THIN KING

HIG HW AYS
NORTH AMERICAN EDITION
Volume 3 • Issue 3 • September/October 2008

IT ALL STARTED HERE

Paul Najarian looks back at the roots of
ITS: the Electronic Route Guidance System

TEAM SPIRIT
Phil Tarnoff on why the public,
private and academic sectors
should work together

GREAT MINDS...
Gethin Perrry, Ian Catling and
Andrew Pickford consult
on international consulting

UPWARDLY MOBILE
Mike McGurrin’s ITS vision
of the near future

the Advanced transportation management

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integration • interoperability
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This is what you
want, this is
what you get
A North American transportation magazine,
published in the UK, with a feature on the Singapore
Formula 1 Grand Prix.Well, you did ask...
When we set up H3B Media
two and a bit years ago we
did so with one thing in
mind: to give people what
they want, within reason.
What you, the readers
wanted, was something
different from what is already,
probably, on your desks and
shelves. There was absolutely
no point in spending all that
time talking to “the industry”
about what they would most
like from a new magazine and
then completely ignoring their
wishes and producing a “me-
too” publication.
Hence, Thinking Highways is
split into two regional editions,
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Rest of the World.You receive
the one that is relevant to your
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publishing of H3B
course you can read the
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www.thinkinghighways.com
Foreword Thinking
All this is a precursor to how Singapore’s traffic
telling you that, due to popular management system is
demand, we’ve included a planning to cope with the
couple of the more interesting forthcoming (at the time of
articles from the Europe/Rest writing) Formula 1 Grand Prix.
of the World edition in this Street circuit motor racing
issue. We listened to what you usually makes for a more
wanted from the outset and exciting spectacle (anyone
have continued to do so. who has seen a race at Long
The articles in question Beach, Houston or Belle Isle
should provide a fascinating may well agree), but there’s
insight into what is happening more to F1 than ridiculously
on the other side of the world, fast cars as Stephen’s article is
literally in a couple of cases. testimony to.
Pages 23-29 are taken up Our cover feature, Paul
with a fascinating look at how Najarian’s look at what was
consultants in Australia, essentially the forerunner of
Europe and South Africa work. VII, is certainly timely. It may
What unique difficulties to do look like an old, yellow
they face? How much computer cabinet from the
commonality is there between 1960s (well, it is) but this is
consulting for local authorities where ITS started. However,
in Cape Town and Sydney? shortly after these photos were
How different are their taken, the cabinet vanished.
experiences from those The majority of people who
working in North America? have driven past it over the last
Another “out-of-bounds” 40 years had no idea of or
piece that we thought would interest in its significance... but
make for interesting reading is clearly someone did. This is
Stephen Slater’s account of our history, after all. TH
Thinking Highways is published by H3B Media Ltd.
ISSN 1753-43Z1
Thinking Highways is published quarterly in two editions – North America and
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Printed in the UK by The Manson Group
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 1
Contents

COLUMNS
04 Bob Kelly and Mark Johnson’s Legal Brief p38
08 Paul Najarian’s Connected World

ITS
42 Mobility 2020: a new vision for ITS, seen
through the eyes of Mike McGurrin

THE THINKER
18 ITS guru Phil Tarnoff on why the public sector,
private sector and the universities should work
together
The Thinker Climate Change
The Thinker

When DAVID This SCHONBRUNN

The
Public employees are lazy and unimaginative. Pri- ment of Transportation. breadth of experience
vate sector employees actions are based exclusively read
qualifies me the April/May
(or at least issue
I think it does) to reflectof
on the
on the almighty dollar and university faculties relative strengths and weaknesses of each of the three
ignore project objectives and schedules when con- Thinking
sectors Highways
of the transportation community,he felttheir
including
ducting research. compelled
cultures toand
and their assets write anways
to suggest article
in which
These insulting perceptions are neither accurate nor these characteristics can be leveraged in a way that
fair. But they are repeated here as an indication of the
offering his own views on
strengthens the overall industry.
transportation’s impacts

mysterious
degree of misunderstanding that exists among the three
major sectors of the transportation community; public, Sectoronm
characteristics
and solutions for,
private and university. Few, if any, individuals enter the transportation engi-

Stunted
These statements ignore the fact that the great major-
ity of employees within all sectors of the transportation
industry work hard to achieve their common goal of
improving the system within the constraints of their cho-
neering fieldclimate change
with the objective of becoming multi-mil-
lionaires. Instead, like most technical professions,
newcomers enter the field with the vague notion of a
career that offers a reliable (comfortable) income, work-

case of the
sen area of employment. It is unfortunate that these ing on interesting projects that might produce societal
opinions exist when there has never been a greater benefits. Although the balance of monetary rewards,

growth
need for cooperation and collaboration within an indus-
try that is undergoing major changes that include:
• Privatization: The public sector is relying on the
private sector to an increasing extent for provision of
services including design, construction, operations and
interesting work and societal benefits shifts somewhat
among possible transportation career paths, most of its
participants are motivated by some combination of the
three.
It should be noted that the following discussion of

three-legged
management. Without an appreciation of both the capa-
bilities and limitations of the private sector, the move
toward privatization will not succeed. In addition, the
public sector must also develop an
appreciation of the ways in which its pro- “Few enter
curement practices influence private
sector performance.
transportation
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET engineering with
industry sectors emphasizes organizations responsible
for infrastructure development and operation. Many
major sectors such as vehicle manufacturers, transit
operators and commercial vehicle
operators have been excluded to pro-
vide focus for the following discussion.
Public sector

stool
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities
The public sector, the private sector and the
universities are the triumverate of essential but
often disparate ingredients in the transport
community mix - but isn’t it time that we all just
got along? PHIL TARNOFF thinks it is
• Workforce development: There
is a shortage of professionals trained to the objective of
meet the needs of the public and private
sectors. The university community which becoming multi-
is the obvious source of supply falls short
of providing both the quantity and qual-
millionaires”
ity of needed graduates. An understanding of the moti-
vations and priorities of this sector of the transportation
industry is important if the shortage is to be corrected.
• Technology: Technology is rapidly advancing,
which creates challenges for all sectors of the transpor-
tation community, all of whom would benefit from its
application. An understanding of their mutual capabili-
ties and motivations is needed to ensure that the indus-
try takes advantage of new technologies as they become
available.
A little bit of backstory
For these reasons, it is important to improve the relation-
ships among the various sectors of the transportation
community. The manner in which this might be accom-
plished requires an intimate knowledge of their charac-
teristics and capabilities.
Viewing my transportation career of nearly 40 years,
one would conclude that I have been unable to hold a
job; having been a public sector employee while work-
ing for the Federal Highway Administration, a private
sector employee while working for Alan M. Voorhees
and Associates as well as PB Farradyne, and most
recently a university employee while working for the
University of Maryland.
While at the University of Maryland,I have also enjoyed
a close working relationship with the Maryland Depart-
The public sector includes many types
of organizations; the Federal Govern-
ment, state and local agencies, metro-
politan planning organizations, etc. In
spite of their differences, they share a
number of attributes, including job security, good fringe
benefits and reasonable (although deteriorating) retire-
ment benefits.
Public sector salaries are generally lower than those
of either the private or university sectors. With some
notable exceptions, the pressures of public sector
employment are relatively modest, due at least in part to
the job security it offers. Public sector employment fos-
ters an environment in which the penalties for failure
exceed the rewards for success, with the result that
many, (certainly not all) public sector employees have a
low tolerance for the risks associated with creativity.
The common denominator among the majority of
public sector employees is the feeling that they are the
“keepers of the public good”. In other words, since they
are not influenced by the profit motive, their actions are
oriented toward public service rather than avarice or
personal advancement. Many have indicated that they
selected the public sector career path out of a desire to
contribute to the public’s welfare, and because of the
ability to establish public policy – an opportunity that is
not available to those in other sectors.
Advancement in the public sector is based on keep-
ing the “ship of state” sailing in untroubled waters.
Rewards accrue to those who effectively perform the
duties they are assigned without creating problems for
their superiors.

56 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.h3bmedia.com www.h3bmedia.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 57

CONSULTANTS
23 Thinking Highways’ guide to international AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT
consulting, presented by the consultants 42 The US has hitherto been reluctant to follow
themselves: Gethin Perry, Ian Catling and Europe’s and Australia’s example and use
Andrew Pickford photo radar for enforcement... until now, as
Nicki Bradley explains
COVER FEATURE
30 Paul Najarian and Dan Brand on ERGS,the ALPR
origins of the ITS program. It’s all too easy to 45 Frank Long takes the leaner route to automatic
draw parallels with VII, but are they relevant? licence plate recognition...
And, like all good stories, there’s a twist at
the end... TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Cover Feature: ERGS Climate
Cover Change
Feature: ERGS
48 A Formula 1 Grand Prix isn’t all glitz, glamour
and terrifyingly fast cars. When the venue is a
street circuit there are traffic management
Stunted Your eyes have not deceived
you.That is indeed a
photograph of an ugly, old,
issues to be considered as well, says
growth
rusting roadside cabinet
disfigured by graffiti, but as
PAUL NAJARIAN (and later
DAN BRAND) explains, it’s
where ITS was born... Stephen Slater
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial The inspiration for this article arose during a recent
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with visit by to Washington, DC, by Thinking Highways’
editor-in-chief, Kevin Borras.
any other major programme, it’s a matter of In the US for H3B Media’s series of Think Tanks around

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
priorities the Memorial Day holiday and with his hotel located
near the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA)
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC),
I couldn’t let yet another of his visits to our nation’s capi-
tal pass by without us taking a detour down Old Domin-
ion Drive, in McLean, VA to visit a shrine of the ITS
program: a remnant of the ERGS system (Electronicl
Route Guidance System).
The cover photograph of this issue (as well as those
that illustrate this story) shows what is probably the last
existing ERGS cabinet. It is located in the Southeast cor-
ner of Old Dominion Drive and Birch Road, in Fairfax
52 Traffic congestion’s many and various impacts,
Roots and
County (VA); unused, derelict and a mystery to its neigh-

as assessed by Alison Griffiths

bors. The intent of the article, though, is not to provide a
technical overview of the ERGS system, or to embark on
a journey down memory lane. It is also not intended to
look at the specific lessons learned from this experi-
mental system. Its intention is to draw comparisons with
its 21st century successor.

branches A precursor
On the eve of the ITS World Congress in New York City,
one can easily substitute the ERGS acronym from the
published papers of the late 1960s and early ‘70s with
that of the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) pro-
gram, as nothing major has changed conceptually in
terms of the delivery of ITS information from a roadside

30 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com www.thinkinghighways.com

infrastructure to the vehicle.

Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 31 VIOLATION ENFORCEMENT

56 Seven San Francisco Bay Area bridges are
ALPR getting new violation enforcement systems as
34 Donna Blake and Bob Byerly have good news Jodie Graham reports
from and for the automatic license plate
recognition market CLIMATE CHANGE
60 Amy Zuckerman spoke to experts from the
INTELLIGENT CCTV fields of transportation and the environment
38 Bruce Abernethy on the escalating use of and asked what should happen next?
CCTV for traffic surveillance
64 Advertisers’ Index
 Digital Speed and/or Red
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Robert Kelly and Mark Johnson’s Legal Brief
Hanging
tough?
So just who is responsible if vehicle software causes
an accident?
In the June/July issue of
Thinking Highways, Bruce
Abernethy and Harold
Keeler (“A Different Kind of
Car Crash Altogether”)
posed the question of what
could happen if the
operating systems in a car
“hangs up” when the car is
moving at 65 mph?
Although likening such a
situation to when a PC or
laptop “freezes up,” or is
infected by a virus, Abernethy
and Keeler noted that “real-
time management and control
of a vehicle is much different
than executing office software
in a general purpose
computer.”
A software error or virus
could have catastrophic results
for a vehicle and its occupants.
The final question the authors
pose is who would be legally
responsible if a software
problem causes a vehicle
accident. This article looks at
the possible liable parties and
the relevant legal theories.
Get on the bus
A first area of examination is
the relationships among the
vehicle manufacturers and
their suppliers, including
software companies that
design and install vehicle
operating systems.
Vehicle manufacturers have
been reluctant to have
consumer accessible software
systems, such as telematics
and the like, connect to the
vehicle bus that supports the
operations of the engine,
4 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
braking and the transmission.
However, as Abernethy and
Keeler point out, the risk of
software error or the possible
introduction of a virus
becomes greater as these and
other vehicle software systems
connect to the Internet and VII
and vehicle-to-vehicle
communications are deployed.
Such problems may put the
operational safety of the
vehicle at risk.
“A software error
or virus could
have catastrophic
results for a
vehicle and its
occupants”
Protect and survive
Given these developments, it
is likely that the vehicle
manufacturers will seek from
their suppliers, both of the
physical components and the
associated software systems,
contractual guarantees of
performance and service
levels.
Vehicle manufacturers will
also likely seek specific
contractual protections in the
form of indemnification and
other provisions from their
suppliers for a vehicle
accident that is attributable to
a software failure.
These same contracts may
also seek to identify specific
types of software failures that
are attributable to the supplier
so as to minimize the
Robert Kelly is a
partner with the
Washington, DC
based law firm
Squire, Sanders,
Dempsey
guesswork involved in
assigning fault if a vehicle
accident occurs rather than try
to resolve this question
through litigation.
Compromising situation
The more interesting
relationship is between the
vehicle manufacturers and the
purchaser and ultimate user of
the vehicle. In the majority of
instances, the purchaser and
user of a vehicle equipped
with telematics or other similar
systems is not going to be
aware of how these systems
work or the risk of a possible
software error or virus that
could compromise their
operation.
In some instances, the
vehicle purchaser will be
buying a service either from
the vehicle manufacturer or a
third-party provider, who may
or may not have a direct
relationship with the vehicle
manufacturer.
It is common for such
contracts to include provisions
Mark Johnson is an
(disclaimers, limitations of attorney at law with
remedies, limited warranties, Squire, Sanders,
and the like) that seek to Dempsey based in
minimize the seller/service Buenos Aires,
Argentina
provider’s potential liability if
the purchase claims breach of
contract because the product
or service fails to perform as
expected.
Vehicle manufacturers may
also seek in its own contract
with a software provider, as
well as in any contract with the
vehicle purchaser, to limit its
exposure by trying to assign
www.thinkinghighways.com
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 Robert Kelly and Mark Johnson’s Legal Brief

error or introduction of a virus.

