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What is it?
The U.S. DOT implemented the Advanced Rural Transportation System
(ARTS) program to meet the needs of travelers in and through rural
areas as well as of the agencies responsible for the operation and
maintenance of rural transportation systems. "Rural" is
defined as those areas that do not have the same access to resources
and infrastructure elements as major metropolitan areas. Rural areas
can include farm/ranch land, national parks, isolated small communities,
suburbs outlying urban centers that do not have access to some of
the urban-based services such as regular transit, dedicated emergency
services, full coverage communications networks, abundant power
supplies, etc.
78.5% mileage traveled is rural
39.4% of vehicle miles traveled is in rural areas
68.4% crash fatalities occur on rural highways
source: FHWA Highway Statistics, 1998, Rural versus Urban Highway
Statistics
Although many agencies in rural areas have not implemented ITS
technologies (partly because they believe they are too expensive),
the need for ITS in these regions of limited resources is significant.
Rural accident fatality rates are much higher than in urban areas;
fatal crashes are more prevalent in rural areas, and mile-for-mile
rural travelers are roughly 2.5 times more likely to be in a fatal
crash. Lack of mobility is also a major problem; 38% of the rural
population has no access to public transportation, and 1 in 14 rural
households are without a private vehicle. Additionally, there are
limited telecommunications systems in rural areas, making incident
management and traveler information dissemination difficult. The
ARTS program is designed to meet such information, mobility, and
safety needs and to promote the application of ITS technologies
in rural areas.
Key Results
Rural ITS Services and Technologies
Listed below are the primary ITS applications used in rural settings.
Many of these technologies can be found elsewhere in this website.
Please follow the links provided for more information on individual
services and technologies.
- Emergency Services - include services provided by law
enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services, and
related organizations. For instance, law enforcement vehicles
are equipped with laptop computers and in-car portable printers
to automate accident-related reports and traffic citations; GPS
is also integrated into to the system to geo-code each incident
into a central database.
- Tourism and Travel Information - provides traveler
information such as weather
information, route advisories, and information on road closures.
Technologies include highway
advisory radio (HAR), in-vehicle
route guidance, smart card payment systems, and variable
message signs (VMS).
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- SAFE Passage in Bozeman, MT provides
en-route traveler information via VMS, HAR, and cell phone.
- Greater Yellowstone provides info
to tourists through information kiosks and variable message
sign.
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- Orgeon's Trip
Check:Travel information
website that provides incident maps that show where incidents
occur and the expected delays; a custom cam page that allows
the user to view particular segments of the roadway; a mileage
calculator for trip estimations; and localized weather information.
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- Rural Transit and Mobility - provides services that improve
transportation access services (i.e. paratransit) to rural costumers.
| Project: |
- The Cape Cod Advanced Public Transportation System is
an application of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
to fixed-route and paratransit operations in a rural transit
setting. The purpose of the project is to apply ITS technologies
that will improve transportation services for the residents
of rural Cape Cod as well as for visitors to the region.
The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) fleet includes
approximately 85 vehicles, and the service area covers 400
square miles. CCRTA's operations include an extensive dial-a-ride
paratransit service, regional fixed routes, several community
bus services, and seasonal village trolleys.
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- Crash Prevention and Security - helps drivers avoid
crashes and reduces crash severity by implementing mayday systems,
road weather information systems, highway advisory radio, emergency
vehicle preemption, and animal detection/deterrence.
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- Animal Detection/Deterrence: There are 726,000 animal/vehicle
crashes every year (Conover, M.R., Wildlife Society Bulletin,
1997). Animal detection/deterrence systems include fencing
off areas to deter animal presence and controlling the feeding
of animals within an area to minimize their population growth.
- California Dynamic Speed Warning System uses an LED variable
message sign to display current driver speed.
- The Dynamic Downhill Warning System in Denver, a city
that has about twenty runaway trucks and fifteen truck-related
crashed each year, includes sensors that detect truck presence
and a variable message sign that displays an advisory message
before a steep grade.
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- Operations and Maintenance - includes monitoring of roadway
conditions, public fleet management, etc. Projects include computer-aided
dispatch, collision warning devices, automated deicing system,
lane positioning devices, and intelligent snow plows.
- Surface Transportation and Weather - provides en-route
advisory information about road weather conditions.
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- Nevada Wind Warning System includes a road weather information
system (RWIS) that monitors sustained wind and wind gusts
and broadcasts warnings to travelers on variable message
signs.
- FORETELL is a multi-state initiative covering the Upper
Mississippi Valley region that collects, forecasts, and
distributes highly specific road weather information that
is pertinent to highway and trucking professionals, transit
operators, long-distance travelers, and all other road users.
- Frontier Fog Warning System - This automated system consists
of nine permanent Variable Message Signs (VMS), nine weather
stations, and thirty-six speed monitor locations. It automatically
advises travelers, via the VMS, of speeds that would be
safe for conditions ahead.
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Benefits
| Safety |
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- Road weather maintenance helps prevent weather-related
incidents.
- Fewer crashes result when drivers are aware of delays
or incidents upstream.
- Emergency services can more easily locate and manage accidents.
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| Mobility |
- Residents of rural districts can travel more easily due
to improved public transit services.
- Tourists can more easily locate and access points of interest.
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Costs
Costs vary depending upon the application. For more information,
please see http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov.
Implementation Challenges
- Rural agencies may be resistant to implementing ITS in their
districts due to perceived high costs.
- New telecommunication systems need to be installed in less populated
rural areas.
- Maintenance of ITS technologies located in more isolated areas
may be difficult.
Where is it Implemented?
In rural areas across the U.S.
Links
Excellent
slide show about ITS applications in rural settings:
National
Rural ITS Activities Update 2003 - provides information on recent
ITS applications in rural areas.
ITS
America Rural ITS Page
US
DOT ITS Rural Applications
Current
Rural ITS Projects in California
ITS
Best Practices
Author: Lauren Smith
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