development of technology which will enable inter-vehicle communication which w ill lead to a more uniformly distributed traffic along

all routes. BRT corridors offer flexibility since a normal vehicle can also run on that trac k, when required, hence can be helpful in providing a faster track to Ambulances , Fire trucks and School Buses.

Urbanisation can cause problems such as transport congestion, lack of sufficient housing, over-rapid growth and environmental degradation. Many cities display p articularly sharp inequalities in housing provision, health and employment. Some people try to escape these problems by moving away from the city - a proces s called counter-urbanisation. Long term, however, the solution must be to make cities more sustainable. Causes of urbanisation Urbanisation means an increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas. An urban area is a built-up area such as a town or cit y. A rural area is an area of countryside. As a country industrialises, the number of people living in urban areas tends to increase.

Operational Solutions to Traffic Congestion Making the most of the highways already in place is one strategy for relieving g ridlock. Congestion occurs during longer portions of the day and delays more travelers an d goods than ever before," says The 2004 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) in September 2004. The TTI report notes tha t the average annual delay per peak traveler has gone from 16 hours in 1982 to 4 6 hours in 2002, or nearly tripled in the last 20 years. This equates to more th an an average by Jeff Paniati 40-hour work week per year spent in congestion dur ing peak travel times. "Congestion costs are increasing. The total congestion 'invoice' for the 85 area s [studied] in 2002 was $63 billion, an increase from $61 billion in 2001. The 3 .5 billion hours of delay and 5.7 billion gallons of fuel consumed due to conges tion are only the elements that are easiest to estimate. The effect of uncertain or longer delivery times, missed meetings, business relocations, and other cong estion results are not included." Although the causes of congestion are many and varied, the U.S. Department of Tr ansportation Highway Statistics indicates that, over the last 20 years or so, ne arly twice as many miles are driven today on a road system that has increased in s ize by only 5 percent. Such heavy demand, coupled with temporary reductions in c apacity resulting from causes such as crashes and work zones, are making traveli ng increasingly costly and frustrating. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA ) has identified congestion as one of three priority areas, along with safety an d environmental stewardship and streamlining, known as the agency's "vital few" priority areas.

Traffic congestion need not be the normal state of affairs. In addition to tradi tional efforts, an increased focus of DBKK and JKR is the development and promot ion of transportation systems management and operations. Better management and o perations will not replace the need to build new roads or add transit capacity w here appropriate, but they make the most of the infrastructure already in place. Similar to keeping an existing car in peak operating condition rather than buyi ng a new one, operational strategies can be less expensive and quicker to implem ent than infrastructure-building projects, and can be very effective in reducing congestion and stretching infrastructure performance. Transportation systems management and operations strategies have two overarching requirements. First is the need for institutional change through the reorientat ion of operations agencies from construction to management of the transportation system, plus collaboration and cooperation by traditional and nontraditional pl ayers (such as public safety agencies) in the workings of the transportation sys tem. The second change is the development and deployment of 21st-century technol ogies, otherwise known as intelligent transportation systems (ITS), to improve t he capability of agencies to manage the transportation system and the ability of travelers and commercial carriers to make informed choices about when and how t o travel. incident management, work zones, weather management systems, freight transportat ion, and traditional traffic operations Overview of the Congestion Problem It is no secret that large urban areas suffer the most from congestion. But less well known is the fact that smaller urban areas now are suffering the same degr ee of congestion as the largest urban areas did in the early 1980s, and this tre nd will most likely continue if changes are not implemented. Congestion studies show that about half of traffic delay is nonrecurring, attrib utable to temporary disruptions of the transportation system like traffic incide nts, work zones, poor weather, and special events. The other half is recurring c ongestion, delay that occurs in the same place at the same time day after day. The reasons for the increase in driving are varied and complex. They include, am ong others, growth in the size of the population and workforce, growth in motor vehicle ownership and affordability of use, growth in commuting to work alone, l ack of transit availability because of urban sprawl, and changing patterns of la nd use. The rush period has worsened to some extent as a result of the increasin g prevalence of chaining nonwork trips, such as picking up children and grocery shopping, with the commute. This development in turn is partly the result of the increasing numbers of double-wage earners in the workforce and the relative eas e with which extra trips can be made with the availability and use of automobile s for work trips. Although chaining trips together reduces overall vehicle miles traveled and is good for the environment and efficiency, when it occurs during peak periods, it tends to add to the congestion rather than diminish it. Freight movements too have grown with rising incomes and because just-in-time lo gistical arrangements often require smaller but more frequent deliveries. For both passengers and freight, it is not only travel delay that matters but al so the reliability of the system. Reliable travel times are critical to truckers who serve just-in-time manufacturing and distribution systems and carry other t ime-sensitive shipments. Reliability is an issue with travelers, because they ar e often forced to schedule extra time to reach their destinations whether they a ctually encounter congestion along the way or not. Just the threat of travel del ay is enough to persuade people to make adjustments.