Negligence, however, in the
manufacturing or design
process can be difficult to
prove. Recognizing this
possibility, courts have
Photo by Kevin Borras

developed the theory of

product liability, sometimes
called “strict” liability, wherein
the plaintiff need only show
that the product was defective,
even if there was no
negligence by the
manufacturer, in order to
any liability to the service contract for telematics are recover damages.
provider and limit the ability ofcontracts of adhesion but, even
the purchaser to seek so, are not necessarily suspect Detective, defective
compensation from the vehicle on face value. In the case of a There is not a uniform opinion
manufacturer. standard software package, or among courts that software is a
even where an individual product but rather a service
Devil in the detail purchasers a telematics and, therefore, not necessarily
Any contractual provisions that package for his or her vehicle subject to product liability
limit and/or assign liability that involves only information claims.
warrant closer scrutiny. In services, it is unlikely that a Where, however, software is
many purchase/sale scenarios, court would find provisions integrated into a vehicle and
especially between corporate limiting potential liability as its failure could have
entities and individuals, there “shocking” and, therefore, catastrophic results, a plaintiff
really is no opportunity for unenforceable. would be in a stronger position
meaningful negotiation. But it Where, however, the liability to argue that the software was
is not in the interest of both limitations significantly effect defective and, consequently,
parties that there be. the ability of an individual to created an unreasonably
These so-called “contracts of seek compensation for dangerous situation involving
adhesion” enable the efficient personal and/or property physical harm, making the
buying and selling of products damages, a court may be more software error or virus subject
and services: A corporation likely to find the terms suspect to a product liability claim.
selling a popular product to in a contract of adhesion that Negligence and product
potentially millions of persons involves uneven bargaining liability claims can exist
does not have the resources to power. In other words, a notwithstanding contractual
negotiate a separate contract vehicle manufacturer and/or provisions that attempt to are
with each. “Shrink-wrap” software provider may find it not limited or extinguished by
contracts for the purchase of more difficult to limit and/or provisions in the contract that
software is a common example assign liability where a attempt to limit potential
in which the purchaser must software error or virus in a liability of the vehicle
accept all the terms of the end- vehicle is found to have manufacturer or software
user agreement on their face caused an accident, especially provider.
in order to access and use the an accident involving bodily ITS systems on vehicles, and
software. injury or death. The courts will the software that runs them, are
Courts will not normally want to find a way to becoming more sophisticated
upset the terms of such compensate the victim. and prevalent, which brings
contracts unless there is Separate from a lawsuit with it a greater chance of an
imbalanced bargaining power claiming breach of contract, an error or virus that could
in favor of one party over injured party may seek compromise the operational
another such that the contract compensation based on tort safety of the vehicle. If an
does not appear to have been theories of negligence and/or accident results, Abernethy
“freely bargained” and the product liability. Under and Keeler may be right that
questionable term “shocks the negligence, a plaintiff would trial lawyers will be lining up
court” to be deemed need to provide that the to seek compensation for their
unconscionable and, thus, vehicle manufacturer and/ or clients from the vehicle
unenforceable. software provider failed to manufacturer, the software
The purchase contract for a take reasonable steps to provider, the ITS service
vehicle as well as the service prevent a foreseeable software provider, or others. TH

6 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com


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That’s a ranking the region doesn’t want,
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We’re doing this by adding two High Occupancy
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Visit www.virginiahotlanes.com to find out
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the Northern Virginia community as a whole.
www.transurban.com
Paul
Paul Najarian’s
Najarian Connected World
Autopsy or
resuscitation:
part three
PAUL NAJARIAN completes his DSRC trilogy by
assessing the merits of the ASTM standard
This article completes the
theme presented in “Autopsy
or resuscitation” (Thinking
Highways, Vol. 2, No. 3,
pp. 14-16), regarding the
development and deploy-
ment of Dedicated Short
Range Com-munications
(DSRC) and its linkage to the
Vehicle Infrastructure
Integration (VII) program.
In this third and final
installment, the role of
standards is examined. In
particular, the article focuses
on the role of mandating a
standard in order to ensure
interoperability, deployment
or other requirements.
The second article in this
series (“Autopsy or
resuscitation (part 2),”
Thinking Highways, Vol. 3,
No. 1, pp.12-15 ) analyzed
potential deployment models
while using the much
anticipated Public-Private
partnership of the Federal
Communications Com-
mission’s (FCC) D-block
auction in the 700 MHz band as
an analogy. As was discussed,
that segment of the auction
failed to attract any bidders.
Very interesting idea
That article also coined a new
term for the VII program as the
“Vehicle Information
Interstate,” and suggested that
any possibility for the
8 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
deployment of this new
interstate is through a strong
Federal commitment, similar to
the buildout of the Interstate
Highway System.
The kick-off article in this
series provided a historical
overview of the DSRC
“The goal of the
GSM mandate
was to ensure
interoperability
by developing a
single common
standard”
program, including the
complex relationship among
its regulatory aspects, the
development of the
technology and the progress
on associated standards, the
current lack of a nationwide
and interoperable network,
and the identification of DSRC-
enabled VII applications.
So far, none of the articles
either stated or answered the
question of whether standards,
and more importantly,
mandated standards, ensure
interoperability. Would such a
mandated standard be
accepted by the DSRC
deployers? Would a mandated
standard encourage or thwart
competition in the
Paul Najarian was
director of telecoms
at ITS America from
1996-2006. He can be
contacted via email:
pnajarianits@aol.com
marketplace and innovation?
The case for GSM
In 1984, the European
Commission endorsed the
“Groupe Speciale Mobile”
(“GSM”). This project was
formed earlier in 1982 by the
Confederation of European
Posts and Telecommunications
(CEPT), the telecom-
munications regulatory body
of the European Commission.
Clearly, the goal of the
European Commission’s GSM
mandate was to ensure
interoperability by developing
and deploying a single,
common standard across
European countries that were
signatory of a GSM
Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU).
In 1988, CEPT created the
European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI), and
transferred all its telecom-
munication standardization
efforts, including the transfer
of GSM in 1989.
By 1990, the GSM adaptation
work started for the 1800 MHz
band; and commercial service
started in Europe by mid-1991.
In 1993, 32 GSM networks
were available in 18 countries.
By 1996, 200 networks were
deployed in nearly 100
countries worldwide,
representing more than 50m
subscribers. By 1998,
worldwide subscribers
www.thinkinghighways.com
 surpassed the 100m mark.
In 1997, GSM finally made its
entry into the US, with 15
networks operating in 1900
MHz band. This introduction
into the US was mainly due to
the relaxation of certain
regulatory rules by the 1996
Telecommunications Act.
Contrast and compare
Now, let’s compare the
European approach for the
delivery cellular services in
the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
bands using the GSM standard
as a mandate, with the US
market-oriented approach.
In contrast to the European
approach, the US had at least
two or three carriers per
market area using a variety of
wireless standards in the 850
to 890 MHz band. These
standards included Advanced
Mobile Phone System (AMPS),
Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA), Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA), and
Motorola’s integrated Digital
Enhanced Network (iDEN)
standard used by Nextel.
In the late 1980s, the FCC
had required that carriers use
the analog AMPS standard in
addition to the normal
transmission mode (TDMA or
CDMA). The purpose of this
requirement was to ensure
interoperability among the
carriers, and to allow for
roaming across networks. The
requirement for carriers to
provide analog AMPS
networks was sunsetted by the
FCC on 18 February 2008.As
mentioned earlier, GSM was
introduced in the US through
the PCS auctions in 1997.
So, the period 1991-1997 can
be summarized as follows:
Europe with a mandated
approach for GSM in the 900
and 1800 MHz bands, while the
US stays true to its technology
neutral policy with at least four
standards operating in the 850
and 1900 MHz bands.
One could also argue that
the implementation of AMPS in
the US for interoperability
www.thinkinghighways.com
purposes constituted a
standards mandate; however, it
was not limited to a single
standard and technology (as in
Europe), as three other
standards and associated
technologies were also
available. During this period,
travelers across the trans-
Atlantic were clearly
inconvenienced. US travelers
to Europe lacked any
connectivity, unless they had
purchased or rented bulky
“World Phones.”
These travelers were also
amazed at their European
counterparts, who could hop
from one country to another
within Europe and many parts
of the world while still
maintaining connectivity. Even
travelers from developing
countries in Africa, the Middle
East and Asia often appeared
to be more advanced than
those from the US.
“The EC backed
Nokia’s DVB-H as
Europe’s
technology for
mobile TV
broadcasting”
Tri, tri and tri again
This inconvenience lasted
about six to seven years until
tri-band phones (900,
1800/1900 MHz) initially
became available in Europe.
This allowed European
travelers to have connectivity
in the US. This was shortly
followed by a wide-array of
quad-band phones. Despite
this temporary inconvenience,
the European mandated
approach or the US market
oriented approach had no
impact on the deployment of
different wireless networks,
primarily because the
competition was (and still is) at
the application and quality of
services level, and the
ubiquitous delivery of such
services.
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3
To date, all of these
standards (in Europe and the
US) have not only survived, but
have also contributed to a
variety of convergence efforts
in the deployment of 3rd
Generation wireless networks,
and future Advance Wireless
Services (AWS).
The case for DVB-H
Recently, in March 2008, the
European Commission used a
similar approach as GSM
regarding the deployment of
Digital Video Broadcast –
Handheld (DVB-H) standard
and associated technologies.
The European Commission
adopted ETSI’s DVB-H
specification, EN 302 304, as
the “preferred technology” for
terrestrial mobile
broadcasting across the
European Union, and required
member countries to
encourage the use of this
technology.
Essentially, the European
Commission backed Nokia’s
DVB-H as Europe’s technology
for mobile TV broadcasting,
while declining other
technologies such as
Qualcomm’s MediaFLO, and
Digital Multimedia
Broadcasting (DMB), which
was favored by China and
South Korea.
Despite objections by
certain countries (such as
Germany, the Netherlands and
the United Kingdom) to setting
a single standard, the
European Commission’s
decision is tantamount to an
implicit mandate.
Not here or now
While some may question the
ramifications of the European
Commission’s decision,
including its impact on
international trade and legal
concerns, it is not the intent of
this article to address such
issues.
These issues are not only
beyond its scope, they should
also be addressed by legal
experts.
9
Paul Najarian’s Connected World
The Commission, however,
justified its decision citing the
need to establish regional
interoperability. But more
importantly, the Commission
firmly believed that such a
decision is absolutely
necessary to launch the digital
video broadcasting
marketplace.
The end is not night
Does the European
Commission’s decision sound
the death knell for MediaFLO
and DMB? Absolutely not. To
date, MediaFLO already has an
estimated subscriber base of
more than 100,000. All of these
technologies can have
successful implementations
pending the availability and
competitiveness of the
applications and associated
quality of services.
As in the case of GSM, these
technologies will not remain
static through their life-cycle.
They will evolve into next
generations. The marketplace
will also dictate whether these
technologies need to
converge.
The European
Commission’s decision is
clearly wise in terms of
10 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
launching the market place.
However, it is also a time-
limited decision. After the
initial stages of the market, the
impact of the Commission’s
implicit mandate will be
minimal at best.
The case for DSRC
On 3 August 2004, at the
request of US Department of
Transportation, the FCC
mandated the American
Society for Testing and
Material’s (ASTM) E2213-03,
“Standard Specification for
Telecommunications and
Information Exchange
Between Roadside and Vehicle
Systems – 5 GHz Band
Dedicated Short Range
Communications (DSRC)
Medium Access Control
(MAC) and Physical Layer
(PHY) Specifications.”
“As in the case of
GSM, these
technologies will
not remain static
through their
life-cycle”
According to this mandate,
described in Section 379 of
Part 90 of the FCC Rules (Title
47 of the Code of Federal
Regulations), roadside units
operating in the 5850 to 5925
MHz band shall comply with
the technical specifications
described in ASTM’s DSRC
standard.
From a regulatory context,
the use of the term “shall”
implies a mandatory “in-
corporation by reference.”
The lack of interoperability
among toll operators in the
902-928 MHz band, especially
during the early years of the
tolling industry, was the
primary catalyst for US DOT’s
insistence on a standards
mandate that would ensure
nationwide interoperability
consistent with the US National
Architecture.
One voice, one standard
In addition to interoperability,
public safety concerns were
also main drivers. The critical
need for a single, national
standard for VII’s Public Safety-
related applications further
justified US DOT’s requirement
for a mandated standard.
Unfortunately, the ASTM
standard never came to a
complete fruition in terms of
products or deployments.
Instead, this activity has been
transferred to the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) for the
eventual completion of the
IEEE 802.11p air interface
standard.
Some engineers may argue
that the IEEE 802.11p standard
would be backward
compatible with ASTM, since
the ASTM standard was used
as the baseline. In such cases,
others may extend this
argument by stating that
compliance with the IEEE
standard would also ensure
compliance with the ASTM
standard.
More than five years have
passed since the publication of
the ASTM standard, and yet not
a single full-scale deployment
could point to the use or
usefulness of this mandated
standard. Since the ASTM
standard is also mandated in
the 5.9 GHz band, no other
technologies were or could be
considered, encouraged,
developed or contemplated in
this band.
In the case of DSRC, as the
window of opportunity for an
initial commercial launch has
long disappeared, the
standards mandate has
thwarted innovation, and
stifled consideration for
competing standards and
technologies that are readily
available in the commercial
world.
In other words, the standards
mandate evolved into a
deployment barrier with
limited hope of providing a
platform ensuring nationwide
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Paul Najarian’s Connected World

interoperability, especially for commercially viable solutions. a market, though that

public safety-related VII
applications. Also, since
interoperability is a multi-
dimensional problem, a
standards mandate does not
necessarily resolve
interoperability issues.
The end is nigh
As the IEEE 802.11p standard
nears completion, the ITS
community is at a crossroads.
Will it accept that the
commercial viability of DSRC
requires no mandated
standard, or will it ask the
FCC to substitute in Section
379 of Part 90 of the FCC rules
for the moribund mandate of
its ASTM standard an IEEE
standard that would raise
similar variables to
deployment.
The ITS community would be
best served by removing an
artificial standards mandate to
allow for the competitive
marketplace to achieve
As DSRC deployments have
been extensively delayed
since the publication of the
ASTM standard, the ITS
community will also have an
“The ITS
community will
also have an
extremely
difficult time
convincing the
FCC that such
mandates are
necessary”
extremely difficult time in
convincing the FCC that such
mandates are still necessary
today.
As evident by the European
model for GSM and DVB-H,
standards mandate can be
effective at the initial launch of
usefulness lasts only a short
time. Yet, the ASTM standard
was not successful even for an
initial launch. It is now more
than five years old, and the
market should have been
launched immediately after
the publication of the standard
for the mandate to be effective,
even if such effectiveness were
only temporary.
Spot the difference
Over the last five years, the
standards mandate blocked
the introduction of other
emerging technologies, and
no deployment alternatives
were permitted. With the
failure to protect the launch of
a market, the ASTM standard
has shown it should be taken
off the road.
There is no reason to believe
that the IEEE standard as a
mandated replacement to the
ASTM standard would achieve
different results. TH

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ITS

2020
Stunted
vision
growth
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

MIKE McGURRIN presents Mobility 2020: Towards a

New Vision for Intelligent Transportation Systems

12 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com


The roots of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
go back for several decades prior to the Intelligent
Vehicle Highway Systems Act of 19911.
The 1960s brought an increased interest in the use of
electronics to aid highway transportation and the U.S.
Bureau of Public Roads prototyped many concepts,
including the Electronic Route Guidance System (see
pages 12-15) and the Urban Traffic Con-
trol System.
“Productivity,
However, funding and interest faded, energy and the
and the current program owes its roots
to a resurgence of interest in the 1980s
environment were
and an ad hoc group of individuals from included as
the private sector, public sector and
academia who called themselves
secondary goals”
“Mobility 2000.”2
Mobility 2000’s members developed the original stra-
tegic vision for ITS and then turned that vision into a
strategic plan. As the name of the group implies, the
primary focus was on mobility, with a high level of
importance also placed on safety. Productivity, energy
and the environment were included as secondary goals.
www.thinkinghighways.com
Climate Change
ITS
Mobility 2000 defined the ITS program in terms of “four
broad, interrelated areas: advanced traffic management
systems, advanced driver information systems, com-
mercial vehicle operations, and advanced vehicle con-
trol systems.” 3 These four areas, with some modification,
have continued to provide the structure of the ITS pro-
gram ever since4.
The importance of integrating across
these areas was recognized from the
start and the Mobility 2000 report stated
that “A systems engineering prospec-
tive is key to the successful evolution of
IVHS.”
New light through old windows
The Mobility 2000 vision has served the nation well for
over 20 years. However, while many of the same prob-
lems of highway safety and congestion remain, new
problems have emerged, including global warming, the
need to find new transportation funding mechanisms,
and an aging driver population. At the same time, new
technologies hardly envisioned in 1990 have now come
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 13
ITS

into widespread use. It is time for a new round of strate-

gic thinking, building upon what’s been learned, to
develop a new vision for ITS, and a new plan to carry the
program forward.

