Summary: The Department of Transportation has received $1.3 billion to promote the use of computers and telecommunications technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of surface transportation. The wide array of intelligent transportation system technologies includes automated toll collection systems that eliminate the need for vehicles to stop at toll booths, real-time information on traffic conditions and transit schedules for travelers, and automated traffic management systems that can adjust traffic signals to respond to real-time traffic conditions. This report discusses (1) how the Department has changed the focus of the intelligent transportation systems program since Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991; (2) progress in deploying integrated intelligent transportation systems and the key factors affecting deployment, including the status of the national architecture and technical standards; and (3) the ways in which the federal government can facilitate the deployment of intelligent transportation systems.
