local area
partnership in Clark County, Nevada that is presently working to
implement intelligent transportation system facilities.
The American Public Works Association serves more than 26,000
members concerned with the operation, maintenance, renewal and
improvement of the Nation's infrastructure by promoting professional
excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the
exchange of knowledge.
APWA has a vital interest in the reauthorization of the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). In fact, APWA
has a reauthorization task force currently in place that is working
diligently to develop and promote APWA's priorities for
reauthorization. Additionally, APWA has teamed up with other local
organizations to comprise the Local Officials Transportation Working
Group, which is made up of organizations representing elected county
and city officials as well as development organizations, technology and
city/county managers. APWA also serves as a member of the steering
committee for the Federal Highway Administration's National Dialogue on
Operations.
We hope that you will look to APWA as a valuable resource for you
and your staff members as reauthorization proceeds. With so many unmet
transportation-funding needs, APWA believes that it is imperative to
maintain the basic goals of TEA-21 by protecting the funding firewalls
and allowing for as much local funding flexibility as possible.
Further, as our members deal most directly on a daily basis with the
system users, we have a strong understanding of how to best address
transportation issues within our communities.
Recent studies show that traffic congestion costs the country $78
billion in wasted time and wasted fuel annually. In addition, urban
area trips take about one-third longer during rush hours and 27 percent
of the Nation's urban freeways are now congested. This takes a toll on
the Nation's economy.
The deployment of ITS tools in conjunction with the construction of
needed improvements would assure that existing transportation
infrastructure may operate at a higher capacity and that new
improvements would also operate more efficiently and be more economical
to build.
As you know, Clark County is one of the most rapidly growing areas
in the Nation. We have come to expect new residents at a rate of 3,000
to 5,000 a month. We also expect to welcome the arrival of 35 million
visitors this year to the Las Vegas destination resort area. This
continuing growth puts a lot of pressure on the area network of
highways, roads and streets.
In Clark County, Nevada, we are becoming advocates of the
management tool products that ITS offers and the capacity and safety
benefits that they represent. Existing intelligent transportation
systems are being improved and integrated with new system tools that
are now being installed. The installation of ITS products in the
urbanized Las Vegas Valley has only been possible by the creation of
partnerships among Federal, State and local governments as well as our
private sector partners.
As an example, the Las Vegas Area Computer Traffic System provides
computerized control for the traffic signals in all of the
jurisdictions in the Las Vegas Valley. The system, operating under an
agreement among the Nevada Department of Transportation, the Southern
Nevada Regional Transportation Commission, three incorporated cities
and the county, provides substantial travel time improvements
throughout a growing urbanized area with a population of 1.4 million
people. It has also provided real benefits in air quality. While the
system was originally installed with a Federal grant and NDOT
assistance, the incorporated cities and the county pay its annual
operations and maintenance costs.
The Las Vegas Area Computer Traffic System was an initial step into
ITS technology. Recently, further steps have been taken. Additional
improvements to the system have added new computer hardware and
software, high-speed telecommunications facilities from the traffic
signals to the computer, television observation at critical
intersections, and high tech local traffic signal controllers. In
addition, the Nevada Department of Transportation is proceeding on
additional ITS projects to create a highway management system that will
provide the functions of traffic control, incident management, en-route
and pre-trip traveler information and a user service for archived data.
The highway management system called FAST will be integrated with the
arterial management system under the Las Vegas Area Computer Traffic
System at a common location shared with the Nevada Highway Patrol
Dispatching Center. Each system will operate with a common staff and an
operating agreement among the Nevada Department of Transportation, the
Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission, the three
incorporated cities and the county.
Construction of the initial phase of the FAST highway management
system will begin before year-end and will be completed in two years.
This construction will encompass the installation of ramp meters at
select locations; high-occupancy vehicle bypass ramps at metered
locations; arrangements with the Nevada Highway Patrol for ramp and
bypass traffic enforcement; dynamic message signage at selected
locations to provide road condition and incident information to
motorists and the construction of an arterial and highway management
operations center. Upon completion of this project, the Las Vegas urban
area will be well on the way to the creation of an integrated arterial
and highway management system.
As a county public works director, I can appreciate the value of
the ITS management tools and technologies we have already installed and
the potential values that the additions in new system improvements will
provide in our urbanized area.
New technologies and tools that can be deployed to improve
transportation system management already do and can continue to have
positive results at the local government level, but primarily in
communities prepared to enter into cooperative arrangements and
partnerships with State and other local jurisdictions for the express
purpose of improving transportation system management. ITS should have
a continuing role in perfecting transportation system management
technologies.