Scenario planning approach

In moving forward with a new vision for ITS, it is impor-
tant to take a fresh look, rather than simply extrapolating
from the framework laid out over 20 years ago. Specifi-
cally, we recommend starting with strategic thinking
utilizing a scenario planning approach5, prior to jump-
ing into strategic planning. This approach starts with an
external focus, looking at the major issues affecting and
affected by transportation.
The urgent tasks of the day often preclude spending
the time to think strategically. Strategic thinking requires
not just a dedicated block of time, but the ability to step
back from the immediate concerns and address high
level issues and ask questions that challenge fundamen-
tal assumptions. However, without this step, strategic
plans are often developed with blinders, either simply
examining possible next steps for existing programs, or
assuming a linear extrapolation of the current environ- “How would the
ment - ie, the “if this goes on” approach. An example
from the past would be a 1907 urban plan focusing on
requirements for
improved equine waste management, totally missing ITS change if severe
next year’s introduction of the Model T Ford.
weather events
Futureproof become much more
Another approach does recognize that the future will be
different, and spends time thinking about it. However,
frequent over the
considerable time and energy are spent determining next few decades?”
the single most likely future environment, and then
developing plans that are optimized to that future. The
problem is that such plans, developed at considerable
expense, lack resiliency and are useless when the future
inevitably turns out to be different than the one pre- This approach makes the initial focus the external
dicted. transportation environment, rather than simply project-
A solution is scenario planning. Rather than trying to ing forward from the current program and near-term
predict the future, one determines the key driving forces trends. Strategic forces that might be considered for
or events that are likely, and then develops divergent inclusion in the scenarios include a strong push for a gas
scenarios based on the directions those forces might tax replacement within the next eight years, the aging
take. When possible, one then develops plans that are driver population, gas prices going to and remaining
resilient across the uncertain future landscape. above US$6 per gallon and climate change.
Of course, sometimes the appropriate actions cannot One might examine climate change and ask how
be independent of a particular scenario. In these cases, would the requirements for transportation systems
one must begin taking action along the most expected change if severe weather events and natural disasters
future path, but consider contingencies and identify the become much more frequent over the next several dec-
“leading indicators” might be to indicate that the future ades. From the many possible combinations of forces
environment is deviating from that path, and that it is and events, two to four feasible combinations would be
time to consider the contingencies. The result is that selected, and developed into scenarios. These scenar-
even a scenario-specific strategy is implemented in a ios will cover a broad range of likely futures, and pro-
way that makes it more resilient in the face of uncertainty mote a more flexible and resilient approach to planning.
and change. From these scenarios, one next looks at how ITS would
For ITS, a small number (say, two to four) of alternate be impacted by, and how ITS can contribute to, resolving
“scenarios” would be developed, based on key exter- the issues identified.
nal trends or events that may shape both the require-
ments and the opportunities for transportation. These Program scope
scenarios are described in the form of stories, similar to ITS is often been defined as the application of sensing,
the way a Concept of Operations provides an easy to communications, and information processing technolo-
read, non-technical description of a system. gies to improve surface transportation. This continues

14 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 ITS

to provide a good starting point. However, while com-

munications and information technology can improve
the movement of people or goods, the movement of
information can sometimes serve as a substitute to the
movement of people or goods.
As we consider problems such as congestion, high-
way-related injuries, and carbon emissions, we can look
at many ways of improving transportation systems, such
as adding capacity, making travel safer, or improving
the availability of information on alternative modes.
However, we can also consider solutions that provide an
alternative to transportation that still satisfy the original
need. As the program moves forward, it is appropriate
to consider this latter role within the scope of ITS.
Thus, ITS in the 21st century is the application of sens-
ing, communications, and information processing tech-
nologies to either improve or substitute for surface
transportation.

Goal areas
Once the program vision has been defined, it is impor-
tant to set realistic, quantifiable goals for the programs,
and to identify what will be required to meet these goals.
These should be determined once the overall vision is
defined, but one can offer initial thoughts on areas to
consider.
In developing the goal areas, it is useful to look at the
current program as a starting point, but it is also useful to
take a broader view, and consider what might be miss-
ing, or what hidden assumptions should actually be
open to question. For example, is it time to consider

Craft diverging scenarios based on key but uncertain

driving forces and events (Scenario planning)

Single future
forecast

I
T Extrapolation from current
S situation (“if this goes on…”)
Global
Environment

Internally focused
extrapolation (Blinders)

Approaches to Long-Range Planning

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 15
ITS
Movement of People Movement of
ITS Today: and Goods ITS Information

Movement of Information
to improve transportation

Movement of People
Movement of
and Goods ITS Information
Mobility 2020:

Movement of Information to
improve transportation or as a
substitute for the movement of
people or goods

Program scope

more aggressive use of ITS technologies for enforce-
ment? Should the ITS program address how technology
can improve driver training, for both new and aging
drivers? How will global warming affect transportation
systems, and how can ITS technologies help mitigate the
effects?
The future goals for ITS can be categorized into eight
areas:
• Primary Goal Areas
1 Safety
2 Mobility and System Efficiency
3 Productivity
4 Efficiency
5 Energy and environment
6 Customer and societal satisfaction
• Supporting Goal Areas
7 Systems engineering and integration
8 Institutional issues, innovations and
partnerships
The primary goal areas are those where ITS can pro-
vide benefits, whether to individual users, to transporta-
tion operators, and to society as a whole. The systems
engineering and integration area is included because,
as was pointed out by the Mobility 2000 group, it is
important to integrate across the areas that comprise
ITS, and without specific goals and metrics, it is too easy
to develop stovepipe approaches.
Roles
Saxton’s paper on the roots of IVHS3 cites a number of
reasons why the ITS program took root from Mobility
2000, and why it did not take off immediately from the
research done in the 60’s. One of the reasons cited for
Mobility 2000’s success is the true partnership that was
formed between the public sector, the private sector,
and the academic community. Saxton writes, “today’s
[ITS] program evolved from a newly found partnership
between industry, universities, and state, local and fed-
eral governments… In contrast, the earlier [1960’s] pro-
gram in BPR was a standard federally run research
program… A lack of true partnership with industry and
other government almost guaranteed no buy-in or com-
mitment to take these systems to production and
operation.”
This coming together into a true consensus-based
partnership is as important to the ITS program in the
21st century as it was when the IVHS act was signed in
1991. .. TH
mcgurrin@noblis.org
References
1 H.R. 2950, Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of
1991, Title 1, Part C - Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems
Act.
2 Lyle Saxton, Mobility 2000 and the Roots of IVHS,
www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/BRIEFING/9003.
pdf.
3 Mobility 2000 Presents Intelligent Vehicles and High-
way Systems: 1990 Summary, ntl.bts.gov/lib/16000/
16400/16494/PB2000104082.pdf, page 1.
4 Advanced Driver Information Systems was soon broad-
ened to Advanced Traveler Information Systems, in order
to include transit users, and Advanced Public Transit
Applications and Emergency Transportation Operations
were later added as additional categories, as the scope of
the program broadened from the original private vehicle
perspective.
5 Jay Ogilvy and Peter Schwartz, Plotting Your Scenarios,
Global Business Network, www.gbn.com/ArticleDisplay-
Servlet.srv?aid=34550.

16 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 Roads Scholar

Highways are getting smarter. They look the same,
black asphalt and white lines but look a little closer.
Small weigh and speed detectors right in the asphalt,
overhead cameras and sensors to
record every move. Other more obvious
additions are there too, like message
signs that change for every vehicle!
With IRD technology, our roads can monitor, record and
communicate thousands of pieces of data every second
over wired and wireless networks. Data that you can use
to make roads stronger, faster, and safer.
Talk to the smart people at IRD,
they’ve been leading the way in ITS
for over 25 years.

INTERNATIONAL
ROAD DYNAMICS INC.

ir dinc.com
The Thinker

The strange
case of the
Stunted
three-legged
growth
stoolThinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

The public sector, the private sector and the

universities are the triumverate of essential but
often disparate ingredients in the transport
community mix - but isn’t it time that we all just
got along? PHIL TARNOFF thinks it is

18 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com


Public employees are lazy and unimaginative. Pri-
vate sector employees actions are based exclusively
on the almighty dollar and university faculties
ignore project objectives and schedules when con-
ducting research.
These insulting perceptions are neither accurate nor
fair. But they are repeated here as an indication of the
degree of misunderstanding that exists among the three
major sectors of the transportation community; public,
private and university.
These statements ignore the fact that the great major-
ity of employees within all sectors of the transportation
industry work hard to achieve their common goal of
improving the system within the constraints of their cho-
sen area of employment. It is unfortunate that these
opinions exist when there has never been a greater
need for cooperation and collaboration within an indus-
try that is undergoing major changes that include:
• Privatization: The public sector is relying on the
private sector to an increasing extent for provision of
services including design, construction, operations and
management. Without an appreciation of both the capa-
bilities and limitations of the private sector, the move
toward privatization will not succeed. In addition, the
public sector must also develop an
appreciation of the ways in which its pro- “Few enter
curement practices influence private
sector performance.
transportation
• Workforce development: There engineering with
is a shortage of professionals trained to
meet the needs of the public and private
the objective of
sectors. The university community which becoming multi-
is the obvious source of supply falls short
of providing both the quantity and qual-
millionaires”
ity of needed graduates. An understanding of the moti-
vations and priorities of this sector of the transportation
industry is important if the shortage is to be corrected.
• Technology: Technology is rapidly advancing,
which creates challenges for all sectors of the transpor-
tation community, all of whom would benefit from its
application. An understanding of their mutual capabili-
ties and motivations is needed to ensure that the indus-
try takes advantage of new technologies as they become
available.
A little bit of backstory
For these reasons, it is important to improve the relation-
ships among the various sectors of the transportation
community. The manner in which this might be accom-
plished requires an intimate knowledge of their charac-
teristics and capabilities.
Viewing my transportation career of nearly 40 years,
one would conclude that I have been unable to hold a
job; having been a public sector employee while work-
ing for the Federal Highway Administration, a private
sector employee while working for Alan M. Voorhees
and Associates as well as PB Farradyne, and most
recently a university employee while working for the
University of Maryland.
While at the University of Maryland,I have also enjoyed
a close working relationship with the Maryland Depart-
www.thinkinghighways.com
Climate Change
The Thinker
mentWhen DAVID This
of Transportation. SCHONBRUNN
breadth of experience
read
qualifies me the April/May
(or at least issue
I think it does) to reflectof
on the
relative strengths and weaknesses of each of the three
Thinking
sectors Highways
of the transportation community,he felttheir
including
compelled
cultures toand
and their assets write anways
to suggest article
in which
these characteristics can be leveraged in a way that
offering his own views on
strengthens the overall industry.
transportation’s impacts
Sectoronmcharacteristics
and solutions for,
Few, if any, individuals enter the transportation engi-
neering fieldclimate change
with the objective of becoming multi-
millionaires. Instead, like most technical professions,
newcomers enter the field with the vague notion of a
career that offers a reliable (comfortable) income, work-
ing on interesting projects that might produce societal
benefits. Although the balance of monetary rewards,
interesting work and societal benefits shifts somewhat
among possible transportation career paths, most of its
participants are motivated by some combination of the
three.
It should be noted that the following discussion of
industry sectors emphasizes organizations responsible
for infrastructure development and operation. Many
major sectors such as vehicle manufacturers, transit
operators and commercial vehicle
operators have been excluded to pro-
vide focus for the following discussion.
Public sector
The public sector includes many types
of organizations; the Federal Govern-
ment, state and local agencies, metro-
politan planning organizations, etc. In
spite of their differences, they share a
number of attributes, including job security, good fringe
benefits and reasonable (although deteriorating) retire-
ment benefits.
Public sector salaries are generally lower than those
of either the private or university sectors. With some
notable exceptions, the pressures of public sector
employment are relatively modest, due at least in part to
the job security it offers. Public sector employment fos-
ters an environment in which the penalties for failure
exceed the rewards for success, with the result that
many, (certainly not all) public sector employees have a
low tolerance for the risks associated with creativity.
The common denominator among the majority of
public sector employees is the feeling that they are the
“keepers of the public good”. In other words, since they
are not influenced by the profit motive, their actions are
oriented toward public service rather than avarice or
personal advancement. Many have indicated that they
selected the public sector career path out of a desire to
contribute to the public’s welfare, and because of the
ability to establish public policy – an opportunity that is
not available to those in other sectors.
Advancement in the public sector is based on keep-
ing the “ship of state” sailing in untroubled waters.
Rewards accrue to those who effectively perform the
duties they are assigned without creating problems for
their superiors.
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 19
The Thinker
Private sector
Private sector employment can be characterized by
relatively low job security, modest fringe benefits, and
long working hours. Offsetting benefits include higher
salaries, and perhaps most important, the ability to cre-
ate (software, reports, ideas, products, infrastructure)
rather than to oversee its creation. Thus the greatest dif-
ference between public and private sectors is the pub-
lic sector’s responsibility for establishing policies and
programs versus the private sector’s responsibility for
implementing programs and systems.
The private sector is far from homogenous. The pri-
vate sector includes consultants, manufacturers, and
contractors, each of which offers a unique set of charac-
teristics. To a certain degree, the cultures of these three
constituents have been influenced by public sector pol-
icies. One of the most obvious areas in which this has
occurred is the bid and proposal process by which firms
are selected to perform work.
Consultants are typically chosen using a “best value”
process in which their selection is based on the quality
of their proposals and the experience of their staff with-
out evaluation of price. Contractors and
suppliers are selected purely on a low-
bid basis, in which a bid price is offered
“The educational
based on a set of technical specifica- process has become
tions developed by the public agency.
Thus, consultants tend to emphasize
one in which the
project delivery in a manner that meets universities teach
or exceeds clients’ requirements, while
contractors and suppliers tend to
the unchanging
emphasize economic delivery of underlying
projects that meet but do not exceed the
specifications.
fundamentals of
A common trait of the private sector the profession”
contractors and consultants is their total
reliance on their project managers. Within these organ-
izations, the project manager is king, having been
assigned responsibility for managing all aspects of a
project including technical quality, client satisfaction,
budget and schedule.
The health of the parent organization depends com-
pletely upon the effectiveness of its project managers.
Unfortunately, most project management experience is
derived from on-the-job-training as opposed to formal
education (although this is changing). Advancement in
the private sector depends on successful project or
product delivery. It is readily evaluated using financial
measures – profit, growth, sales, etc.
University community
The transportation community requires a steady infu-
sion of educated and trained (the two are different) per-
sonnel. Education is generally considered a formal
long-term instruction related to the fundamentals of a
technology. Education is provided by vocational schools
and universities. Training is considered the delivery of
short-term instruction related to a specific job require-
ment. Training may be provided by vocational schools,
but is also available from sources such as the Federal
Highway Administration’s National Highway Institute,
20 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
the on-line courses from the Consortium for ITS Training
and Education (CITE), and the University of Maryland’s
Operations Academy.
The university system is the primary source of the
needed education, and in turn a major supplier of entry
level employees for the transportation industry. In this
role, the educational system should, ideally be one that
is agile (instruction is adjusted to changing environ-
ment, technologies and priorities) and responsive (rec-
ognizing the needs of the customer). The system should
also be one in which education is given a higher priority
than research. Unfortunately few, if any, US universities
exhibit these characteristics.
Organizationally, the university management struc-
ture is the “flattest” of the three sectors being discussed.
The system provides tenured faculty with a high degree
of independence to pursue the research and interact
with students in the manner of their choosing. Faculty
evaluations assign priority to the number of refereed
research papers that have been published rather than
their success at educating students.
To a significant degree, departmental performance is
evaluated based on the number of doc-
toral graduates that have received
teaching positions at other prestigious
universities. As a result, tenured mem-
bers of the faculty tend to prioritize
research over education and produc-
tion of PhD candidates over those with
undergraduate or masters degrees.
The ability of the university system to
respond to the needs of the transporta-
tion profession is further hampered by
cumbersome requirements for curric-
ulum changes.
The introduction of new courses is
typically a time-consuming process requiring review
and approval by multiple levels of university adminis-
tration. Faculty members who might already be reluc-
tant to propose the addition of new courses to a
curriculum due to the effort associated with their devel-
opment, are further discouraged by these bureaucratic
processes. However, this does not preclude the inclu-
sion of new or updated subject matter in existing
courses, which is a decision that can be made by indi-
vidual faculty members.
As a result, the educational process has become one
in which the universities teach the unchanging underly-
ing fundamentals of the profession. In the case of trans-
portation, these might include courses such as traffic
flow theory, governmental structure, operations
research, simulation techniques etc. Providing more
specialized aspects of the education is a responsibility
that has been assumed by organizations involved in
training.
Inter-sector perceptions
So how can the transportation field be improved by
developing constructive relationships that will leverage
the capabilities of its participants? The following five
point program is suggested:
www.thinkinghighways.com
 The Thinker

