Report: U.S. transportation more than just concrete

MANHASSET, N.Y. — In contrast to countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, the United States lags in aggregate intelligent transportation systems deployment, according to a report to be released Wednesday (Jan. 27).

The specific deficiencies are in providing real-time traffic information by governmental transportation agencies; progress on vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle integration; adoption of computerized traffic signals; and maximizing the effectiveness of its already-installed ITS systems.

The report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation calls for intelligent transportation systems to be a critical component of the more than $500 billion being proposed for rebuilding the nation's surface transportation infrastructure.

Just as the building of the Interstate required strong and sustained federal leadership in the last century, so too does transforming the U.S. surface transportation through ITS.

Specific policy recommendations include:

Significantly increase funding for ITS at the federal level, by $2.5 to $3 billion annually, including funding for large-scale demonstration projects, deployment, and the ongoing operations and maintenance of already deployed ITS systems.

The next surface transportation authorization bill should include $1.5 to $2 billion annually in funding for the deployment of large-scale ITS demonstration projects.

The next surface transportation authorization bill should provide dedicated, performance-based funding of $1 billion for states to implement existing ITS systems and to provide for ongoing operations, maintenance, and training for already-deployed ITS systems at the state and regional levels.

The report states that implementation of intelligent transportation systems in the United States varies immensely by state and region, thus tending to be sporadic, isolated, incremental, and for example, "unlike Japan's Smartway, not connected into a nationally integrated intelligent transportation system."

It concludes that the future of transportation lies not only in concrete and steel, but also in the implementation of technology, specifically a network of sensors, microchips, and communication devices that collect and disseminate information about the functioning of the transportation system.

The full report can be read here.