In conclusion, we would recommend the continued support of the ITS
Program and recognition of its value in identifying and developing
transportation system management technologies needed to improve the
capacity and efficiency of the Nation's highways, roads and streets. In
addition we would recommend that the overall goals of promoting safety,
efficiency and economy; enhancing mobility; providing accessibility to
transportation; improving the productivity of travel; safeguarding the
environment and reducing energy consumption be considered a solid basis
for the development of the ITS Program of the future.
__________
Statement of Stephen Albert, Director, Western Transportation
Institute, Mountain State University, and President, Rocky Mountain
Chapter, Intelligent Transportation Society of America
Good afternoon Chairman Reid, Ranking Member Inhofe, and Members of
the Committee. I would like to begin by thanking you for this
opportunity to share our views and perspective on Intelligent
Transportation Systems and specifically Advanced Rural Transportation
Systems or rural ITS. WTI/MSU, and actually the entire rural community
of transportation, tourism, public safety, fleet mangers, National
Parks, Native Americans and private sectors/interests thank you for
recognizing the need to address rural transportation issues and
advanced technology applications at this hearing.
My name is Stephen Albert, I am the Director of the Western
Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University (MSU). This
is the second time I have had the opportunity to present our view of
rural transportation needs to the Committee.
The first was in 1996, as part of the Subcommittee's ISTEA
Reauthorization Field Hearings in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Senators
Baucus, Warner and Kempthorne.
WTI's mission is to ``make rural travel and transportation safer,
more convenient and more accessible.'' Founded in 1994 by the
California Department of Transportation, Montana Department of
Transportation and MSU, WTI is the Nation's leading research Center
focusing on rural transportation issues. With ongoing research,
demonstration and evaluation projects in 30 States and 10 National
Parks, WTI was recognized in 1998 by ITS America for our ``outstanding
achievement in rural ITS.''
In addition to serving as WTI's director, I also serve as the Rocky
Mountain ITS America Chapter president, which includes Montana, Idaho,
Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, and as vice-chair of the ITS America State
Chapters Council that represents all 50 States. I also serve on the ITS
America Advanced Rural Transportation System Committee, U.S. DOT Rural
Action Team and the National Academy of Sciences, Transportation
Research Board Task Force on Transportation Needs for National Parks
and Public Lands. Finally, I recently authored a chapter on Advanced
Rural Transportation Systems for the Intelligent Transportation Primer
sponsored by Institute of Transportation Engineers, U.S. DOT and ITS
America.
Turning to the subject matter of your hearing today, I am here
representing not only Western States, but the entire rural community
and we thank each of you for raising awareness of rural America
transportation needs and ITS applications. My testimony was developed
from speaking with stakeholder groups on the East Coast, Southern
United States, Midwest and Alaska.
My testimony will address the following three areas:
Magnitude and severity of rural transportation challenges facing
this Nation; specific examples and benefits of successful ITS
deployment; future focus areas where additional emphasis and resources
should be placed.
1. WHAT ARE THE RURAL CHALLENGES?
For the last 10 years the rural constituents have heard our
transportation leaders highlight congestion as our Nation's leading
challenge. Programs such as Operation Time Saver, Model Deployment
Initiative and others have been the showcase of U.S. DOT. These
showcase programs have little, if any, direct application to
approximately eighty percent (80 percent) of our Nation's surface
roads, or roughly four million miles of roadway. The emphasis of ITS
applications in urban areas has focused on reducing congestion and
increasing vehicle throughput and highway capacity, all of which are
benefits with which rural stakeholders have little in common. Unlike
urban areas that have congestion as the primary single issue, rural
needs are more diverse, complex and only tangentially transportation-
related. So what are the rural challenges?
1.1 Safety and Non-Interstate Roadways
In rural areas safety is of paramount importance. According to
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) statistics, sixty percent (60
percent) of the crash fatalities occur on rural highways, while only 39
percent of the vehicle miles traveled occur on these roads--a
disproportionate relationship. These combined facts make rural crash
rates (the number of crashes per million vehicle miles traveled) 2.5
times greater than urban areas. In examining the rural crash rate by
classification of roadway (i.e. interstate, major collector, local
road, etc.), we find that local roads have a crash rate of 3.68 verses
interstate crash rates of 1.23--or local roads have a three times
greater risk factor. Furthermore, single vehicle crashes on 2-lane
rural roads accounted for 54 percent of all rural crashes in 1998, and
about 30 percent of these occurred on curves. When these crashes occur
they are compounded by limited emergency services among communities
such as volunteer fire and rescue, and remote hospital facilities.