1) Develop the equivalent of a one year sabbatical
program in which employees from one sector work as
employees of another sector. Think of the benefits to the
university system from the participation of individuals
from either the public or private sectors who, as adjunct
professors, student advisors and researchers, work on
material that is relevant to the needs of their respective
sectors. Think of the benefits to the public sector from
the participation of private sector individuals who can
provide useful financial and technical insights into the
project planning process.
2) With the assistance of trade associations such as
AASHTO and ITE, define workforce skills needed by the
public and private sectors. Work with academia to adopt
their education toward the needs that have been identi-
fied. Support the development of “transition” training
that builds on the basics offered in the current
curricula.
3) Address the current misunderstanding of private
and public sector finances by offering shortcourses to
public sector employees. The need for such training
was highlighted in a recent exchange with a public sec-
tor manager who was planning a public-private part-
nership. The manager indicated that he did not
understand or care about “how the private sector made
money”, but was defining the project requirements in a
manner that met the needs of his agency. The result of
this activity was a multi-million dollar project that failed
financially in less than five years.
4) Include private sector and university personnel in
public sector planning initiatives. Planning at all levels
(strategic, operational, project, etc.) is currently a
responsibility of the public sector. The planning proc-
ess would benefit from the insights of the private and
university sectors, which may include a broader knowl-
edge of similar developments throughout the US (or the
world), as well as their ability to provide more accurate
cost and schedule estimates of the activities being
planned. Broader representation in the planning proc-
ess might also increase the success rate of public-
private partnerships.
5) Critically review the procurement process as it is
applied to projects and programs. There is a tendency
within public agencies to take the path of least resist-
ance – i.e. do things the way in which they’ve been done
in the past. Examination of procurement alternatives
from the perspective of ensuring desirable perform-
ance on the part of the proposers (or bidders) can often
produce beneficial results. Procurement alternatives
exist in most agencies. For example; design-build
versus low bid, systems manager versus consultant,
public-private partnership versus contractor, etc.
Summing up succinctly
These five points offer the potential to minimize friction
among the various sectors of the transportation
industry, leading to a healthy and efficient industry
capable of responding effectively to future demands for
service. TH
tarnoff@umd.edu

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WWW.ITSWORLDCONGRESS.ORG

Europe United States, Canada, South America and Latin America Asia-Pacific
Tel: +32.2.626.11.32 Tel: +1.202.721.4223 Tel: +81.3.5777.1013
Fax: +32.2.626.11.31 Fax: +1.202.484.3483 Fax: +81.3.3434.1755
E-mail: V.mindlin@mail.itscongress.org E-mail: Emartinez@itsa.org E-mail: I-mori@its-jp.org
 Climate Change
Consultants

When DAVID SCHONBRUNN

Great read the April/May issue of

Thinking Highways he felt
compelled to write an article
offering his own views on
transportation’s impacts

minds... onm and solutions for,

climate change

THINKING HIGHWAYS presents a comprehensive guide to

international transport consulting. Over the next seven pages
three consultants discuss how to deal with authorities on
local, national and international levels in Asia-Pacific,
South Africa and Europe

Being part of a global organisation of over 40,000

First, GETHIN PERRY,
Principal ITS Consultant at
Maunsell AECOM in Sydney,
Australia looks at consulting
in the Asia-Pacific region
professionals and growing provides us at AECOM
with an interesting insight in to the maturity of the
advanced transportation management and ITS
sector around the world.
Our regular global co-ordination sessions help us to
understand the different position, needs of each market
and to develop strategies that support the varying needs
of our clients. A recent discussion on moving away from
the term ITS to emphasising the goals and objectives of
advanced transportation and network operations man-
agement was supported by Europe and Australia but
was judged inappropriate for North America.
For us this reflects the relative maturity of the industry

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 23

Consultants
in each market, and the position of each in the policy-
strategy-research-deploy-operate life cycle.
Across AECOM we share a common vision of improv-
ing the operation and management of our transport
networks through the application of advanced transpor-
tation management techniques, but our approach and
skills offered in each market responds to the demands
and maturity of that market.
In the mature North America our focus is on the deploy-
ment and implementation of systems; in an arguably
less mature European market our focus is on develop-
ing operational and business solutions; whilst in the
immature Australian market we are providing thought
leadership and long-term vision whilst moving towards
developing operational and business solutions.
Far and wide
This is not to suggest that each market operates solely in
one area, North America is investing huge sums in
research and Europe has a large base of installed sys-
tems and comprehensive deployment programme with
advances of global significance.Whilst in Australia there
is a gap between legacy investments in urban traffic
control systems (SCATS, etc) and traffic management
centres in the capital cities and an immature policy envi-
ronment that is not setting the agenda for the applica-
tion and exploitation of advanced transportation
management techniques.
The personal and organisation knowledge that exists
within the Australian states roads authorities is exten-
sive. Consequently they have the skills required to
deploy traffic management systems, even to the extent
that they have the resources to design, develop, manu-
facture and install their own hardware.
This can often put them in the interesting position of
competing against the private sector for their own con-
tracts. However, what the authorities themselves and the
transport ministries to which they report are telling us is
that they lack a comprehensive understanding of the
advanced transportation management options availa-
ble to them, the benefits that they could realise, and the
strategy to bring them forward.
Consequently, the approach that we are adopting in
Australia is two fold and focuses on providing thought
leadership derived from the international experience
of our local team and international colleagues: top down
promotion and agenda setting with transport ministers;
and bottom up development of strategies and visions
with the leaders of the transport authorities.
The first challenge is to get advanced transportation
management techniques on to the agenda of govern-
ment and decision makers. In recent years Australia has
been in period of infrastructure expansion, building the
motorways (usually tolled PPP) and expressways
needed to support a sustained economic expansion.
However, there is a growing realisation that physical
infrastructure is not the only solution and may not be the
optimal solution.
Continued congestion, particularly in CBDs, increas-
ing fuel prices and a growing concern about the envi-
ronment are changing the political landscape.
24 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
Multilinguistics
Through an ability to speak the same language as the
decision makers we have begun to set the scene for the
development of the policies and strategies that can
be delivered through advanced transportation
management.
In particular Philip Davies, our Director of Transport
Planning and Advisory (Australia, New Zealand, and
Asia) and formerly Director of Traffic Operations at
Transport for London, has the crucial background of
developing and implementing similar strategies in one
of the most challenging political and urban environ-
ments in the world.
The position of our clients and markets presents inter-
esting challenges and frequently requires us to work
across borders to; identify best practice; learn lessons;
outline benefits; and adapt ideas to local requirements
rather than simply transplant them.
Some examples of where we have done this include:
• Council of Australian Governments, Standing
Committee of Transport, Urban Congestion Manage-
ment Working Group – developed an evaluation frame-
work in order to identify successful, applicable and
cost-effective new technologies and road management
practices that address congestion on urban arterials;
• Victorian Department of Infrastructure – identi-
fied and investigated policy options to change transport
usage and behaviour and reduce transport energy use;
• VicRoads – identifying how existing operational
initiatives contribute to high level government conges-
tion and traffic management strategies and develop a
vision and framework for aligning traffic operations with
the strategies.
Mix and match
On these and other projects where we are working at a
more operational level to plan, procure and implement
systems we seamlessly blend the right mix of skills and
experience from: local professionals with an in-depth
appreciation of our client’s business; locally based pro-
fessionals with international experience of planning
and implementing advanced transportation manage-
ment; and the international pool of experts from our
European and American businesses. In developing our
approach to the challenges we aim to do the following:
• Demonstrate a detailed understanding of our
client’s business;
• Clearly and accurately define the issues that
our client faces;
• Identify solutions to those issues;
• Adapt international experience to the local
environment; and
• Develop an implementation framework.
We perceive that the field of advanced transportation
management is at the threshold of significant expansion
in Australia and New Zealand. The work that we are
doing now is assisting our clients to set the scene for that
expansion, and positioning them to make the most
appropriate and efficient investments to intelligently
deliver the improvements to transport that support pub-
lic mobility and the economy. TH
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Consultants

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 25

Consultants

26 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com


ANDREW PICKFORD works all over the world and
has consulted for multinational organisations.
Here though, he focuses on his work in South Africa
In the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2010, South
Africa is now in the transport limelight.
It has the challenge of developing its attractiveness as
a safe haven for foreign direct investment whilst devel-
oping its own regionally and internationally competi-
tive industries and empowering home grown engineers
and managers to fill the skills shortage that the country
currently faces. International rates are not affordable by
most government institutions and procurement rules
make it difficult to justify employing international exper-
tise. This balancing act is reflected in the procurement
practises for professional engineers and management
consultants to work client side in large integrated pub-
lic works programmes – on roads, rail, ports and airports
infrastructure.
South Africa has shown its ability to innovate through
design in many engineering sectors, in particular the
emerging ITS industry has benefited from technologies
that had their roots in the country’s defence industry.
Amongst many examples, pioneering location-based
applications are underpinned by best-in-class GIS sys-
tems and comprehensive digital mapping. The wireless
communications industry is competitive and in many
parts of SA provides essential services where it would
take too long to install fixed lines. South Africa is also
undergoing EMV migration that will enable e-payment
on many transport modes.
Transition and learning
In this transition phase, the norm is to employ small
teams within government that selectively procure local
and international consultants to bootstrap large pro-
curements for services, for example infrastructure
development and downstream ITS application. The
responsibility for programme management is devolved
to a greater degree than in developed countries such as
the UK. Consequently, the selection of competent con-
tractors to operate its airports or roads (for example) is
critical and the use of Service Level Agreements that
describe KPIs are then equally important to ensure that
delivery quality targets are met throughout the contract
duration to preserve risk allocations. Long-term strate-
gic planning to ensure best value has never been more
important to a country that is often regarded as setting
the standard for other developing nations in Africa
where, for cultural reasons, planning horizons have
been much shorter.
Each of these ambitious projects (there are many
more) places an additional burden on national and
regional government transportation authorities. This
pressure can help drive up the efficiency by which
national and local government agencies can meet dead-
linesbut which could also increase the risk of pro-
www.thinkinghighways.com
Consultants
gramme delays and adversely impact the quality of
programme management.
South Africa has a strategic need to nurture, upgrade
and retain its own competences in systems design and
programme management – these ‘soft’ assets are often
forgotten when we look at ITS success stories world-
wide. Having a high quality fleet of buses does not make
a bus service and having high quality roads does not
make a transportation system - as many developing
countries have found to their cost. Furthermore, the clas-
sical model of upgrading a nation’s infrastructure sug-
gests that local innovation is best. Simply buying
ready-made solutions as templates from other countries
or cities will not work. Johannesburg is not London and
Cape Town is not Bogotá. Consultants take note.
Early signs, mostly good
The momentum behind the preparations for 2010 has
generated many news stories that show that the country
can specify, procure and manage many large scale,
competitively tendered projects that meet local needs,
in many cases funded and operated by the private sec-
tor with accompanying levels of risk as part of in return
for operating concessions.
Not all news has been good though – the bold attempts
to recapitalise (upgrade) the nation’s fleet of informal
taxi services at a cost of R7m (€0.8m) has met resistance
although by 2010 should result in about 80 per cent of
the fleet being replaced with newer and safer vehicles.
In May 2008 the Department of Transport, through the
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
awarded the final contract of its R11.9 billion for the ini-
tial construction phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improve-
ment Project (GFIP) to upgrade and extend the Gauteng
highway network – all funded through the issue of gov-
ernment-backed bonds. SANRAL intends to procure a
related MLFF ETC system with a national back office
and operating concession by early 2009.
The implementation of Bus Rapid Transit in Johannes-
burg, the rapidly developing Gautrain link to the OR
Tambo International Airport and a new airport link pro-
posed for Cape Town are all helping to fuel market inter-
est that is expected to drive growth in South African
professional consulting companies, initially enabled
through a mix of local and imported skills.
Facing the long term
So, the current stock of high profile ITS projects provides
South Africa with a good opportunity to show that design
and programme delivery competence can compete
internationally. When the final whistle has blown on the
next World Cup the long-term challenge will be to main-
tain and develop this further. TH
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 27
Consultants
IAN CATLING explains the benefits and potential
pitfalls of working for the European Commission
(and in the UK) as a small consultancy
My company, the Ian Catling Consultancy (ICC) has
just celebrated 25 years of working in ITS.
I gave up my post at SIA in July 1983 to work on the first
Hong Kong Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) Pilot Project,
and effectively established the Ian Catling Consultancy
then. At the time I was assured that I could return to my
‘proper job’ at the end of the Hong Kong project, but in
the end I decided that the new area of what was then
called “Road Transport Informatics” (RTI – which is actu-
ally the ‘rti’ in the European ITS coordination organisa-
tion ERTICO) offered exciting and challenging
opportunities for an independent consultancy.
At its peak, ICC employed about 10 people, but I have
preferred to work with an even smaller core team and
use a network of other independent expert consultants
who can be available often at short notice and who are
prepared to work hard (as well as being, hopefully, quite
bright, hard work is, I think, one of the key requirements
for anyone considering setting up on their own).
For many years my right-hand man was Richard Har-
ris, well-known to many readers as a leading light in ITS
at WSP, and Overseas Director for ITS UK (not to mention
a fairly regular contributor to Thinking
Highways). “In order to receive
Something to get our teeth into the advance
At the end of the 1980s the European
Commission was putting together the
payment you must
‘DRIVE’ research programme: ICC tie up that amount
helped to develop the programme, and
during the 1990s we led and coordi-
of money in hock to
nated some of the key projects which the bank, so there’s
sowed the seeds for what are now (at
last!) real products and services.
really no point in
Navigation is perhaps the most obvi- having it”
ous of these in the mass market, but the
other main area in which ICC has remained involved is
electronic charging, where there is arguably a glimmer
of light for the achievement of what the interoperability
directive calls the ‘European Electronic Toll Service’
(EETS).
Working with the Commission is rather more con-
strained these days than it was then. Despite the Com-
mission’s well-stated aims to encourage SMEs (Small
and Medium-sized Enterprises) to participate in Euro-
pean projects, I find it now almost impossible for a small
company like ICC to put together the type of consortium
which will win through what are usually very competi-
tive bidding processes.
This is partly because most of the big consultancy
companies now have their own ITS expertise and teams,
but also because the funding process is much more dif-
ficult now. One of our main projects over the last couple
28 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
of years has been RCI (Road Charging Interoperability),
in which ICC is a partner.
While the Commission still retains the concept of an
‘advance payment’ (it always was conceptual rather
than actual, because it usually arrived when you were
about six months into the project), you now are required
to provide a bank guarantee which, for a small firm like
ours, effectively means that in order to receive the
advance payment you must tie up that amount of money
in hock to the bank, so there’s really no point in having
it.
Given the long lead times for these projects, we had
actually been working for nearly three years before we
received a single penny (or euro-cent). Of course we
don’t work in these projects just for the money – but it
would help if it wasn’t quite so difficult to get!
An uneven playing field?
Lots of our work has also been with the UK Government,
especially with the Department of Transport (or any of
the five or six other names that it’s had in the last couple
of decades). I think the Government has always ‘played
strictly by the rules’ but, as with the
Commission, it’s become both more
competitive and harder to get con-
tracts as a small firm.
In fact the way in is often to be part-
nered with one or more of the larger
firms who are able to bid for frame-
work contracts. But just being part of
a successful framework team doesn’t
actually guarantee you any work!
When ITS was finding its feet at the
end of the 1980s and start of the 1990s,
there was a small number of specialist
consultancies who were able to offer
relatively rare expertise and experience in ITS. Now ITS
is a much bigger area and includes many multi-million
dollar enterprises.
There is still a role for the small specialist consultancy,
but we are now much smaller fishes in a much bigger
ocean. TH
Gethin Perry is Principal ITS Consultant at Maunsell
AECOM in Sydney, Australia and can be contacted at
gethin.perry@maunsell.com
Ian Catling is Principal of Ian Catling Consultancy in
Chipstead, UK and can be contacted at ic@catling.com
Andrew Pickford is Principal of Transport Technology
Consultants based in Cambridge, UK and can be
contacted at andrew@iroad.co.uk
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Consultants

