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Volpe Center Experts participate in 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) - Several Volpe Center staff members participated and presented papers at the 12th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in San Francisco November 6 - 10, 2005. The theme for this year's conference "Enabling Choices in Transportation" reflects an emphasis on the end-user in transportation.

A summary of Volpe Center participation is given here, and more information can be obtained by contacting individual authors.

Presentations

• "Lessons Learned about ITS Technologies from a Series of Studies on Catastrophic Events and Transportation System Management" by Mr. Allan DeBlasio of the Planning and Policy Analysis Division

  The Volpe Center has conducted six case studies for the USDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office on the effects of catastrophic events on transportation systems. In each case, portions of the installed ITS suffered damage or failed during the event. This presentation highlights the need for ITS during and after an emergency, describes the kinds of problems encountered, and offers a summary of lessons learned from the case studies. In sum, there are measures that agency management and staff can take to minimize the amount of disruption in service.

• "Driver Satisfaction with an Urban Arterial after Installation of an Adaptive Signal System" by Ms. Margaret Petrella of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division

  In support of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, the Volpe Center conducted a before-and-after customer satisfaction survey of drivers on an urban arterial roadway treated with an adaptive traffic signal system. Adaptive signal timing automatically adjusts signal timings in real-time based on current traffic conditions. The objective of the study was to develop and test a methodology for measuring customer satisfaction with roadway quality. In addition, the study would provide reliable data on whether the adaptive signal system resulted in increased driver satisfaction along the route that was studied. Drivers were asked to rate their satisfaction with a number of different aspects of their driving experience, both before and after deployment of the new system. A control group was also used, whereby a panel of drivers was surveyed on a comparable corridor where there was no ITS deployment. The study findings attest to the robustness of the method developed to measure driver satisfaction with their roadway experience. However, the study did not find an increase in driver satisfaction resulting from the adaptive signal system.

• "Reinventing Workforce Capacity Building Strategies in ITS - Creating a New Dynamic for Continuous Learning" co-authored by Mr. Ron Giguere, USDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program Coordinator and Ms. Suzanne Sloan of the Volpe Center's Service and Operations Assessment Division.

  The presentation summarizes how the ITS PCB Program will address the learning needs of transportation practitioners in ITS over the next five years, and how the program will continue to meet the changing needs of its customers. The program recognizes that practitioners need better access to learning opportunities to ensure that they have the ability to build the necessary knowledge and skills when needed. The ITS PCB Program intends to meet this challenge by further expanding delivery methods beyond the conventional classroom-training model. Training content must also be repackaged into directly accessible learning tools, and integrated with technical assistance resources so that the ITS practitioner can find the right combination of resources.

• "Metropolitan Transit ITS Adoption in the United States" by Ms. Sari Radin, Acting Chief, Economic and Industry Analysis Division

  This presentation describes a survey of urban transit agencies designed to determine what Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) or ITS technologies these agencies have deployed or plan to deploy. This summary information is designed to be useful to both governmental agencies and the private sector. It provides an overview of the current deployment and reflects possible interest in additional purchase of technology systems. The data, which was collected during the summer and fall of 2004 through an Internet survey, is compared to that collected in similar surveys in previous years.

Workshops

Ms. Jane Lappin, of the Economic and Industry Analysis Division, participated in an international workshop on the future of urban transport. The meeting was organized by Transport for London to hear the views of, and initiate discussion with, major cities, international suppliers, motor manufacturers, and recognized national experts. The workshop was intended to foster relationship building between major cities to encourage innovation on traffic systems worldwide.

In addition, Ms. Lappin, in her role as chairman of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) International Benefits, Evaluation, and Costs working group, produced a one-day workshop entitled "An International Tour of ITS Costs, Evaluations, and Benefits," which took place as part of the conference. IBEC is an international working Group for the ITS community to facilitate the exchange of information and techniques used to evaluate the costs and benefits of Intelligent Transportation Systems throughout the World. This workshop provided ITS program managers and evaluators from the United States, Scotland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkey, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, and England with an opportunity to present lessons learned, discussing their successes, failures, and future plans for achieving their program goals. As part of that workshop, Ms. Lappin chaired sessions on vehicle-infrastructure integration and traveler information services, and Ms. Leisa Moniz, of the Infrastructure Protection and Operations Division organized a panel of international experts addressing electronic fee payment. Further, Ms. Lappin chaired a special session on the issues related to the introduction of ITS in developing countries and economies in transition.

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