Emergency response time for crashes in rural areas to receiving aid at
a hospital is twice as long as in urban areas, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
1.2 Digital Divide--No Wireless Communication Coverage
The safety situation on our rural roads is exacerbated by the fact
that vast rural areas of the United States are without wireless
communications, which impacts safety and increases infrastructure
deployment costs. The current and planned conveniences that wireless
coverage provides for Mayday services, entertainment, and telephone
service is largely non-existent in rural America. Cellular providers'
business models are focused on call volume and profit; these do not
align with rural characteristics. Preliminary research conducted by WTI
in five Western States indicates that the notification time to learn of
a crash is two to three times longer where no wireless communication
exists and near jurisdictional borders. In fact, the medical response
needs of the ``golden hour'' in remote sections of rural America is not
measured in minutes, but rather hours. When agencies must consider
deployment of technology if no wireless coverage exists, then wireline
services must be constructed. Recently, the Washington DOT had to
install 30 miles of cable for one closed circuit television camera that
was needed to monitor and verify safety issues on a rural segment of
highway. These types of communication challenges do not exist in an
urban environment.
1.3 Weather Impacts Every Day Life
Weather can be deadly in many regions of the United States. Stories
of travelers stranded in rural communities due to road closures,
vehicles trapped in snow banks, and flooding and hurricanes destroying
or isolating communities are now becoming more frequent events. In
November 2000 a snowstorm in Rollins, Wyoming closed I-80 and resulted
in 31 miles of semi-tractor trailers backed-up with no fuel, no
services and no way to communicate the closure or re-opening of the
roadway to drivers. According to FHWA there are approximately 7,000
fatalities and 450,000 persons injured each year due to weather related
events. ITS technologies are available to mitigate the effects of
circumstances such as this; however, additional funding for rural ITS
deployment is critical.
1.4 Tourism and Economic Viability
Tourism is a critical concern to the economic viability of numerous
rural communities. According to the Travel Industry Association of
America in 1998, travel and tourism in the United States is the
Nation's largest export industry and second largest employer,
accounting for over $515 billion in expenditures, resulting in 7.6
million jobs and accounting for 1.3 billion domestic trips. In most
States, tourism is the second leading economic indicator and considered
the key to the economic future of many States. Based on rural ITS
outreach workshops conducted in 15 States by WTI, in partnership with
FHWA, the travel and tourism community have identified concerns in the
following areas: directional signing; timely and accurate information;
coordination of traffic management alternatives; seasonal and special
event traffic management; parking information; regional sharing of
information and services; and funding. In summary, an efficient
transportation system is essential to rural communities who depend on
tourism revenues for their survival. Providing real-time information to
tourists, via ITS, is the key to encouraging greater tourist activity
in rural areas and enhancing their economies.
1.5 Federal Lands, National Parks and Native Americans
Two distinct groups of target areas that highlight rural
environment are issues associated with Federal lands and Native
American lands as well as users of those areas. As an example of our
Federal lands consider National Parks and transportation. The impact of
our National Park Service on regional economies and their
transportation systems should not be underestimated. In order to
provide a framework on the impact of the NPS consider the following NPS
statistics:
<bullet> Scale--374 parks in 49 States, 18 million acres;
<bullet> Employees--19,200;
<bullet> Economic activity--$14 billion, supporting 309,000 jobs;
<bullet> Visitation--266 million visitors, demand increasing 500
percent over the next 40 years.
With a broad impact and visitation on the increase, the NPS is
under extreme pressure to provide increased services with fewer
resources, while simultaneously trying to provide stewardship for an
environment they are entrusted to protect for future generations. As
our National Parks become increasingly ``loved to death,'' it is
apparent that respective transportation systems and associated services
are a critical issue.
The second area is our sovereign Native American lands where
safety, economic viability and transportation are the key issues.
Research has shown that Native Americans die in motor vehicle crashes
at rates six times that of the rest of the Nation and \3/4\ of Native
American traffic fatalities involve alcohol. Unemployment rates on
reservations often exceed 70 percent, over 10 times the national rate.
Last, only 29 percent of tribes have any form of transit system. The
issue of economic viability was the most important issue identified by
300 Native American tribes in a recently completed survey by WTI to
assess tribal and transportation needs. Safety needs were second
priority, followed by tourism and traveler information. Here again, ITS
deployment will have a positive impact by providing enhanced safety and
traveler information.