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 29

Cover Feature: ERGS

Stunted
growth
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

Roots and
branches
30 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com
 Climate
Cover Change
Feature: ERGS

Your eyes have not deceived

you.That is indeed a
photograph of an ugly, old,
rusting roadside cabinet
disfigured by graffiti, but as
PAUL NAJARIAN (and later
DAN BRAND) explains, it’s
where ITS was born...

The inspiration for this article arose during a recent

visit by to Washington, DC, by Thinking Highways’
editor-in-chief, Kevin Borras.
In the US for H3B Media’s series of Think Tanks around
the Memorial Day holiday and with his hotel located
near the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA)
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC),
I couldn’t let yet another of his visits to our nation’s capi-
tal pass by without us taking a detour down Old Domin-
ion Drive, in McLean, VA to visit a shrine of the ITS
program: a remnant of the ERGS system (Electronicl
Route Guidance System).
The cover photograph of this issue (as well as those
that illustrate this story) shows what is probably the last
existing ERGS cabinet. It is located in the Southeast cor-
ner of Old Dominion Drive and Birch Road, in Fairfax
County (VA); unused, derelict and a mystery to its neigh-
bors. The intent of the article, though, is not to provide a
technical overview of the ERGS system, or to embark on
a journey down memory lane. It is also not intended to
look at the specific lessons learned from this experi-
mental system. Its intention is to draw comparisons with
its 21st century successor.

A precursor
On the eve of the ITS World Congress in New York City,
one can easily substitute the ERGS acronym from the
published papers of the late 1960s and early ‘70s with
that of the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) pro-
gram, as nothing major has changed conceptually in
terms of the delivery of ITS information from a roadside
infrastructure to the vehicle.

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 31

 Cover Feature: ERGS
All photos by Kevin Borras
In the course of our research, we found that dozens of
publications, articles and videos on the ERGS remain
available in the archives of TFHRC.
One would only hope that the ERGS fate does not
befall the VII program. All that remains of ERGS now is
a rusty cabinet on a secondary road, spilling open, dis-
playing its innards and covered with ivy. It is our hope
that the success of the VII demos at the ITS World Con-
gress will usher a new era of large scale deployment,
rather than leaving the demo’s assets at the mercy of the
weather, vandals and graffiti artists along the streets and
highways of New York City.
Sound familiar?
In the late 1960s, ERGS was designed by General Motors,
through its Delco Radio division, in Kokomo, Indiana.
The contract, through the Bureau of Public Roads, was
based on a three stage project, culminating with the
installation of ERGS at 100 intersections throughout the
Washington (DC) metropolitan area. In 1971, the effort
was terminated only after two intersections due to con-
gressional inquiries regarding the cost and need for
such a system.
The ERGS system was extremely visionary for its time
and it involved all the founders and early pioneers of the
IVHS program. It is considered to be the genesis of the
IVHS program in the US and, possibly, in Japan.
In 1973, Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and
Industry (MITI) initiated the Comprehensive Automo-
bile Traffic Control System (CACS). The CACS project
32 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
was similar (but not identical) to ERGS in terms of the
use inductive loops for roadside to vehicle communica-
tions. By 1979, Japan’s CACS project, which used more
than 1,000 probe vehicles in a large footprint, unlike
ERGS’ two intersections, finally validated the feasibility
of the ERGS concept. In turn, it also launched Japan’s
IVHS program.
Satnav, circa 1969
The basic concept of ERGS was to provide in-vehicle,
directional route-guidance to the driver. The system
included an in-vehicle unit consisting of a display or
console, a data entry device and a roadside communi-
cations unit providing two-way data communications.
The driver would initially enter pre-selected origin and
destination information.
As the vehicle approached an ERGS-equipped inter-
section, additional route-guidance information would
be already computed by a central computer, transmit-
ted via the loop detector, and displayed as directional
arrows in the vehicle display. The roadside unit was in
constant communication with the central computer in
order to receive new route guidance information based
on real-time traffic conditions.
In lieu of advanced, high-speed and wideband wire-
less communications such as Dedicated Short Range
Communications (DSRC), the roadside to vehicle com-
munications consisted of a basic inductive loop detec-
tor using near field communications, connected to the
radio systems and electronic circuitry located in the
cabinet of the roadside unit.
Since no “killer application” was ever identified for
the ITS program, one could argue that any roadside-to-
vehicle ITS application requiring two-way data commu-
nications, including those identified for VII, could have
been made available via ERGS, albeit at a snail’s pace.
As the ITS program evolved, and new user services
and applications were added, the concept of download-
ing or transferring point-to-point data or information
has remained relatively stable, whether for ERGS from
1968 to 1971 or for VII in 2008. The major changes or
advances that have occurred are those in the field of
wireless transmission, which allows for higher data rates
across a wider bandwidth. This, in turn, simply trans-
lates into larger amounts of data at a higher speed for
VII, as compared to ERGS.
Congressional wish
As we approach New York’s turn to host the ITS World
Congress, let us not replace the ERGS acronym with that
of VII. Let us deploy more than two intersections. May
the VII demonstration assets along the streets and high-
ways of New York City become fully operational, rather
than evolve into a derelict, mysterious, roadside eyesore
that is only ever noticed during TRB when busloads of
largely Japanese ITS professsionals come and pay hom-
age to their industry’s spiritual source. And let us hope
that a new visionary administration and Congress
ensure funding and deployment, so that VII is not left to
waste and rust by the side of the road, as ERGS did. TH
pnajarianits@aol.com
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Cover Feature: ERGS

Tales from the frontline

If this was an article about the first moon landing, a first-hand account from a journalist who was at the
Kennedy Space Center on 20 July 1969 would add unquestionable value to the story.
DAN BRAND was the author of some of the first articles about ERGS back in the early 1970s and was
the founding chair of the TRB ITS committee in the late 1980s...
ERGS was a part of the magical 1960s when
the technological fix was on and we assumed
we could invent our way out of our social
problems. We looked at all the functions of
traffic control and information, and laid out
the electronic (computer) solutions that
would facilitate, or take each of them over,
singly and in optimal combinations. Little did we know that the
hardest problems were institutional, not technological. For
example, I worked on (digital) computer traffic signal systems
in several cities in the US and Europe in the 1960s and they
worked well when we passionate developers of these first
generation large scale systems were operating them. But then,
when they were taken over by others, they fell into disuse (e.g.,
became large, expensive, fixed-time systems) because the
public will just wasn’t there to maintain them.
And with ERGS, we came up with some prototypes in the
laboratory in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, but by the mid- to late
70s, the promise of the technological fix was fading.The death
knell was the Reagan Administration, when “anything
Government could do was much better done by private
industry.” The mantra was, “if it’s worth doing, private industry
will do it.” Also, through the ‘80s and much of the ‘90s,
the highway lobby fought the technological fix to our
transportation problems because they saw a threat that
operational improvements would substitute for physical
capacity increases to our national transportation system
(ie, construction dollars). I know this, because as the founding
chair and organizer of TRB`s Task Force on “Advanced
Transportation Technologies” in 1988, and later the founding FOOTNOTE
Chair of the IVHS/ITS Committee in 1992, I was yelled at and Since these articles were written, the ERGS cabinet in McLean has
hounded by highway lobbyists during that time! been removed. Several investigations have lead down blind alleys,
Unfortunately, I still think that the promise of ATIS (we now leading to the assumption that one of these four scenarios has
call it) remains unfulfilled and largely unrecognized. People occurred.
think that ATIS will reduce observably measured travel times
on our transportation networks, when its promise is that it will 1) it has been thrown away in the mistaken belief that it was trash
greatly increase the more difficult to measure benefit, customer and is still in a dump somewhere in Virginia, awaiting rescue.
satisfaction. Increases in customer satisfaction will result when
we are able to schedule our trips with some certainty as to the 2) It has been thrown away in the mistaken belief that it was trash
time and cost of travel, and the benefits from our activities at and is now lost forever in a landfill.
our trip ends. With this certainty, we will also make much more
efficient use of our transportation system, with all the additional 3) VDOT or Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center have
benefits this entails. removed it with the intention of preserving it.
It is the behavioral changes which result from improved,
reliable information that are key to the benefits of ATIS, both 4) It has been stolen and will soon appear on eBay.
to individuals and to society! (For more on measuring these
benefits, I`d refer people to my paper in TRB Record 1651 If anyone does have an idea of what has happened to this
(1998), Applying Benefit/Cost Analysis to Identify and Measure fascinating piece of US transportation history, please email us
the Benefits of ITS.) at kevin@h3bmedia.com

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 33

Looking
good
Stunted
growth
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

Screenshot of footage being processed through Citysync’s JetBase software using the Fox HD camera

DONNA BLAKE and BOB BYERLY on why

the automatic licence plate recognition
market’s recent upturn is good news for
everyone...

34 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 Climate Change
ALPR

When DAVID SCHONBRUNN

read the April/May issue of
Thinking Highways he felt
compelled to write an article
offering his own views on
transportation’s impacts
onm and solutions for,
climate change

Citysync’s Fox High Definition ANPR Camera

Licence Plate Recognition has been around for over

10 years as a viable, commercial product but we
have seen a dramatic uptake in the technology over
the last five years in the world of Traffic Monitoring.
CitySync (www.citysyncamericas.com) is a UK head-
quartered company rapidly gaining traction and cre-
dentials in the US and have just opened an office in
Houston, Texas. They have been in existence since 1999
and have a very competent technical team to help plan,
test and pilot projects using their own in-house devel-
oped software and hardware.
Their frontline people are all ‘hands-on’ with their
products and they typically work through a trained net-
work of approved partner system integrators but are
able to offer initial consultancy directly with local DOTs.
CitySync have successfully delivered 14,000 lanes of
ALPR across the globe and have an unrivalled reputa-
tion for excellent customer support. Right now they are
looking for Traffic Systems Integrators to partner up
with across the US.

Time is of the essence

The whole LPR industry has really come of age as a result
of faster processors, advanced ALPR camera technol-
ogy that can capture license tags 24/7 and the general
acceptance of the ITS industry. Couple this with the two-
to four-car families and congestion on roads and travel
time information systems are a top priority.
What is interesting is that LPR is replacing often very
low-tech in-road sensors that only cost a few cents each
but they are very expensive to install as they need to be
embedded in the road which is also very disruptive to
traffic.
ALPR Cameras are deployed either roadside, on out-
riggers or from a bridge, and can cover one or more
traffic lanes from a single camera.
The processing of the captured plates can either be

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 35

ALPR
done in the camera, or roadside depending on the sys-
tem requirements. The results can then be transmitted
on any available, suitable medium using fiber/cable or
wireless/GPRS. Simple or more complex travel time
analysis can be delivered to suit user requirements.
Vehicle counts and speed can also be provided from the
ALPR system.
Sharing the cost with the police...
However, don’t miss the opportunity to discuss your
plans with your local or State Police to take an interest
and help share the infrastructure budget cost, as they
are the other significant LPR user.
Police use of LPR systems are growing very fast as they
have found that stolen or otherwise wanted vehicles and
drivers with outstanding warrants etc are much easier to
catch when ALPR system can match every plate against
police databases. Law Enforcers can also utilize the
‘captured event log’ of all vehicles and rapidly search
against this list for terrorism or crime suspects who were
present in an area when a crime was perpetrated, look
for potential witnesses etc, all after the event.
Accuracy
It may seem obvious, but the key to Automatic License
Plate Recognition is accuracy. There are many ALPR pro-
viders in the USA but the number one issue on the check-
list before deciding on which installer to go with must
be how accurate recognition rates are. And, you cannot
necessarily rely on what any company rep may say.
Unlike other items you may buy for business or to fulfil a
client’s need, there is some degree of risk associated
and you need to know your facts.
For example, it is very common for LPR vendors to be
asked the questions “what is your percentage accu-
36 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
Citysync’s Silverbird PC
racy?” Now it may be reasonable to assume that if a
vehicle has no plate or if a plate is damaged then we
should omit this from any answer that might be given to
this question, but it may surprise you to know that when
accuracy figures are quoted e.g. 75 per cent or 90 per
cent what is meant (but not necessarily readily commu-
nicated) is that this ‘accuracy’ figure is based on getting
two or three digits wrong on a license plate.
We all know that US plates are not the best in the world
(sad but true) as the quality and paint finish is often eas-
ily damaged or worn away by the sun, weather and salt
on winter roads. It is also reasonable that if we are read-
ing rear license plates, as many States do not have front
plates, then we have to contend with tow hitches that
may make it impossible to read all of the characters, but
there still is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the LPR world.
Camera technology
For the record, it is generally not possible to make use of
existing CCTV camera technology for LPR purposes.
Whilst CitySync has many downtown CCTV Systems
where legacy CCTV hardware is in use for LPR, this is for
daytime use only and the cameras have pre-set posi-
tions to cover city centre intersections and, where the
camera shutter speed can be set to at least 1/500th to
1/1000th of a second depending on traffic speeds. This
scenario is less common now as users tend to be more
educated about the camera end of the business and
want their systems to capture plates 24/7 and this is not
possible with a standard color CCTV camera. TH
To learn more about CitySync’s ‘ALPR YOU CAN TRUST’
please contact: Donna Blake, Marketing Manager or
Bob Byerly,VP of Business Development by email at
firstname.surname@citysyncamericas.com
or call 832 369 7502
www.thinkinghighways.com
 ALPR