Strategies to Mitigate Congestion DBKK and JKR is committed to a long-term, comprehensive, four-part approach to m itigating highway congestion. The first component is the proper maintenance of t he current road and bridge system. Proper maintenance lengthens the life of an a sset and is less costly and disruptive in the long run than major rebuilding. Mo reover, proper maintenance usually will prevent the travel problems associated w ith poor pavement and bridge conditions, including potholes and weight restricti ons. Second, DBKK and JKR believes that new construction of roads, bridges, and nonhi ghway infrastructure should be considered where appropriate, particularly to rel ieve bottlenecks and to reduce conflicts between modes. (The Alameda Corridor pr oject in southern California, for instance, eliminated 200 highway-rail grade cr ossings, reducing delay for cars and trucks and speeding rail transportation.) Third, transportation policies must encourage an appropriate balance between dif ferent modes, with highways seen as an integral element of the transportation sy stem as a whole. In some places, agencies might relieve highway congestion by de veloping alternatives such as public transportation. For the transportation of f reight, alternatives may mean promoting the use of a rail option in certain corr idors. Fourth, transportation systems management and operations strategies must be used to maximize the capacity of the infrastructure already in place. More efficient operation of the highway network can be a successful approach to addressing con gestion. The increased focus on operations has two interrelated elements: creati ng a new culture within the agencies responsible for managing and operating the transportation system and deploying new technology to help operators and travele rs.

Highway Agency of the 21st Century A Culture Shift Historically, highway agencies have focused their attention on building and main taining road infrastructure. Less attention has been paid to operating the road system to provide the highest level of service. With increasing road congestion, the expense and difficulty of building new facilities, and the need for safe an d secure highways, this view has begun to change. The highway community is comin g to recognize how operational strategies including traffic control and enforcemen t, incident and emergency management, ice and snow removal, and the deployment o f ITS technologies can make a major difference in how a highway system performs. DBKK and JKR believes that the transportation agency of the 21st century must ma ke a culture shift to integrate management and operations into transportation so lutions. The agency must be customer focused and performance driven, with a syst ems approach, realtime and proactive management, and around-the-clock operations . It will have six characteristics. First, a transportation agency needs to understand who its customers are (reside nts, tourists, workers, businesses, freight companies) and their needs. The agen cy recognizes that travelers care about the quality and reliability of their tri ps from end-to-end, regardless of what agency or jurisdiction "owns" the roadway . Agencies need to obtain feedback from their customers and be responsive to the ir travel needs. They need to make sure that information about the performance o

f the transportation system is readily available, timely, and targeted to the ne eds of the customer. Second, performance of the transportation system is the key metric. Today the tr ansportation community largely measures performance by the condition of the phys ical system. Increasingly, operating performance measures such as reliability an d delay are becoming the important determinants of how well the system is meetin g the needs of customers. Third, an agency concerned about improving operations requires a regional and in tegrated systems approach to managing the performance of the transportation netw ork. A regional view transcends city, county, and State boundaries and system ow nership. The result is more focus on the operation of the entire transportation system regardless of agency ownership. A systems approach also refers to the int egration of technical systems such as intelligent transportation systems within and across agencies. The performance of the transportation system is largely det ermined by the ability of agencies to work cooperatively by sharing data and coo rdinating responsibility. Fourth, a key to virtually every congestion mitigation strategy is real-time, or near real-time, information about what is happening on the roadway system, incl uding information on weather, incidents, speed, volume, work zones, and the like . This information can be shared with motorists to help them make their own deci sions about when, where, and how to travel, and the information can be shared wi th multiple agencies for faster coordination and more precise responses. Improve d information is also an asset to the freight community. Information on the loca tion of freight shipments helps carriers manage their fleets, helps manufacturer s control their inventory systems, and provides advance information to Federal a gencies concerned with trade facilitation and national security. Fifth, when agencies focused primarily on building roads, it was largely accompl ished during "typical" work hours 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Managing the syste m, however, requires being on the job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Delay can h appen any time, any place, and for many reasons. To be responsive to customers, successful operations agencies must develop the capability to conduct at least s ome functions around the clock. Finally, highway agencies that are focused on operations are proactive in antici pating and managing planned and unplanned transportation events. Planning for sp ecial events including signal-timing changes, signing, and traveler information is r outine. Monitoring weather forecasts allows for use of anti-icing tactics and qu ick broadcast of road closures and limitations. Planning for traffic impacts fro m work zones ensures minimizing of disruptions to travelers and businesses. And planning for highway incidents, natural disasters, and security-related emergenc ies reduces their effects and helps bring the system back to normal operation mo re quickly.