1.6 Animal Conflicts
Each year there are approximately 726,000 animal-vehicle crashes.
These crashes rarely result in fatalities, but at approximately $2000
per incident in property damage, the annual cost nationally amounts to
over $1 billion. The growth of suburbs into wildlife corridors
contributes to the problem, however, these accidents occur at higher
speeds and with greater frequency in rural areas. Today's deer
population alone is greater than 25 million. Accidents with deer and
other animals are only going to increase as populations expand and
urban development encroaches into rural areas.
1.7 Public Mobility
Unlike urban areas, where public transportation service is
implemented to provide transportation for employment purposes or as a
means of reducing congestion, in rural areas public transportation
service has a direct impact on the quality of life of many rural
residents. According to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
approximately 38 percent of the rural population has no access to
public transportation and another 28 percent has little access. Even
when public transportation exists, little or no information is
available about the services. Furthermore, service is sometimes
restricted to weekends, evenings, or designated days of the week. Low
population density in rural service areas makes it difficult at best to
deliver public transit services. Where neighbors often live miles
apart, trip distances are long, and travel to common origin and
destinations are infrequent, public transportation providers find
economically viable solutions to their problems difficult to identify
and extremely costly to implement.
Rural transit agencies typically operate small fleets that provide
service to these sparsely settled areas. In fact, most Section 18
recipients (60 percent) serve areas with fewer than 100 persons per
square mile using 8 to 15 passenger vans. In addition to service
limitations associated with the size of the fleets, rural
transportation must also meet the diverse needs of a broad range of
users including elderly, handicapped, and financially disadvantaged
individuals. The demands placed on the fleet staff by the service
requirements, the various vehicle equipment requirements, and the
payment systems or subsidies used to finance those services are also
factors to be considered. Finally, local coordination must determine
what types of transportation services can be provided to rural
residents and how providers must work together on meeting the needs of
their rural residents.
1.8 Commercial Vehicles, Goods Movement and Long-distance Trips
The movement of goods is critical to the economy of the United
States and the rural interstate system is an essential component in the
process. Rural interstates are, in essence, the arteries over which
flow the goods to be distributed to citizens throughout the country. On
many rural highways, 30 percent of traffic is commercial vehicles, and
their numbers continue to grow. This increase is a result of many
closures of rail lines that served rural communities and freight
centers, such as grain elevators. In many instances rural America is
inheriting the traffic from urban areas that moves within and between
its' communities.
Commercial vehicle operators have identified several transportation
needs associated with rural travel, such as the frequency with which
they must stop at weigh stations for verification of permits, load
limitation checks, and safety inspections. Every time a commercial
vehicle stops at a weigh station or a border crossing, it costs the
carrier money. Therefore, measures to increase the operational
efficiency of the system or reduce travel delays for the commercial
vehicle operators are considered of primary importance. ITS technology
exists today to dramatically reduce these costs. For instance, vehicles
traveling across the country often must pass through multiple tolling
systems, efficiency in terms of time savings could be realized through
the use of electronic payment systems on toll roads.
1.9 Diversity and Understanding
Rural areas are challenged in that there are few issues and
application similarities among different locations and regions (i.e.
Cape Cod, MA; Brandon, VT and Eureka, CA). This diversity challenge is
further complicated by the fact that ``transportation is not the hook''
to bring stakeholders together, and the stakeholders typically do not
have frequent opportunities to meet to develop a common vision. They
also lack facilitation and oversight as provided by a metropolitan
planning organization (MPO). These issues of diversity, lack of
understanding of ITS benefits and the absence of a Federal process that
treats rural ITS projects on a level playing field with urban ITS all
contribute to the many institutional issues and delays in deployment. I
believe very strongly that now is the time for U.S. DOT to step up to
the plate and provide a level playing field and provide adequate
resources to respond to rural transportation needs that urban areas
have enjoyed over the last several years.
2. advanced rural transportation systems success stories
Now, having made that last statement, I do want to recognize a
number of success stories that have taken place in rural areas. In
recognition of the rural issues in need of attention, the United States
Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) Joint Program Office
established the Advanced Rural Transportation Systems (ARTS) program in
1997. The ARTS Program has been defined by development tracks that
categorize the various technology tools that can be utilized to address
user needs in the various rural communities. The development tracks
include emergency services, tourism and travel information, traffic
management, rural transit and mobility, crash prevention and security,
operations and maintenance, and surface transportation and weather. I
would like to highlight some of the successful projects that have been
implemented at the local level.