<gdl;dglVgY
l^i]IGB>

TRMI designs integrated software, hardware and

network solutions for the future of All Electronic
Tolling (AET). From FasTrak® to E-Z Pass®, we
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www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 37

Intelligent CCTV

A great
way to
Stunted see
the city
growth
There are many issues associated with the use of
closed-circuit television for transportation
surveillance purposes. BRUCE ABERNETHY looks at
some of the major
Thinking points
Highways’ and assesses
financial CCTV’s
analyst MARGARET
strengths (and weaknesses)
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

38 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 Climate Change
Intelligent CCTV

It seems that everyone is deploying Closed Circuit

Television (CCTV) to support security, operations
management, or both. This includes jurisdictions
state, county, city and school districts as well as
different agencies within the jurisdictions from
transportation/traffic, public works, to emergency
management. Unfortunately there is limited coordi-
nation between jurisdictional agencies.
The reason is that Federal funding sources are differ-
ent. Emergency Management receives its funding from
the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS).
Traffic Management receives its funding via the
Federal Highway Administration (and the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency). Transit Agencies receive their
funding via the Federal Transit Agency. Public Works
receives funding through a variety of sources, including
fees for public utilities and funding through DHS for pro-
tection of critical infrastructure. This results in limited
coordination between agencies and increased deploy-
ment cost for surveillance CCTV within a jurisdiction.
Emergency Management is deploying CCTV along
streets with high crime rates and at jurisdictional owned,
public entertainment centers.
Traffic deploys CCTV along major corridors having
high congestion and at intersections that have a high
accident rate. Public transit agencies deploy CCTV at
bus stops and transfer locations, in park-and-ride lots
and even on their public transit vehicles. Public Work
may deploy CCTV cameras in parks and in areas to pro-
vide security to jurisdictional water and waste water
processing and distribution system, electric facilities (if
jurisdictional owned), jurisdictional vehicle service
centers, and other critical infrastructure supported by
them.

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 39

Intelligent CCTV

School districts are deploying surveillance cameras

within schools, in school parking areas, within operat-
ing centers for school buses and even on the buses
themselves. Intelligent Transportation Systems deploy-
ment, usually managed by the jurisdictional traffic engi-
neering department, includes a management center
linked to field sensors, traffic signal controllers, and
traveler messaging devices via a modern, metropolitan
area network (MAN). Most jurisdictions have either
transitioned to an Ethernet MAN or are in the process of
upgrading an old, narrow bandwidth network to wide
band Ethernet. If properly designed, this network should
be capable of providing a communications path back to
jurisdictional management centers for CCTV video
meeting all city agency requirements.
Deployment of IP-video compatible CCTV cameras
and a network supporting multicast allows all jurisdic-
tional centers to share critical surveillance video. Traffic
generally has a communications node at an intersection
utilizing a hardened Ethernet switch with multiple
Ethernet ports.
A mid-block CCTV required by police can easily be
linked to the intersection, hardened switch via wireless
Ethernet. By appropriately integrating jurisdictional
CCTV surveillance requirements, greater effectiveness
can be achieved across jurisdictional agencies at less
cost. Interoperability between jurisdictional operations
centers provides synergy needed to rapidly respond to • With CCTV deployment in the 62 Block of Jubi-
a major emergency with coordinated resources. lee Park neighborhood, crime was reduced by 13 per
cent and arrest were up by 21 per cent (same time
Does CCTV deter criminals? period).
The answer to this question depends on the criminal act. • In Deep Ellum area (an old part of Dallas con-
As we have seen in London, terrorist are not deterred by verted to an entertainment area where crime has contin-
CCTV. In their warped minds, becoming a martyr, kill- ued to grow) where CCTV cameras were deployed
ing many innocent people and causing major destruc- resulted in a 96 per cent reduction of violent crimes
tion to infrastructure is their primary objective. They against people and a 48 per cent reduction in property
well plan their actions and rapidly execute their plans. crimes.
Surveillance CCTV is useful to identify the terrorist after • Deployment of CCTV cameras in North Rich-
the horrific event, but usually is not a deterrent. land Park Estates resulted in a reduction of crime from
While it may be possible for surveillance cameras to 2.4 per week to 0.08 per week.
identify suspicious activity and to perhaps for law These statistics clearly show the benefits of CCTV
enforcement to apprehend the terrorist before they act, deployment in reducing common crimes within a city
this success has been limited. Perhaps and to improve arrest success.
this is because terrorist are well trained “Within a year,
and are taught to “blend in”. This is not Emerging trend
the case with the common criminal that
HDTV will have One emerging trend is the deployment
is intent on robbery and with those who migrated into the of CCTV cameras to prevent crimes in
just want to vandalize property. They are residential neighborhoods. Neighbor-
concerned about being identified by
surveillance hood organizations are funding the
surveillance cameras and are perhaps market” deployment of CCTV cameras and pay-
less skilled in rapid execution of the ing a security service to monitor the
crime. cameras.
This is proven out by crime statistics. The Dallas Morn- The DMN article indicates that there are 12 communi-
ing News (DMN) published an article (3-22-08; pp A1 & ties in the Dallas area that have now deployed CCTV
A11) entailed “Cities Keep an Electronic Eye on Crime” cameras to reduce crime. Thus there will be a growing
(by A. Abshire and T. Eiserer) and discussed the success business for companies to not only offer home security
of CCTV deployment by police in reducing crime. The sensor monitoring service but also monitoring of neigh-
article stated: borhood CCTV surveillance sensors.
• Camera deployment in the Dallas CBD is attrib- Yes, there are those that cry, invasion of privacy and
uted to reducing crime by 12 per cent and increasing yes there is some concern in residential neighborhoods
arrest by 9 per cent (2006 versus 2007) about “virtual peeping Toms” as cameras scan by

40 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 Intelligent CCTV

windows of houses with curtains, blinds or shades open.

While there are certainly cameras with programmable
privacy zones, there becomes a question as
related to the crime deterrent effec-
tiveness of the camera with privacy
zones set up on both sides of a street.
Also the emerging trend is the need
for high resolution. Police want to be
able to see the details of a crime, such as
passing of drugs and receiving money,
plus the ability to positively identify those
involved. They need adequate image res-
olution to support prosecution of criminals
in courts of law.
The trend will be towards HDTV cameras. These are
now available in the Camcorder market and will be
migrating into the environmentalized surveillance cam- crime. The success of CCTV camera deployment by law
era market, most likely within one year. This will have an enforcement in reducing crime is supporting the emer-
impact on ITS communications planners who should not gence of private businesses devoted to providing
only consider that the deployment density of CCTV sur- neighborhood security and funded by the residence of
veillance cameras will increase but so will the required the neighborhood.
communications bandwidth to support HDTV. The band- Security monitoring seems to be affordable as retired
width requirements of compressed, digital HDTV is law enforcement personnel are offering their services.
approximately three times that required for standard Certainly privacy issues must be resolved and certainly
definition TV (SDTV). communications network planning in jurisdictions must
consider the needs for increased communications
Summary bandwidth needs to support advances in surveillance
CCTV deployment has been proven for years to improve video. TH
the ability of traffic engineers to manage traffic and to Bruce Abernethy is Principal of Arcadis-US
identify and coordinate response to incidents. Now we and can be contacted via email at
have proof that CCTV surveillance cameras reduce bruce.abernethy@arcadis-us.com

Traffic Control where you need it, when you need it.

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Automated Enforcement

Stunted
growth
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

Storm
warning
42 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com
 Climate
Automated Change
Enforcement

Although photo radar is

both popular and
successful in Europe and
Australia, there has been
an apparent reluctance
within the USA to adopt this
means of enforcement.
However, as NICKI BRADLEY
suggests, that may no
longer be the case
The USA has largely chosen not to adopt auto-
mated enforcement but is there a change on the
horizon?
The State of Arizona is home to two key photo radar
companies and interestingly both have recently
been pitted against each other in a State-wide photo
enforcement program. Chicago has announced an
extension to its speed camera program launched in
2006 whilst Colorado State legislature has also
recently given its approval to use cameras to enforce
speed in work zones. In total around 35 cities cur-
rently used photo radar.
Politics, inevitably, have had a part to play in the
decision-making progress. There is the story of a
politician whom, it is reported, earlier this year per-
formed a rapid and surprising U-turn in his opinions
of photo radar, allegedly influenced by a lobbyist in
the pay of a photo radar company. Maybe, on this
occasion the lobbyist was able to produce a strong
enough case to persuade the politician - certainly
lobbyists have a powerful voice in the corridors of
power.

Democrats for change?

The United States is built on a foundation of liberty,
equality and justice for all which is reflected in both
the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In the world’s
strongest democratic State the voice of the voter car-
ries much weight. With decisions made at State level
rather than nationally, it is a brave leader who will
risk incurring the wrath of the local electorate and
future votes by introducing unpopular bills.
Throughout the world, the introduction of auto-
mated enforcement cameras has been met with
comparisons to George Orwell’s 1984 totalitarian
state with public surveillance likened to the Big
Brother cameras. Rather than being seen as a means
of protection, protesters claim that the cameras track
movement and limit freedom.
Those claiming that photo radar infringe civil lib-
erties site the presumption of innocence until found
guilty is turned on its head by automated enforce-
ment. Indeed, the assumption is that the vehicle’s
registered keeper is guilty of committing the offence
unless they can prove otherwise is prevalent in many
States.

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 43

Automated Enforcement
The againsts
Opponents see photo radar as a means of generating
revenue, a “stealth tax” on the unsuspecting public. The
deployment of the cameras can influence opinions here.
Some countries opt to warn motorists that photo radar is
in operation giving them the option to slow down to the
posted speed limit if they are exceeding it before they
actually reach the camera.
In the UK, fixed cameras are painted a bright lumines-
cent yellow to make them more obvious. Other coun-
tries choose to be less open and honest in their
deployment with cameras even being cunningly dis-
guised as trash cans or hidden in trees or bushes.
So are these cameras as sinister as their opponents
would suggest? Are they there purely to make money
and restrict our freedom? Supporters say not.
The purpose of the speed enforce-
ment camera is exactly that, to enforce “With a great deal
speed. Photo radar is already being
used quite extensively across America of contradictory
to enforce red light intersections and research available
where it is deployed there has been a
reduction in the number of side impact it is difficult for the
or t-bone collisions. Speed cameras layman to make an
can reduce the number of crashes on
the road. informed decision”
A National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) report sponsored the review of
13 published studies reporting on injury crashes
showed a reduction of between 20 and 25 per cent for
fixed camera sites and 21 to 51 per cent reduction in
crashes where mobile cameras were deployed. (Decina,
L.E.; Thomas, L.; Srinivasan, R.; and Staplin, L. 2007.
44 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
Automated enforcement: a compendium of worldwide
evaluations of results.Washington DC: National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.)
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the US
provide a great deal of statistical information support-
ing the use of automated enforcement. The Institutes
sites the City of Maryland as one positive example of
speed camera enforcement, their studies indicated that
six months after the introduction of cameras to residen-
tial areas and school zones in 2007, the number of driv-
ers exceeding the speed limit by more than 10mph had
decreased by 70 per cent.
British example
In the UK, where they have been in use since the early
1990s there are around 6,000 speed cameras, 2,500 of
which are mobile units. In the period
2003-2004 alone more than 1.8m speed-
ing offences were recorded by these
cameras; that’s an average of 300
offences per camera per year.
Automated cameras are effective at
freeing up often over-stretched police
resources for other aspects of law
enforcement.
Where police officers are required to
verify offences,evidence from a number
of cameras can be reviewed at any given time in offence
processing centre – something that cannot be achieved
by the police officer out on his motorcycle or in his
cruiser.
Speed enforcement technology is constantly devel-
oping, new average speed time over distance systems
are being developed. Using Automated License Plate
Recognition (ALPR) in the cameras vehicles are identi-
fied as they enter a measured stretch of road and once
again as they leave the road. The systems calculate the
average speed of the vehicle over the stretch of road for
enforcement.
Already in use in the UK, indications are that there is a
greater compliance from drivers as there is no benefit to
be had in slowing down when passing the camera,
speeding up once again when out of range. Such sys-
tems can be deployed on highways, school zones or
residential streets, any road that has an entry and exit
point. Vendors are constantly working to improve exist-
ing systems and develop new technology to make roads
a safer place for drivers.
What’s next?
No doubt the debate will continue as to whether the
cameras deter offenders, with a great deal of contradic-
tory research available it is difficult for the layman to
make an informed decision. Maybe it is time to start an
education program giving the public all the information
needed to make the choice photo radar or not photo
radar.
Will the USA continue with its reluctance to use photo
radar? It is unlikely, as communities become more and
more safety-conscious the benefits of the safety cam-
eras will surely outweigh the fears of the detractors. TH
www.thinkinghighways.com
 ALPR

All-in-one imaging systems can be

rapidly and inexpensively deployed –
either with or without built-in ALPR
engines

All for one,

one for all
All-in-one video imaging systems can help streamline
deployment of ALPR capabilities – if they have the right stuff.
FRANK LONG takes the leaner route to ALPR...
Automated license plate reading (ALPR) is an essen-
tial element of many different types of intelligent
traffic systems.
Whether being used in isolation, to identify vehicles
for tolling, congestion charging, or other applications,
or being used for video enforcement in transponder-
based systems, ALPR provides the essential ingredient
needed to link vehicles and their owners to billing, tick-
eting, and other back-office functions. Not surprisingly,
governmental agencies and other roadway operators
are finding more and more potential uses for ALPR to
help them realize projects that increase transportation
revenues, reduce traffic congestion and lessen environ-
mental impacts.
This desire for more widespread ALPR has created a
growing need for vehicle imaging systems capable of