Technologies to Improve Transportation Operations Institutionally reorienting agencies from a construction philosophy to managemen t and operations of the transportation system is only part of the solution. Anot her dimension of improving highway operations is the development and deployment of 21st-century ITS technologies, which provide a way to collect and share infor mation about system conditions and the actions needed to keep people and freight moving. Transportation operators employ the information to decide how to use tr ansportation control devices like ramp meters and other resources such as deicin g trucks or emergency responders. Additionally, the information can be shared wi th travelers in a variety of ways, by message sign, phone, and the Internet, to

let them make their own decisions about when and how to travel. The synergy between various technologies is increasing every year as they become ever more widely available. For instance, the transportation community is looki ng at how vehicles in the future might be equipped with in-vehicle navigation sy stems that are able to receive realtime traffic information. Taken together, these technologies facilitate new ways of managing the transport ation system to improve its operation. The technologies by themselves do not add ress the problem of congestion, but they improve the transportation community's ability to operate the system and travelers to make their own decisions about tr aveling. The technologies generally can be grouped into six types. Information-Gathering Technologies. Surveillance and detection cameras, traffic sensors, vehicle probes, and infrastructure sensors collect information more tho roughly or more frequently than transportation professionals have been able to d o in the past. Information-Sharing Technologies. As personal portable technology matures, an ev er-increasing array of devices is available to share travel information. Today, variable message signs, highway advisory radio, the 511 number, Web sites, and s pecialized warning systems (such as fog warnings) are stationary technologies us ed routinely to share information with travelers. Control Technologies. Advanced traffic signal controls provide ways of remotely adjusting systems of signals to respond in real time to changing traffic demands . Other technologies that provide opportunities to control traffic in real time include lane control signals, ramp meters, transit signal priority, and variable speed limit signs. Vehicle-Based Technologies. From complex crash avoidance technologies to in-vehi cle guidance systems currently on the market, vehicle based technologies hold pr omise to improve safety dramatically and give travelers (including commercial dr ivers) meaningful information about travel conditions to help them avoid bottlen ecks and other potentially disruptive situations. Vehicle-to-Roadside-to-Home-Base Technologies. These technologies enable freight operators of commercial carriers to maintain contact via satellite systems and terrestrial-based systems with their fleets and the cargo they are moving. Vehic le-to roadside-to-home-base systems are expanding in use and experiencing lower per unit costs, and have the extra advantage of addressing security needs as wel l as productivity and safety needs. Payment Technologies. Electronic toll tags and "smart" cards for transit and par king are seeing rapid deployment. These technologies add efficiency to payment o perations and expedite traffic flow. Focusing on Near-Term Results As part of the program to reduce congestion, FHWA has identified a number of pro gram areas that are designed to advance system operations. The articles in this issue of PUBLIC ROADS and the Office of Operations Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/ operations contain more information on these program areas. FHWA's operations ef forts are organized around six strategies: Reducing Nonrecurring Congestion Reducing Recurring Congestion Improving Day-to-Day Operations

Building a Foundation for 21st- Century Systems Management and Operations Enhancing Freight Management and Operations Improving Emergency Transportation Management Reducing Nonrecurring Congestion This strategy involves the development and deployment of strategies mitigate traffic congestion due to causes such as crashes, disabled rk zones, adverse weather events, and planned special events. These temporary disruptions take away the use of part of the roadway and half of total congestion. designed to vehicles, wo nonrecurring cause about

The three main causes of nonrecurring congestion are incidents ranging from a fl at tire to an overturned hazardous material truck (25 percent of congestion), wo rk zones (10 percent), and weather (15 percent). Nonrecurring events dramaticall y reduce the available capacity and reliability of the entire transportation sys tem. This is the type of congestion that surprises motorists. They plan for a trip of 20 minutes and experience a trip of 40 minutes. Travelers and shippers are sens itive to the unanticipated disruptions to tightly scheduled personal activities and manufacturing distribution procedures. Aggressive management of temporary di sruptions, such as traffic incidents, work zones, weather, and planned special e vents (all four are FHWA program areas), can reduce impacts and return the syste m to full capacity. Reducing Recurring Congestion Roughly half of the congestion experienced by Americans happens virtually every day during peak travel periods. This recurring congestion results from there sim ply being more vehicles than roadways. The number of vehicles trying to use the highway system exceeds the available capacity. Reducing recurring congestion req uires the development and implementation of new technologies and new approaches for arterial management, corridor traffic management, travel demand management, and freeway management all FHWA program areas. Also necessary is convincing travel ers to make their trips at less congested times, on different modes, on less con gested routes, or through means such as telecommuting rather than traveling on t he highway system.