2.1 Crash Prevention and Security
The technology applications relating to this area focus on the
prevention of crashes before they occur and on reducing severity when
they do. Many State departments of transportation are targeting three
areas of focus to address these needs: speed management, intersection
collision avoidance and animal collision avoidance. To manage travel
speed in mountain passes, Colorado DOT has implemented a dynamic
downhill speed warning system on I-70 west of Denver, outside the
Eisenhower Tunnel. The system measures truck speeds, weight, and number
of axles and advises the driver of the appropriate speed. The truck
speed warning system was installed on a narrow curve that has a design
speed of 45 mph. The average truck speed around this curve has dropped
from 66 mph to 48 mph since the installation of the warning system. The
system has eliminated approximately 20 truck runaways and 15 truck
related crashes per year. California DOT has implemented a similar
speed warning system for passenger cars and trucks near Redding
California along I-5 in Sacramento Canyon. The system has reduced
travel speed and reduced the number of accidents, and has provided
California DOT an opportunity to showcase technology that can save
lives.
In Maine and Virginia, the DOTs are implementing an intersection
collision avoidance system that uses detectors at all approaches of an
intersection to track vehicles nearing the intersection. The detectors
use parameters such as the presence and speed of a vehicle to display
warnings to drivers approaching both from the major and minor roads.
These messages read ``Cross Street Traffic Is Approaching'' and ``Watch
Out For Cross Traffic.'' These systems have reduced accident experience
and provided advance warning in rural areas.
A third project that can be highlighted to address crash prevention
is the Animal-Vehicle Crash Mitigation Project, which involves 15
States and will demonstrate technologies to detect animals in the
rights-of-way through microwave technology sensing systems and inform
the drivers upstream of the encroachment. If successful, this project
may help to reduce the approximately $1 billion lost on animal-vehicle
collisions each year.
2.2 Emergency Services
This area concentrates on the services provided by law enforcement,
fire departments, emergency medical services, and related
organizations. The organizations usually are multi-jurisdictional in
nature, involve complex operations and require a great deal of
coordination. Recognizing these challenges the Virginia DOT sponsored
the Northern Shenandoah Valley Public Safety Initiative. The project's
goals are to enhance the collection and communication of critical
accident victim patient data between the on-scene emergency medical
personnel and the receiving hospital through the use of hand-held
portable digital assistance devices. Use of the off-the-shelf PDA's has
improved patient outcome, improved on-scene, en-route and emergency
room patient services, improved data collection, all in addition to
incident management coordination. A similar system is being deployed in
Montana too.
In Texas, the San Antonio Fire Department has utilized ITS with
LifeLink. LifeLink is designed to link the ambulances located on or
near San Antonio's freeway system with a hospital in the City. Each
ambulance is equipped with videoconferencing hardware and software to
provide 2-way video and voice between the ambulance and an ER or trauma
physician at the hospital. The equipment can also send vital signs and
cardiac data to the hospital. These technologies are designed to assist
with the issues associated with the golden hour to save lives. The city
of Tucson and the State of Nebraska are implementing a similar system,
too.
2.3 Tourism and Traveler Information
As stated previously, tourism supports the economic viability of
rural communities with approximately $500 billion annually. This
technology application area focuses on the core infrastructure to
provide information and data exchange between organizations and the
traveler. Examples of successful projects include the deployment of
traveler information systems (kiosks, highway advisory radio, variable
message signs, internet sites) in tourist locations such as in
Flagstaff, Arizona along I-40 near Grand Canyon National Park and
Branson, Missouri where the number of annual visitors is more than one
thousand times greater than the resident population.
Two unique applications of technology that have been showcased
recently are the Yellowstone National Park Smart Pass project and the
Oregon DOT Travel Time Estimation project. As you know, our National
Parks are experiencing increasing visitation and traffic congestion.
The Yellowstone National Park Smart Pass will provide frequent users
and local residents with an electronic pass and a designated lane at
entrance gates to bypass congestion. The Oregon DOT Travel Time
Estimation project will provide ODOT with the ability to collect
travel-time data on U.S. 39/101, a high volume recreation corridor,
through license plate ``capture'' technology. The license plate can be
captured along the route and be used as a ``probe'' to determine if
incidents have taken place. The license plate image is scrambled and
discarded after use and to avoid privacy issues.