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 45

ALPR
providing the high quality, precisely-captured images
needed for efficient plate reading.
Traditional video enforcement systems (VES), which
utilize toll plazas, ground loops, lane controllers, and
multi-component network infrastructures, still provide
the best performing solution for feeding the ALPR appli-
cation with high quality images. But these systems gen-
erally require significant investments in time and money
to properly construct and deploy. While this approach is
warranted in many traditional tolling setups, there is an
Stunted
increasing number of newer applications, such as HOT/
HOV lanes, congestion charging, and open road tolling,
which have roadway operators looking for a leaner
alternative – one that is faster to deploy and less costly
than traditional vehicle imaging systems.
All-in-one imaging systems
Recently, a new breed of vehicle imaging system has
emerged to try to fill this gap. These
systems seek to eliminate the need for “If the ALPR results
traditional ground loops or other trig- are to be used for
gering equipment in order to reduce
deployment costs while speeding the enforcement, a
installation process. Sometimes clear image of
referred to as “all-in-one” imaging sys-
tems because they contain camera, illu- the vehicle in
mination, and can even be equipped question is also
withThinking
ALPR software, these systems can
be attached to traditional gantries, but required”
financial
can also be pole mounted when gantries are unavaila-
ble orMARGARET
deemed too costly. PETTIT looks at the European
The attractiveness of such a solution, in terms of time-
Territorial Cooperation Programme
to-market and reduced construction costs, is obvious –
that
but only like
if it can with
deliver any
the level other
of imaging major programme,
performance
needed to meet the ALPR requirements of the applica-
tion. JAI is one of the companies that has developed an
all-in-one product as a complement to the company’s
more traditional multi-component systems.
The new system is called the IIT Camera System,
named after a patent pending vehicle detection tech-
nique (in-image triggering) that helps to set it apart
from other all-in-one approaches. A closer look at the IIT
System helps to illustrate some of the key challenges
that must be met in order for an all-in-one imaging sys-
tem to successfully fit into the ALPR equation.
Reliable vehicle detection/image capture
First and foremost, the system must be able to capture
and isolate images of every passing vehicle and plate
without a traditional ground loop/lane controller or
other hard-wired trigger method. Several approaches
are available to address this, including overhead laser
detectors and pattern recognition software. Unfortu-
nately, results from these methods are often lower than
desired.
Spot-beam lasers aimed at the middle of a traffic lane,
for example, can easily miss vehicles changing lanes or
simply shifted to one side. Using multiple lasers to over-
come this or using newer “fanned” lasers, adds substan-
tial time and cost for installation,tuning,and qualification,
thus undermining the concept of a “lean” deployment.
46 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
And there’s still the problem of manual effort to remove
false or multiple triggers caused by the contours of cer-
tain vehicles, including trucks, convertibles, and others
with non-standard profiles.
On the other hand, systems that use software to ana-
lyze every image in a free running video stream must
struggle to balance a variety of “readability” factors,
such as contrast, size, and position in the frame, as they
attempt to select plate images from the stream. Again,
the result is often an unacceptable percentage of images
selected as optimal by the pattern recognition software
but deemed “unreadable” by the ALPR software.
One method that is providing performance approach-
ing that of traditional loop-based systems is the innova-
tive, patent pending self-triggering technology being
used in JAI’s IIT Camera System. This system contains
built-in optical sensors that analyze IR light reflected
from passing vehicles to create a “virtual” trigger line to
tell the camera precisely when to cap-
ture an image based on the position of
the vehicle. Unlike free-running video
approaches, there’s no waiting for the
next available frame.
This combination of virtual trigger-
ing and on-demand image capture,
results in more consistent positioning
of the plate within the field of view,
which provides the ALPR engine with
Highways’
sharper focus, more optimal lighting,
and better pixel analyst
density across the plate area.
High quality images of plate and the scene
and finds
The second key consideration is the overall quality of
it’s
the image itself – including athe plate and the over-
both
all scene. While technically an ALPR engine only needs
a high contrast image of the plate, if the ALPR results are
going to be used for any type of enforcement, a clear
image of the vehicle in question is also required.
Unfortunately, many all-in-one imaging systems rely
almost exclusively on IR illumination. This is mainly to
avoid having to deal with ambient lighting conditions.
By bouncing strong IR lighting off the retro-reflective
vehicle plates, exposures can be set to take ambient
conditions out of the equation. In most cases, this results
in “floating plate” images where bright vehicle plates
are seen against a nearly black background.While ade-
quate for plate reading, the lack of discernable scene
information makes these images extremely difficult to
use for enforcement.
In order to address this problem, all-in-one imaging
solutions must take an approach similar to JAI’s IIT Cam-
era System, where a combination of IR and visible light-
ing is used. For the IIT Camera System this involves
being able to link a dual-band external flash unit to the
system’s “virtual trigger” technology. This flash, trig-
gered in precise synchronization with the image cap-
ture process, provides a mixture of long and short
wavelengths of light while remaining nearly invisible to
the human eye.
The combination of light sources enables the IIT Cam-
era System to capture images of both the plate and the
www.thinkinghighways.com

vehicle for ALPR and enforcement purposes. Like IR-
only systems, the use of artificial illumination means the
IIT Camera System can support 24-hour operation. But
by balancing the IR lighting with other wavelengths, the
IIT Camera System avoids chromatic aberrations and
readability issues that can affect some plates when only
IR lighting is used. In addition, the system’s wider spec-
trum of lighting supports the use of color cameras for
improved enforcement, something that can’t be done
well with IR-only systems.
Where’s the ALPR?
Perhaps the least important issue when it comes to all-
in-one imaging systems is whether the system itself
should perform the ALPR step. Most all-in-one imaging
systems contain some sort of processing engine (for
example, the IIT Camera System includes a PowerPC
processor) which can be equipped with ALPR software.
The ability to output a compressed JPEG image for
enforcement purposes, along with the ALPR results and
associated lane data, may be perfect for some installa-
tions, depending on the computing infrastructure that is
already in place. In other cases, however, it may be pref-
erable to simply output the image data to a separate
computer system where the ALPR and other back-office
functions can all occur. Regardless of the location of the
ALPR software, the key to success remains the ability of
the imaging system to repeatedly and reliably deliver
high quality images showing the plate for ALPR and the
scene for use in enforcement.
Putting it all together
When an all-in-one imaging system can deliver the type
of performance and image quality described here, it
gives roadway operators the freedom to take on a vari-
ety of new ITS projects in a fast and cost-effective man-
The considerable infrastructure of traditional loop-based
systems makes them unsuitable for many new ALPR
applications
www.thinkinghighways.com
Climate Change
ALPR
ner. In many cases, these new projects will involve
adding ALPR capabilities to an existing transponder-
based tolling environment in order to provide new toll-
ing options, video-based enforcement, or both.
Take the case of adding several HOT lanes to an exist-
ing toll road. The existing transponder infrastructure
might be sufficient to handle the tolling, but the addition
of a video-based ALPR system might be needed to make
sure violators can be identified and dealt with in an
enforceable fashion.
Tackling this type of project with a traditional system
involving ground loops and other lane controller infra-
structure is not only expensive and time consuming, but
may prove problematic in dealing with key project
requirements – such as the need to constantly reconfig-
ure lanes for morning and evening commute flows. The
availability of an all-in-one imaging system with reliable
triggering and high quality plate/scene capture, offers
roadway operators in situations such as these a way to
add the ALPR capability they need, quickly and easily,
with a maximum of flexibility in deployment.
While it is unlikely that all-in-one imaging systems
will ever completely replace more traditional system
architectures, they can provide an attractive alternative
for many projects. Having this leaner deployment option
should help to bring ALPR to an increasing number of
ITS applications in the coming years. TH
Frank Long is responsible for Traffic Solutions at
JAI, Inc. He can be contacted via email at fml@jai.com,
by calling +1 408 383 0300 or visiting www.jai.com
Systems that capture both plate and scene data are far
more effective for enforcement than IR-only systems
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 47
Traffic Management

Grand
designs
Stunted
growth
STEPHEN SLATER looks at how the forthcoming
Singapore F1 Grand Prix will impact upon the
island’s traffic management system

Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET

PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

Even by the standards of motor racing’s premier cat-
egory, Formula One, the creation of a brand-new
track inside 12 months is ambitious.Yet the organis-
ers of the FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand
Prix which takes place on 28 September, faced an
even bigger challenge.
Not only are they carving the track through the centre
of one of Asia’s most dynamic cities, without unduly dis-
rupting commercial and private travel, they have the
added challenge of installing the lighting required for
Formula One’s first night race. It is probably one of the
toughest traffic management challenges in the world!
Exactly one year before the race, Singapore received
in-principle approval from the Fédération Internation-
ale de l’Automobile (FIA) on 28 September 2007, for the
proposed 5.067km-long street circuit which winds
through the Marina Bay area, in the south central seg-
ment of the city. Marina Bay houses some of the most
prestigious hotels, one of the biggest shopping malls,
the island state’s biggest single tourist attraction and
borders the main commercial and government areas.
Singapore is a small island, about 30 miles by 20 and
Marina Bay also divides the largely residential East of
the island and the Changi International Airport from the
industrial and docklands hub to the West.
In other words, the traffic management around the
track would impinge upon the lives of every one of Sin-
gapore’s 4.6m inhabitants.
Keeping everything on track
There are a wide range of agencies across Singapore
which involved in the track planning and the infrastruc-
ture behind the race. Singapore GP Pte Limited is the
company formed to deal with Formula One and handle

48 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

Incident Management

Unjamming
America
Stunted
growth
Thinking Highways’ financial analyst MARGARET
PETTIT looks at the European Territorial
Cooperation Programme and finds that like with
any other major programme, it’s a matter of
priorities

According to the AAA, in the United States traffic

Every driver has experienced
the inconvenience of a delay
caused by congestion.Traffic
impacts much more than just
on our daily schedules; it also
impacts the economy, the
environment, our quality of
life and our wallets. As ALISON
GRIFFITH explains,roadway
congestion increases fuel
consumption and emissions,
increasing the odds of
secondary incidents and
healthcare costs. So what are
we going to do about it?
congestion costs each person US$430 annually, and
auto accidents have an annual per person cost of
US$1,051.
Incident related delays cause an increase in freight
shipping costs. In 2004, the U.S. trucking industry lost
243m travel hours, which cost US$7.8 billion.These costs
are passed on to the consumer in the form of price
increases for goods. Traffic accidents cost society more
than US$150 billion a year and account for a greater
share of the nation’s health care costs than any other
cause of illness or injury.
Recurring theme
There are two categories of traffic congestion: recurring
and non-recurring. Recurring traffic congestion occurs
daily, simply due to the fact that the number of vehicles
attempting to access the roadways outnumbers the
available space. This congestion can only be reduced
by the development and implementation of arterial
management, corridor traffic management, travel
demand management and freeway management pro-
grams. Non-recurring congestion is caused by inci-
dents (25 per cent), adverse weather (15 per cent), work

52 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com


zones (24 per cent) and special events/other incidents
(36 per cent).
Although they comprise just under a quarter of all
non-recurring delay,work zones present
a common source of congestion for driv- “Comprising just
ers. Motorists encounter an active work
zone in one out of every 100 miles driven under a quarter of
on the National Highway System, and all non-recurring
motorists experience a lane closure
every 200 miles driven on the National delay, work zones
Highway System. During the 2001 sum- present a common
mer roadwork season, there was a
capacity loss of 60m vehicles per day source of
over a two-week period. It is no surprise congestion”
that motorists become irate when
encountering these delays.
Non-recurring congestion tends to “surprise” driv-
ers, increasing trip times, and accounting for about half
of all roadway congestion. Non-recurring congestion
can be alleviated through the use of Traffic Incident
Management.
Traffic Incident Management is a pre-planned pro-
gram designed to restore the normal flow of traffic as
quickly as possible. Traffic Incident Management con-
www.thinkinghighways.com
Climate
Incident Change
Management
sistsWhen DAVID
of multiple SCHONBRUNN
phases, and requires cooperation from
read the April/May issue of
multiple responding agencies.
The steps of Traffic Incident Management include:
• Thinking Highways
Incident Detection he felt
and Verification
compelled
• Response to thetoIncident
write an article
• Delivery of Information to motorists
•
offering his own views on
Roadway Management
• transportation’s
Scene Clearance. impacts
onm and solutions for,
Objective oriented
climate
The first of these objectives, change
Incident Detection & Verifi-
cation, is really the cornerstone in Traffic Incident Man-
agement. Incident detection is the way in which the
incident is reported and verified, and how the respond-
ing agencies are alerted to the incident. Routine police
or motorist assistant patrols find nearly one-half of all
reported incidents. The other half is reported through
motorist cell phones.
Once an incident has been reported, it is necessary to
determine that it is a legitimate incident, and not a false
alarm. Surveillance devices, such as closed circuit tel-
evision (CCTV) cameras are most useful for incident
verification. The response to the incident needs to be
timely, and coordinated between first responders (law
enforcement, fire rescue and emergency medical),
transportation agencies and private responders, such
as towing companies. Failure to notify all three responder
types in a quick and efficient manner can lead to clear-
ance delays, and delays the use of congestion manage-
ment tools.
State line
Some States have addressed this issue by creating
Transportation Management Centers within the public-
safety call centers. This allows the transportation agency
to be notified of the incident at the same time the first
responders are notified. Although this has worked in
some areas, timely notification remains an issue nation-
wide. Response notification can be improved through
the use of technology and interagency pre-planning.
Currently, field tests are being done in
Utah and Washington to integrate Intel-
ligent Transportation Systems with the
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD).
The integration of these two systems
would facilitate a coordinated response
to incidents, as well as improve data
gathering related to incident manage-
ment. It would also provide an easily
accessible, thorough transportation/
public safety database.
Incident Notification is directly
related to the second step in the Traffic Incident Man-
agement program: Response to the Incident. The
response has three main goals: to assist those involved
in the incident, to provide for the safety of the respond-
ers, and to clear the incident and restore traffic flow. In
order to effectively accomplish these goals, all respond-
ing personnel must coordinate their efforts. This is typi-
cally handled through the use of an Incident Command
System (ICS), which is a systematic process “used for
Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 53
Incident Management
the command, control and coordination of an emer-
gency response.” The use of this process is becoming
more widespread, due in part to the Department of
Homeland Security adapting an ICS based framework
for the National Incident Management System.
However, the ICS process is rarely implemented at
routine, non-recurring incidents, because the entry-
level personnel that often respond to these incidents are
not comfortable with the procedures. In order to ensure
uniform response to all incidents, the ICS procedures
need to be implemented at all levels, through standard-
ized training.
In order to properly manage the scene and maintain
safety, responders need the cooperation of the motor-
ing public. This is accomplished through motorist notifi-
cation. It is important to provide motorists with early
warning of forthcoming delays, while encouraging them
to take other routes.
One of the most effective and powerful ways to accom-
plish this goal is through the use of
changeable message signs and traveler
“A good option for
information systems. In order for these effective
technologies to be most effective, they
need to provide detailed information to
notification of
the motorist, so that they can make a motorists is a
decision to change their route. A good
option for effective notification of motor-
highway advisory
ists is the use of a highway advisory radio radio trailer”
54 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
trailer. These trailers provide a visual notification of the
upcoming incident, as well as alerting the driver to tune
to a radio station, where a message providing additional
information and/or advising them of alternate routes,
can be broadcast. In order for this to be effective, the
personnel who control the changeable message signs
and information systems must be available to update
the system around the clock.
It’s good to talk...
The fourth component of a Traffic Incident Management
system is Roadway Management. In short, roadway
management is the effective communication between
all personnel responding to the incident.These respond-
ers may include police, fire, emergency medical serv-
ice, HazMat and the DOT. This requires individuals from
different agencies and with different objectives to work
together to process the scene without interfering with
each other or causing unnecessary delays. The main
goals of Roadway Management are to
assess the incident, establish priorities,
notification and coordination of needed
agencies, and maintaining communica-
tions between responders, as well as
with the motoring public. At an incident
site, there are two processes being
managed: one is the management of
the incident itself, and the other is the
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Incident Management

management of the roadway surrounding the incident.

Preplanning and utilization of across the board stand-
ards, such as ICS procedures will reduce on scene con-
fusion and delays.

