Intelligent Transportation Systems are techniques and methods for relieving congestion, improving road and transit safety, and increasing economic productivity. During the last few decades, there have been rapid advances in information and communications technology. Many transit agencies have employed a number of these different technologies in order to supplement or enhance the transportation services they offer to the public. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) encompass a variety of different technology based systems.
These are divided into two categories.
Intelligent infrastructure systems
- Intelligent infrastructure systems
- Arterial Management
- Freeway Management
- Transit Management
- Incident Management
- Emergency Management
- Electronic Payment & Pricing
- Traveler Information
- Information Management
- Crash Prevention & Safety
- Roadway Operations & Maintenance
- Road Weather Management
- Commercial Vehicle Operations
- Intermodal Freight
Intelligent vehicle systems
- Collision Avoidance Systems
- Driver Assistance Systems
- Collision Notification Systems
For more information on ITS in general, please visit: http://www.its.dot.gov/
The Federal Transit Administration and ITS
The Federal Transit Administration supports the use of ITS to further enhance public transportation service in the United States, which it does through the ITS Transit Program.
The mission of the FTA’s ITS Transit Program is to support America’s public transportation systems by leading the innovative development and application of ITS technologies through research, operational tests/deployments, evaluation, training, and outreach. FTA supports this mission in coordination and cooperation with the transit industry.
Program Goals
The primary goals of the ITS Transit Program include:
- Support overall USDOT and FTA goals
- Safety: Enhance public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation related deaths and injuries
- Mobility: Increase the ability of all to travel by public transportation quickly, reliably, and comfortably to their desired destinations, and also when they would like to travel.
- Efficiency: Provide efficient transportation services that make the most productive short and long-term use of Federal transit funds and overall transit resources.
- Economic Growth & Trade: Facilitate a more efficient domestic and global transportation system that enables economic growth and development
- Environmental Stewardship: Promote transportation solutions that enhance communities and protect the natural and man made environment.
- Security: Provide a safe and secure transportation system that is prepared for and responds to emergencies and natural disasters, and that balances homeland and national security requirements with the mobility needs of the nation.
- Organizational Excellence: Provide effective and efficient implementation, management, and oversight of the ITS Transit Program through quality people and processes.
- Resolve issues regarding the development, implementation, and operation ITS Transit systems and their Integration
- Deployment of increasingly integrated systems (from within a single agency/mode, to all transit modes, to the complete transportation system) in order to provide mobility and meet the transportation needs for all
- Remove the technological barriers to using ITS Transit to provide seamless reliable, integrated transit services and transportation systems in general
- Remove the institutional barriers to using ITS Transit to provide seamless reliable, integrated transit services and transportation systems in general
- National ITS Architecture Consistency Policy for Transit Projects
- Integrated Corridor Management (ICM)