2.4 Traffic Management
This area of application focuses on technologies to control
operations as well as provide guidance and warning of traffic to
improve travel on roadways. As in the area of emergency services,
coordination is the key to success. Three examples of success are the
Duluth Transportation Operations and Communication Center, for jointly
managing transportation with other organizations, the Arizona DOT
Highway Closure Restriction System, and the Oregon DOT TripCheck for
developing virtual applications to collecting and disseminating
information to multiple organizations to manage traffic. At the Duluth
Transportation Operations and Communication Center, MinnDOT jointly
manages the transportation system with State police and transit
organizations to provide seamless transportation services. In order to
provide for decentralized information collection and dissemination, the
Arizona DOT and Oregon DOT utilize the internet whereby organizations
can enter road closure, lane restrictions, unsafe road conditions, and
parking information into the system and all agencies can view the
status of those conditions. The ODOT TripCheck system includes images
from closed circuit cameras at mountain passes and other locations and
is directed predominantly at DOT staff, but the information can be
viewed by the general public, too. During the peak usage the number of
users have exceeded 350,000 per month.
2.5 Rural Transit and Mobility
This area focuses on increasing access to transportation for those
who are mobility impaired through transit/para-transit services. As
stated previously, providing mobility service to vast geographic areas
is difficult from the perspective of cost effectiveness and
communications infrastructure. One project that has accomplished this
is the global positioning system project in Ottumwa, Iowa for the
Ottumwa Transit Authority. The OTA provides public transit service in
southern Iowa that includes Ottumwa, and the surrounding 10 counties.
The service area is a very large, low-density rural area of 5000 square
miles, and 149,000 people. To overcome communication coverage the OTA
had to create a communications backbone to support the gathering and
distributing of data over such a broad geographic distance. This was
accomplished by establishing a 4-tower radio network. Using space on
existing towers strategically located throughout the area at the
furthest points enabled OTA to eliminate ``black holes'' in
communication between buses and the office. Data is gathered at these 4
tower sites, and transmitted to a central location in Ottumwa. Via
microwave link, the data is transmitted between the central tower and
the central office (dispatch). This network has successfully enabled
OTA to track each vehicle and provide electronic messages between the
office and buses.
2.6 Operations and Maintenance
This development track focuses on improving the efficiency and
capabilities of service to maintain and operate our transportation
system. Because resources are more scarce and distances greater than
urban areas, the ability to operate and maintain transportation
infrastructure and the roadway system is paramount. Example projects
include the operation of automated anti-/de-icing of bridges, and
advanced technology for snowplows and agency vehicle monitoring. The
Automated Anti-/De-Icing on Bridges enables the remote application of
anti-icing and de-icing chemicals to the roadway. The system uses
atmospheric and pavement sensors to provide early warning of changing
conditions. When weather conditions reach certain criteria, the
application of chemicals is automatically performed. The system reports
to maintenance personnel when the chemicals have been applied. The
maintenance personnel also can call the system using a cellular phone
to override the sensors and activate the chemical application. A second
example is the application of technologies to winter maintenance
activities to monitor snowplow fleets, spreading applications, and
vehicle collision warning and route guidance. The Iowa, Michigan and
Minnesota DOTs are utilizing technology to monitor agency vehicles
(e.g. chemical applications, vehicle location, plow up/down, etc.) at
to a central point. In California and Arizona, the State DOTs have
instrumented snowplows and the mountain pass roadways with technologies
to allow for vehicle tracking in the roadway for lane guidance and
collision avoidance systems to warn motorists of close proximity. In
California and Arizona, the snowplow operators were surveyed and the
systems were found to increase their safety, productivity and
efficiency.
2.7 Surface Transportation and Weather
This development area focuses on improved weather information
systems and maintenance technologies for all types of weather
conditions. Accurate road and weather information can mean the
difference between life and death.
Example projects include the Greater Yellowstone Weather and
Traveler Information System and the U.S. DOT Field Operation Test
called FORETELL. The Greater Yellowstone Weather and Traveler
Information System will develop and integrate the SAFE-PASSAGE mountain
pass pavement temperature prediction model, and a road and weather
condition information system that delivers trip-specific weather
forecast and road reports via cellular telephone by dialing #SAFE in
North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and soon Montana and Nebraska.
The #SAFE system will provide road and weather information 40 to 60
miles (or 1-1\1/2\ hours travel time) ahead of the direction of travel.
The #SAFE system has been used by over 300,000 motorists, with a
monthly average of 16,000 per month and the median use of the system is
25 times per year, mostly in the winter. A recent survey found that 94
percent of the users of the system found it beneficial.