Clearing the scene

The fifth component of the Traffic Incident Management
program is scene clearance. Efficient clearance of travel
lanes is important: each minute that an accident creates
a roadway hazard, the likelihood of a secondary crash,
which account for 20 per cent of all crashes, increases
2.8 per cent. This further increases delays and adds an
increased risk for struck-by accidents, where an emer-
gency responders or roadway workers are killed or
injured by a passing vehicle. As discussed in roadway
management, scene clearance involves the participa-
tion of multiple responders and the management of
many factors, which include, but are not limited to:
• Incident investigation/Evidence collection
• Spill Cleanup/Cargo Salvage
• Removal of Vehicles
• Emergency Medical Services and Medical
Transport.
This not only requires cooperation between multiple
agencies, but it also requires cooperation of the motor-
ing public. The responders need to be able to have a
clear area to manage the scene, and want to reduce sec-
ondary accidents. The responders must restore traffic
flow at the incident scene, prevent traffic from flowing
into the area, and prevent congestion from spreading
into other highway areas, causing additional delays.
During clearance of the incident, it still remains cru-
cial to continue communication with motorists. They
should be made aware of the reason for the delay, the
location of the incident, and be continually provided
with information on alternate routes. This information
should continue to be shared with the motorists until the
normal flow of traffic has been restored. Again, the use
of changeable message signs, HAR trailers, and traveler
information systems well upstream of the incident is
crucial to relay the needed information to drivers so that
they may make the needed adjustments to their travel
plans.

Co-operation is the key

Although the elimination of all road congestion would
be nearly impossible, with careful planning & imple-
mentation, the delays caused by non-recurring conges-
tion can be reduced substantially. Traffic Incident
Management is an effective way to reduce travel delay,
fuel consumption, emissions and secondary incidents
while improving driver satisfaction and boosting the
national and regional economy.
The groundwork for any successful Traffic Incident
Management program is co-operation between
responding agencies and use of traffic mitigation
devices, such as changeable message signs, CCTV,
traveler information systems and HAR Trailers. Through
advanced planning, training and with the use of the right
traffic control devices, Traffic Incident Management can
improve our roadways and out quality of life. TH

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 19

Climate Change

Thinking Highways has spent the end of the summer

conducting a survey where we caught up with a
number of academics, policy makers and industry
officials integrally involved in fighting to reduce the
transportation sector’s carbon footprint - a reported
28 per cent of all greenhouse gases that are the
underlying cause of climate change.
We asked them to pick the one or two proposals that
would make the most difference in the near term to
reduce traffic congestion and the idling, which create
greenhouse gases. The result, say climate experts, is an
increase of severe weather that has the potential to
wreak havoc on the environment, not to mention trans-
portation infrastructures.
Their answers represent the sort of material that will
appear regularly in FOOTPRINT – a new H3B Media
online publication designed to explore a wide variety of
“green” initiatives and policy proposals that could assist
reduce emissions attributable to transportation.

Promote ongoing public education

The most commonly stated priority to addressing cli-
mate change and transportation was the ongoing need
to educate government officials and the public to the
role that transportation plays in promoting greenhouse
gases and the myriad possibilities that exist to address
the issue.
Joyce Wenger, Principal of Booz Allen Hamilton in
McLean, VA, doesn’t believe the public – or the media
for that matter – are fully aware of the impact that trans-
portation is having on the climate, or ways that transpor-
tation technology and policy can help mitigate the
problem.
She argues that ongoing education is required to win
public buy-in for initiatives like promotion of mass tran-
sit that may require some personal sacrifice or expense.
With fuel prices at record highs, she says the time
couldn’t be riper to build that awareness as the public is
starting to reach for alternatives to the family car.
Michael Replogle, Transportation Director at the Envi-
ronmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Washington, DC,
agrees with Wenger that the public may not be aware of
many options available to address climate change in the
transportation sector. That’s, in part, because many pub-
lic policies – the gas tax, for example – shield the public
from the real costs of driving and maintaining highway
infrastructure, he said.
According to Replogle, charging fees to drive at peak
traffic times (road or congestion pricing, to give its more
popular epithet) would not only raise funds need for
road maintenance, but help the public understand first
hand the cost of driving, he said. But Tom Vanderbilt,
author of the new book Traffic (Knopf Publishing Group,
2008), says charging extra to gain access to city streets
during peak traffic hours may be one of ”the most effec-
tive, least popular solutions” to traffic congestion. Again,
for congestion pricing to take hold, there needs to be
more public education.
With gas prices having topped US$4 a gallon, however,
New York City is taking asecond look at this approach
only months after the New York State Legislature dissed

58 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

 ClimateChange
Climate Change

Footprints
& footsteps

Ahead of the December 2008 launch of H3B Media’s

new magazine,“FOOTPRINT: Green Transportation
Developments & Initiatives,” AMY ZUCKERMAN talks
to expertsin the fields of climate change and
transportation about how to move from talk to
action

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 59

Climate Change
Left to right: Booz Allen Hamilton’s Joyce Wenger,
Environmental Defense Fund’s Mike Replogle and Peek
Traffic’s Tim O’Leary
Left to right: Peter Plumeau of Reseource Systems Group,
Congressman John Olover and UMass’s Prof Ray Bradley
a congestion pricing proposal for Manhattan’s business
district. Replogle considers congestion pricing “a hot
priority for EDF” whether in New York or nationally.
Then there’s the question of what it costs just to drive
around looking for a parking space. In Traffic Vanderbilt
cites a study that took place in Los Angeles where driv-
ers attempting to park were logged on an average day
in a 15-block radius. He reports that drivers logged an
incredible 3,600 miles in that short time searching for
spaces, wasting fuel and spewing emissions into the
atmosphere.
“People aren’t even aware of how much driving around
it costing them,” agreed Replogle. “Coordinating and
relaying information to drivers about available parking
could cut back on this sort of waste without a lot of need
for fancy equipment in the car,” he said.
Who would do the educating and who would foot the
bill? Neither Wenger or Replogle have the answer, but
Wenger does note that the Department of Transporta-
tion (DOT), Department of Energy (DOE) and Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) have been exploring
coordinated efforts to address climate change.
Create a cohesive national plan
To address a “problem that respects no political bound-
aries,” Peter Plumeau is working with the Federal High-
way Adminsitration (FHWA) and metropolitan planning
organizations (MPOs) in an ongoing effort to find cohe-
sive ways for regions to both reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and protect highway infrastructure from
severe weather, particularly flooding.
Director of Policy and Strategy Practice at Resource
Systems Group, Inc. in Burlington, VT, Plumeau asserts
that many MPOs nationwide “don’t know what to do [to
address climate change and transportation]. There is no
cohesive policy on a federal or state level to address cli-
mate change.”
Plumeau is concerned that without education and
coordination between government agencies at all lev-
els,“fragmented entities will go off on their own and cre-
60 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
ate a patchwork of approaches.”
Most of the participating MPOs are taking various
types of action related to climate change. Some are try-
ing to address climate change “quietly” through their
existing planning processes, while others have put it
prominently at the top of their list of priorities. Infor-
mation sources vary widely, from national publica-
tions to data from the federal government. Some
MPOs gather their own data, and many look to
academia for information.
Efforts among these MPOs to coordinate with
other organizations ranged from establishing for-
mal greenhouse gas mitigation organizations to
more simple ad hoc efforts. Some participants are
pursuing coordination with other MPOs in their states or
regions. Although some MPOs have successful formal
efforts, most are looking for opportunities to increase
their role. Plumeau concludes that public involvement
efforts on climate change range from issuing white
papers and holding conferences to seeking speaking
engagements and other indirect efforts to virtually none
at all.
Pay-As-You-Drive insurance
There are those who believe the best way to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions is to get drivers off the roads
and that high fuel prices, alone, won’t alter the public’s
driving habits. Replogle believes that Pay-As-You-Drive
(PAYD) insurance holds the promise to decrease driv-
ing because it provides drivers incentives to drive less.
In fact, he’s made promoting this approach a top priority
(which will make for interesting reading in the UK where
insurance giant Norwich Union has “quietly” reneged
on its much-publicised plans to push ahead with a PAYD
scheme (Thinking Highways Europe/Rest of the
World,Volume1, Issue 1, pp 30-33).
Citing a Brookings Institute report released at the end
of July, Replogle said that if everybody paid for insur-
ance by the mile “it would cut miles driven by eight per
cent, reduce accidents and significantly reduce reen-
house gases.” Moreover, he said a two-person house-
hold could expect to save as much as US$270 per vehicle
annually on car insurance and low-to-moderate-income
households stand to benefit because they tend to drive
less. Mileage verification pay-as-you-drive programs
are being offered in 34 US states and in a number of
other countries, added Lauren Navarro, an EDF attorney
based in Sacramento, CA.
Some systems also track driving behavior and can
determine if a driver has been “driving calmly,” which
reduces engine wear and tear and reduces fuel con-
sumption, Replogle added. Insurance costs can be
reduced to honor good driving behavior, as well. “It’s a
great way to get people to change their driving habits as
it ties into where you drive, when you drive and the dis-
tance you drive.”
Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance is not a slam dunk. Some
states can limit insurers from checking odometers along
with providing other restrictions. And there are those
concerned with privacy issues attendant with tracking
vehicles, and cite the cost of attaching GPS or cellular
www.thinkinghighways.com
 Climate Change

device attached to a car’s computer system. Navarro

argues that the privacy given up with a tracking device
is “similar to the privacy you give up every time you use
your credit card or cell phone.”

Increase mass transit and high speed rail

Congressman John Olver, chairman of the House of Rep-
resentatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Trans-
portation, has been a staunch supporter of mass transit
and high speed rail – both considered key elements of
reducing traffic congestion.
Keynoter at H3B Media’s Climate Change Transporta-
tion Think Tank in May at the University of Massachu-
setts in Amherst, Olver called for expansion of public
transit, especially in large metropolitan areas, along
with educating the public to the costs associated with
increasing mass transit riders to at least 70 billion annu-
ally. He also supports creation of high-speed rail
between major metropolitan areas “to move greater
number of people and reduce air travel.”
Rising gas prices have helped bolster Olver’s case. A
record 25.8m passengers took Amtrak, the nation’s main
commuter rail service, in the last fiscal year. Company
officials, in news reports, said they expected ridership
to approach 28m this year. At the time of writing, both
houses of Congress have approved legislation that
would provide an additional US$15billion in capital
funding for Amtrak. Amtrak officials aim to replace older
locomotives and rail cars with newer, more efficient
models, according to news reports. A final authorization
bill that reflected concerns of both houses was in devel-
opment. Despite what appear to be positive develop-
ments for public transport, Replogle points out that 28
per cent of transit authorities nationwide have been
forced to cut services because of budget shortfalls even
in the face of rising demand.When the current transpor-
“Both houses of tation law expires in 2009 he said he will be working
Congress have hard to with other mass transit supporters push for gov-
ernment support of mass transit.
approved
legislation that Traffic management meets mass transit
Peek Traffic produces a number of technologies that
would provide an help manage traffic, but president Tim O’Leary is par-
additional ticularly keen on “transit signal priority” technology as
an approach to reducing congestion and greenhouse
US$15billion in gas emissions in urban areas because it can be used to
capital funding encourage mass transit rider ship.
The argument is that public transportation isn’t fast
for Amtrak” enough,” said O’Leary, but with the deployment
of transit signal priority technology at key inter-
sections, transit buses riding in dedicated lanes
would receive priority over individual vehicles. In
theory, they could beat individual vehicles along
select routes, “promising transit riders better time
than individual drivers.”
The technology isn’t new, but O’Leary said Peek
Traffic was working on “more efficient applications
to operate on new hardware platforms. Memory and
processing speed have been increased,” he explained.
Orders from metropolitan areas concerned with curb-
ing congestion are on therise, he said.

www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 3 No 3 61

Climate Change
Los Angeles is barely visible through the largely man-made,
and traffic-made, smog
Picking off the low-hanging fruit
Professor Ray Bradley, Ph.D., PE and Director of Climate
System Research Center, UMass-Amherst thinks that
there are many “low-hanging fruits” that can be har-
vested without too much trouble. One example would
be to reduce fast highway speed, thereby reducing con-
sumption. Even 5mph would be significant across the
US (or simply enforce existing laws, but that’s another
matter altogether), but his is not a particularly popular
message, even though each participant in this action
directly and immediately benefits the next time they fill
up with gas.
Bradley’s second priority would be improve traffic
flow to minimise wasted fuel, while his third is to dra-
matically ramp up the CAFE, or fuel economy, stand-
ards. “I expect the new administration and Congress
will revisit this next year. Not a short-term solution, but
very significant on the 5+ year timescale,” he insists.
Fourth would be to tax vehicles with a particularly
high gas consumption, driving the guzzling SUVs and-
Hummers off the road. “But maybe,” suggests Bradley
“the marketplace will do that by itself.”
Step five is to improve public transportation so it is
convenient and safe and comfortable. This requires a
big investment on the local, state and federal levels with
payback in 5 to 10 years.
Sixth, says Bradley, is to revisit the biofuel/ethanol
issue. Currently, using food for biofuel distorts the glo-
bal market for food products, impacts the poor and is
not cost-effective in terms of energy-in versus energy-
out. In addition, Bradley says that we will need to adapt
infrastructure to inevitable changes in climate, related
to a higher frequency of extreme events (sea-level rise
and so on) over a10-to-20-year timeframe.
“All of these changes involve politics, but the painful
decisions we’ve been avoiding are getting easier to
make with oil at US$125 a barrel,” he says. “So 2009 will
see dramatic changes in US policy no matter who is
elected.”
A widely supported analysis
The final word goes to Bradley’s UMass colleague, Pro-
fessor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, David
Ahlfeld, Ph.D, PE. He reckons that one essential action
step to be taken is a risk/vulnerability analysis of trans-
62 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways
portation infra-structure assuming increased frequency
and intensity of storm events (more heavy rains and high
winds).
“This work should be supported by industry, agencies
and transportation professionals” explained Ahlfeld.
“They know their systems best. There is extensive
knowledge on how to conduct these types of analyzes in
academia and elsewhere. State and Federal transporta-
tion agencies may be the logical place from which fund-
ing can come to support this work.This work should start
now. “
The basic questions that transportation officials need
to ask is, says Ahlfeld, how would their particular trans-
portation system respond if heavy rains and high winds
became more common and have higher intensity?
Depending on location, increased tidal storm surges,
increased drought and higher temperatures may also
be issues to address.
Ahlfeld has identified two vitally important steps in
which academia can play a massive role:
“One, support research to guide formation of new
design standards for sizing of transportation infrastruc-
ture for storm flows, floods, tidal surges and so on. And
two, support research to implement detailed climate
change impact analysis studies. These two items are
related. Once it is understood from the risk/vulnerabil-
ity analysis which components of the transportation sys-
tem need attention this will lead to an understanding of
the types of new design standards that are needed,” he
said. The new design standards will be based on projec-
tions of how future climate will evolve. At present these
projections contain lots of uncertainty, Ahlfeld main-
tains, and how to use these projections is an open sci-
ence question.
“I would expect this question to get Federal science
support over the next five years or so. Our ability to
project future climate will probably improve over time
so that our ability to properly design transportation
infrastructure will also improve. I expect that local and
regional transportation agencies will rely on regional
research centers that focus on climate change and adap-
tation strategies in their region.” TH
FOOTPRINT will be published in digital format twice a
year; the first issue will appear in December.
Go to www.thinkinghighways.com for more details
www.thinkinghighways.com
 ISTANBUL

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64 Vol 3 No 3 Thinking Highways www.thinkinghighways.com

CARE, COMPASSION
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