Improving Day-to-Day Operations Effective highway-based transportation consists of three component parts: buildi ng the infrastructure, preserving the infrastructure, and preserving the operati ng capacity by managing operations on a day-to-day basis. An integrated approach to managing the performance of the transportation network meets the end-to end travel needs of the customer. At its core, operations is the application of prog rams, technologies, and business processes that support the flow of vehicles, tr avelers, and goods on the existing transportation infrastructure. Many of these activities are not new to transportation professionals who operate their systems on a daily basis. The FHWA Office of Operation's efforts support activities to improve day-to-day operations through asset management, application of traffic c ontrol devices, and real-time traveler information, and FHWA's programs use traf fic analysis tools to improve understanding of problems and possible solutions. Building a Foundation For 21st-Century Systems Management and Operations Building a strong institutional foundation of partnerships is fundamental to sup porting 21st-century operations. Partnerships focus on convening a wide variety of stakeholders, including many that have not typically been involved before, su

ch as law enforcement and other emergency agencies. Included under the instituti onal partnerships are activities that cross functional and jurisdictional bounda ries, such as traffic incident management programs, real-time traveler informati on services, response to weather events, and emergency management. They all depe nd on collaboration, coordination, and communication to achieve optimum performa nce and thus truly benefit the traveling public. For the FHWA programs regional systems management and operations to be effective, th ose directly responsible for operating the transportation system must agree on m easures to assess performance, a concept for how the system should be operated o n a regional basis, and ways to make changes to achieve desired improvements in operating performance. Fundamental to building the foundation is measuring system performance. Performa nce measures, another FHWA program, provides the basic understanding of whether congestion, reliability, and other aspects of highway system performance are bec oming better or worse. The program also develops guidance for State and local tr ansportation agencies on meaningful measures of performance under a variety of o perating conditions. A more complete understanding of both recurring and nonrecu rring delay and the ability of operations strategies to reduce delay and improve reliability are needed to guide future investments in the highway system. The s aying "what gets measured is what gets done" applies to improving the performanc e of the highway system.

Enhancing Freight Management and Operations The transportation system is not only about moving people but also about moving goods. The smooth flow of freight is important to our Nation's economy and to ma intaining global connectivity. As demand for freight transportation grows, conce rns intensify about congestion, safety, and security. Freight shippers and carri ers are especially sensitive to travel delay, and increasingly, to unanticipated disruptions to tightly scheduled manufacturing production and distribution syst ems. FHWA's The Freight Story: A National Perspective on Enhancing Freight Trans portation indicates that the estimated cost of congestion to shippers and carrie rs is $25 to $200 per hour, depending on the product being carried. Unanticipate d disruptions may add significantly to these numbers. Ports and border crossings with their intense focus of activity and today's concern with security are espe cially vulnerable to delay and unanticipated disruptions.

Accordingly, FHWA's freight program focuses on promoting an efficient, safe, and secure intermodal freight transportation system. The agency conducts research a nd streamlines freight operations through freight analysis, freight size and wei ght policies, and intermodal freight technology. The FHWA freight professional d evelopment program assists transportation and planning professionals in developi ng the knowledge base and skills needed to do their jobs effectively to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Improving Emergency Transportation Management The surface transportation system is vital to the Nation's economy, defense, and quality of life. The need for ensuring the function and integrity of the U.S. s urface transportation system became clear following the events of September 11, 2001. Effective transportation operational strategies both during and after an e vent (manmade or natural) are key to safe and continuous movement of people and

goods during a national emergency. State and local transportation agencies play key roles in ensuring that the transportation network operates effectively in th e event of an emergency. Response begins the moment an event occurs, including assessment of the event an d what it means to the transportation system. The response may involve determini ng not only how to move people and goods, but also military deployments. Through out all daily activities, public safety and security must be considered by prepa ring for emergency transportation operations, which is another FHWA program. Conclusion Among the strategies that address congestion, reduce unexpected delays, and make the most of the Nation's existing investments, continued advancement of better transportation operations plays a critical role. Operating the system at its pea k efficiency and maximizing the available capacity hinge on reshaping transporta tion agencies to be customer focused and performance driven, while using systems approaches and real-time management on a 24/7 basis. Working together at the Fede ral, State, local, and association levels transportation agencies can create a cul ture that embraces management and operations as an integral and essential part o f delivering transportation services and reducing congestion. It is not a matter of "if," but a matter of "when." It will not happen overnight, and it will not happen through any single act. The transportation community can accelerate the s olution to congestion by being more aggressive in championing the need for trans portation systems management and operations, more aggressive in showing the bene fits of management and operations, and more aggressive in the deployment and use of traffic engineering, transportation management, and traveler information too ls.