The second project, FORETELL, is also a multi-state public-private
partnership which brings together all available weather data sources,
including satellites, radars, and surface sites including National
Weather Service Department of Defense, aviation and conventional DOT
road-weather information stations to create nowcasts and forecasts. The
FORETELL project is initially targeted as an internet maintenance
management tool but later will be expanded to provide traveler
information. The States involved in the FHWA project include Iowa,
Missouri, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
3. what are the future needs?
While there have been success stories as highlighted by my previous
testimony there are some very real gaps and opportunities that must be
addressed. To date, U.S. DOT has predominantly concentrated on urban
ITS and discounted the need to address rural challenges in any
realistic programmatic level. To quote one DOT Chief Engineer, ``the
highest use is not necessarily the highest need.'' Prevailing attitudes
must change if rural challenges are to be addressed. The time to
address rural needs has arrived and we need Federal leadership and
commitment. The following recommendations are proposed from rural ITS
constituents around the country including myself.
3.1 Conduct Outreach and Professional Capability Building Seminars
Rural stakeholders have little understanding or conceptualization
of how advanced technologies can impact their daily lives; the phrase
``ITS'' is unknown to most organizations beyond DOTs. In fact, because
ITS has been so frequently described as a congestion management tool,
the word ``ITS'' is best not used in a rural environment because of the
images that may come to mind. While outreach has occurred it has only
taken place as a result of various national leaders in the field, and
not any planned Federal initiative. In the last year a variety of
outreach materials (e.g. ITS America's State-of the-ARTS document,
Rural ITS Toolbox, ARTS CD Outreach Presentation materials,
incorporating rural needs into the National Architecture, Guidance
document) have been developed that can be used to perform outreach and
training to rural stakeholders. Given that Federal dollars to develop
Early Deployment Plans were only available to urban areas with
populations over 50,000 and guidelines exist that regionally
significant projects need to develop regional architecture, there
should be a commitment to provide outreach and training in rural areas
more than at just a statewide level. Also, it is important that these
outreach and professional capability building activities occur in rural
communities where stakeholders live rather than large urban centers.
3.2 Integrate Funding and Increase Awareness
In attempting to develop a rural ITS project one learns quickly
that Federal and State agencies are only concerned about their
individual mission rather than the crosscutting solutions. In essence,
each agency is ``stove-piped'' in their perspective and funding. Also,
Federal and State agencies are not aware of respective funding
opportunities to advise rural constituents. The process to initiate a
project from the Federal level is the same no matter the dollar amount.
While these issues may appear inconsequential they are the very real
institutional barriers that inhibit ITS deployment.
Rural areas have challenges that are aligned to more than just the
departments of transportation missions, including agencies such as
agriculture, health and human services, public safety, tele-
communications, tourism, and more. To integrate funding and increase
awareness of opportunities, it is recommended that a blue-ribbon
committee be formed to create a one-stop shopping process or even a
clearinghouse, develop an awareness program for rural funding
opportunities, review the project initiation approval process, and
determine if a block-grant approach may be more feasible for ITS
deployment that would horizontally cut-across Federal agencies. In fact
a model for this effort already exists at Federal Lands Highway Program
with the award-winning www.recreation.gov website. This website
received honors including the National Performance Review Hammer Award,
Government Executive magazine ``best Feds on the web'' award, and
Trailblazer award by E-Gov 2001 as outstanding example of government
best practice.
3.3 Improve Communications Coverage to Provide a Basic Level of
Detection, Increased Safety and Reduced Deployment Cost
Communication coverage is critical to achieve a level of detection
on rural highways to improve safety and lower installation deployment
costs. Currently, the times to detect, respond, and provide service at
an incident is typically twice that of an urban area. If we are to
manage our rural roadways in a safe and prudent manner then some level
of basic infrastructure to detect problems and a communication system
to transmit that data must be created and funded. Critical to the basic
level of detection needed is a communication backbone.
Second, the vision of Public Law 106-81 is to encourage and
facilitate the prompt deployment throughout the United States of a
seamless, ubiquitous, and reliable end-to-end infrastructure for
communications, including wireless communications, to meet the Nation's
public safety and other communication needs. Nowhere in America does
the congressional intent of the Wireless Communications and Public
Safety Act of 1999 hold more promise than in rural States. Rural States
record less than 25 percent of the 17 million annual car accidents but
these collisions result in 60 percent of all fatalities. Twenty-five
thousand Americans die each year on our rural highways because the
promise of the technology has yet to be fully realized. Emergency
medical personnel refer to the time immediately following a crash as
the ``Golden Minutes and Golden Hour.'' It is estimated that 40 percent
of all 911 call are cellular based. Given that rural America has large
pockets of ``dead zones'' (no cellular wireless service), a new or
improved model will need to be developed to increase communications
coverage. This new model may be similar to the Rural Utility Service
but at a minimum it may require a Federal subsidization for private
carriers that cannot achieve the return on investment that the high
volume urban subscriber models deliver. If ITS deployment is going to
be achieved and a ``seamless'' transportation system envisioned then
communication coverage must be addressed in rural America.
