Acting FHWA Administrator - Rick Capka
12th ITS World Congress on Intelligent Transportation
Opening Plenary Session,
November 7, 2005
Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, California
ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS ITS...
I want to be very clear.
The Bush Administration views ITS as critical to saving lives and improving
transportation mobility. The U.S. is a strong supporter of ITS.
This is an exciting time for us in the U.S. highway community. Major multi-year
surface transportation legislation was passed and signed by President
Bush last August. The Act -- SAFETEA-LU -- means record investment in highways,
safety and transit. We have important policy changes that are already
helping us tackle congestion.
The legislation also provides strong funding for the ITS Program -- it
allows us to expand existing programs and develop new programs and
policies that will significantly improve system management and operations.
PROGRAMS & POLICIES
Key among the new programs:
- A real-time management information network and nationwide deployment
of 511 traveler information services.
Thanks to efforts by the 511 Coalition led by the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the American Public
Transit Association, and ITS America, we have more than 20 operational systems
in place.
By the end of 2006, we expect that more than 50 per cent of our nation’s
population will have access to 511. Travelers will have up-to-the minute
information on traffic plus help choosing alternate routes to avoid
congestion.
I’ll be in Florida next week to help launch their new statewide 511
service.
- Another key program -- An expanded tolling effort ranging from
the mainstreaming of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes to new managed
lane programs. These programs will foster public-private partnerships,
provide congestion relief, and spur applications of ITS technology.
New policies include:
- A requirement for explicit consideration of system management
and operations strategies as part of the transportation planning
process in metropolitan areas. This cements ITS into the planning
process.
- New innovative financing rules encourage more public private partnerships
and better taps the expertise of the private sector. We'll complete
needed projects sooner. And those projects will, of course, consider
ITS from the first planning meeting.
ONGOING INITIATIVES
More than a year before SAFETEA-LU, U.S. DOT's ITS program was reorganized
to focus resources on major efforts that have a clear federal role and that
offer the most promise to improve safety, mobility and productivity.
We are making progress on:
- New ways to manage congestion in urban corridors,
- More accurate and timely road weather information,
- Enhanced communication during emergencies, especially evacuations,
- Increased accessibility for the disabled and disadvantaged, and,
- Support for efficient movement of freight through ports and across
borders.
We are well along on all of these major initiatives and you will hear more
about them during this conference.
RELIEVING CONGESTION
All these steps and more are needed because the single most pressing
issue for the surface transportation community is solving the congestion
problem. For drivers -- our customers -- congestion is their biggest
headache.
It's what people talk about when they finally get to work . . . it's
why all-news radio stations in major U.S. cities give traffic reports
every ten minutes, all day long. (And why 511 is welcomed in communities
across America.) For our economy, congestion is the enemy of productivity,
efficiency, and global commerce.
ITS is all about making the best, most efficient use of our existing
network -- fighting congestion by making the best use of what we have.
We’ve made great strides these past fourteen years in advancing
the development and deployment of ITS technologies such as traffic
management systems, advanced signal control, electronic toll collection,
automated collision notification, and traveler information systems.
Now ITS is ready to take a significant leap forward through the deployment
of vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to roadside communication. This is
the promise of vehicle infrastructure integration -- or VII.
Through the VII initiative we have the opportunity to significantly
improve safety by deploying advanced crash avoidance systems where
vehicles and infrastructure work cooperatively to protect travelers.
VII also allows us to manage and operate the transportation network
through wireless connections, giving system operators the ability to
quickly respond to disruptions . . . and users real-time travel conditions
on major roadways.
PARTNERSHIPS ARE VITAL
While the USDOT has an important leadership role in advancing VII
and other ITS technology, we cannot succeed alone.
Partnerships with state and local governments and cooperation with
industry and stakeholders are vital to success . . . As are global
partnerships and information sharing fostered through annual World
Congresses.
- We must share best practices around the world.
- We must push technology from research into deployment, and from
deployment into widespread use.
That’s the ITS route to making transportation safer and more
reliable.
DOT AT WORLD CONGRESS
The importance that the Bush administration places on ITS and on
the ITS World Congress is evident by our strong participation.
I invite you to presentations by:
- Jackie Glassman, NHTSA Acting Administrator, at tomorrow’s
plenary session. She will highlight the safety aspects of our ITS
program, and,
- Ashok Kavesheswar, Research and Innovative Technology Administration
(RITA) Administrator, at Thursday’s closing plenary session.
He will look toward the future and how we will continue to advance
ITS in the United States and globally.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Innovative Mobility
Showcase at SBC Park and was impressed by the wide range of technologies
on display. These demonstrations show what is possible today, and showcase
the potential for the future. I encourage each of you to take the time
to visit.
In addition, I encourage you to stop by the USDOT booth in the exhibit
hall and the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative display and demonstration
at SBC Park to learn more about our programs and to exchange ideas
with our staff.
ITS SHOWS THE WAY
Next June, the U.S. will mark the 50 th anniversary of our Interstate
Highway System. Building this 46,000-mile network of limited access,
divided highways was a tremendous achievement. Now that the system
is largely complete, we must keep it in good repair, expand at choke
points wherever we can, and most important, manage it better .
ITS shows us the way . . . and the next four days of the 12 th World
Congress will point us intelligently on our
journey.
|