4 core business imperatives Predict Demand, Optimise Capacity and Assets It means understanding and modelling a holistic view of demand across the transp ortation network. It means modelling scenerio and better planning routes, schedules and maintenanc e by optimising assets, infrastructure and capacity. It means creating dynamic multi module plans and modals and exceuting real time operations based on real time data. And it means gaining deeper insights into the utilisation of tranportation asset s and infrastructure. Improving the Customer Experience Dramatically improve the end-to-end traveler or customer experience whatever the mode of transportation. It means developing more loyal customers, who become advocates to increase reven ues and shares. It means reducing cost and differentiating customer service. It meand optimising capacity to meet demands and reduce delays. It means better serving passengers which includes collabarating with adjacent se rvice providers by anticipating and caring to their needs throughout their journ eys. And it means better serving freight customer by providing them with transparent inter model transport and real time status and condition information. Enhance Operational Efficiency While Reducing Environmental Impact Whatever the mode of transportation

It means increasing the extended transportation network capacity without increas ing spend by using current infrastructure and assets including collabarating wit h adjacent service and infratsructure providers. It means increasing the ability to deal with irregular operations across the tra nsportation network and modes. It means saving money and time by knowing the location, status and availability of assets, reducing total resource uses and carbon footprint enterprise wide. And it means modelling the financial impact of business decision, streamlining p lanning and monitoring performance to maximise revenue, margins and cashflow. Assure Safety and Security whatever the mode of transportation It means predicting and avoiding vehicle failure. It means reducing congestion and accidents by balancing traffic across routes an d modes. It means better managing security uniformaly across the transportation network w ith reduce cost while protecting the privacy of individuals. And it means improving reliability and and up time by optimising the supply chai n and maintenance, repair and operation processes. As we move into the age of the globally integrated and intelligent economy, soci ety and planet, it's time we make transportation smarter.

people depend on transportation wheather by land, air or ovement of passengers and freight across town and across factor that effects the availability of food, clothing, s to work, school and health care, economic vitality and

sea for survival. The m the globe is a critical shelter and fuel, acces quality of life.

As we continue to move more people and things than every before, demands on tran sportation providers will increase. the need for progress is clear. we must move towards smarter transportation. Tra nsportation that is more instrumented, interconnected and intelligent. Transportation providers who want to survive and strive, will need a smarter app roach that enables them to predict demand and optimise transportation capacity a nd assets, dramatically improve the end-to-end customer experience, improve oper ational efficency, while reducing enviromental impact and assure safety and secu rity.

Featured Vocabulary congestion the state of being overcrowded or overfull Braess paradox developed by the mathematician Dietrich Braess, this theory state s that adding extra roads to a travel network adds extra capacity to the roads i nstead of improving traffic flow; the more options there are, the more traffic t here is because travelers make selfish choices for their routes network efficiency the productivity of an interconnecting system; anything rangi ng from a sports team to a set of roads or highways Automobiles offer both temporal and point-to-point ?exibility that travelers cle arly find attractive. The problem arises, of course, when too many automobiles a re headed in the same direction at the same time.

Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicul ar queueing. As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersection s along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. Congestion results when traffic demand approaches or exceeds the available capac ity of the system. While this is a simple concept, it is not constant. Traffic d emands vary significantly depending on the season of the year, the day of the we ek, and even the time of day. Also, the capacity, often mistaken as constant, ca n change because of weather, work zones, traffic incidents, or other non-recurri ng events.

The issue for neighbouring countries People love complaining about traffic. Anyone who has had a quick business trip to Jakarta will have most likely uttered something about the traffic under their b reath. However, the quality of the roads is a far cry from the silky smooth expressways that you ll glide across in Singapore. A poor road system combined with a growing middle class who own an increasing amount of vehicles per household can quickly lead to crushing congestion problems. As traffic slows to a crawl, it s not just the commuters that suffer. Manufacturer s find the number of shipments per day restricted, business meetings are limited to 1-2 per day, and multi-nationals prefer to avoid the traffic jams altogether instead of devising solutions to the logistical issues.