Third, by providing the communication coverage (wireless/wireline)
the installation cost of ITS deployment will be reduced thereby
allowing an increased number of solutions. As previously highlighted in
the Washington DOT example of 30 miles communication cable for one
closed circuit television camera, it is unrealistic to have this as the
norm.
3.4 Develop Regional Projects and Partnerships
Travelers do not see the jurisdictional State boundaries as they
plan or complete trips, nor do they care, and yet most ITS projects are
developed with only a single State in mind. While there are a handful
of truly regional scale initiatives such as the Greater Yellowstone
project (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho), California--Oregon Advanced
Transportation System, CANAMEX Corridor (Canada, Montana, Idaho,
Nevada, Arizona, Mexico), I-95 Corridor Coalition, Gary-Milwaukee-
Chicago Corridor, they are limited. Regional scale projects focused on
the travel sheds that motorists use need to address a national system
and to encourage public-private partnerships to develop the economies
of scale needed to minimize risk.
3.5 Implement Regional Servers for Data and Information Exchange
Between Stakeholder Groups
Central to any architecture developed for rural projects across the
country is the need and ability to exchange data and information. Many
States are implementing internet based solutions and developing virtual
``traffic management centers'' because they realize a decentralized
information collection and dissemination process that includes all
stakeholder groups (transit, tourism, public safety, fleet mangers,
National Parks, Native Americans) is more critical to manage the
transportation system in rural America. To accelerate the ability to
exchange data and information to provide for communication, cooperation
and coordination, funds should be allocated to implement regional
``internet'' based servers throughout the 50 States.
3.6 Increase Research Funding and Provide for More Adaptive Standards
Because the majority of deployment has been done as a result of
State lead efforts rather than Federal, and because State DOT's tend to
be more concerned about implementation than evaluation (or they
intuitively know the benefits), there has been only a marginal amount
of research as to the quantified benefits of rural ITS. If ITS is to be
accepted by rural communities and eventually mainstreamed as a viable
solution, the benefits of ITS applications need to be known before
considering more traditional measures (e.g. widening the road versus
dynamic speed warning system). Funding for research, specifically
targeted for rural ITS, should be set aside to allow for a more robust
evaluation of current and planned deployment.
Standards are developed to allow for ITS deployment
interoperability. While this is a general goal that everyone can agree
with, many in the rural community feel that it should be accelerated
and that there should be flexibility to allow for a rural needs to be
addressed and not a ``one size fits all'' mentality that is aligned
with the requirement of larger urban center requirements.
3.7 Create a Rural Model Deployment Initiative
To date, the majority of rural ITS planning and deployment has been
the initiative of individual States. If the U.S. DOT truly wants to
take a leadership role, then an opportunity I recommend would be to
create a Rural Model Deployment Initiative similar to the Metropolitan
Model Deployment Initiative, but concentrated on a more regional/rural
scale as discussed previously. It should be noted that Rural Model
Deployment Initiative can be similar to the Metropolitan Model
Deployment Initiative, but it will fail if one attempts to take the
applications from urban and just apply them to rural. This new
Initiative may need to be more cross-cutting in determining how
technology can assist several organizations in performing their day-to-
day activities rather than just one organization. An example may
include the use of Automatic Vehicle Location systems for the combined
needs of transit, maintenance fleets, public safety fleets, and
ambulances.
3.8 Build on Successful Tourism Partnerships to Create Jobs
Tourism is the economic engine of rural America! To allow ITS to be
more effective the focus and attention toward tourism partners that may
ultimately be the implementers of ITS must be increased to spur
economic activity and create jobs. It should be noted that at this time
while traveler information systems have been found effective in
providing information, it is unknown to what extent they contribute to
increase economic activity, but it appears plausible.
In closing, while there are isolated success stories that can be
highlighted, there are still many challenges yet to be addressed. In
keeping to the rural spirit, the Subcommittee and U.S. DOT have an
opportunity to be ``pioneers'' in making a renewed rural ITS
commitment. As we like to say in the West--Our forefathers were
pioneers, not settlers!