Benefits
Highway System Operations
Traffic Management
| Mobility Problem | Imagine |
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IntelliDriveSM mobility applications provide a connected, data-rich travel environment. The network captures real-time data from equipment located on-board all types of vehicles (automobiles, trucks, and buses, and within the infrastructure. The data are transmitted wirelessly, and are used by transportation managers in a wide range of dynamic, multi-modal applications to manage the transportation system for optimum performance.
Traffic congestion costs the nation $87.2 billion a year in wasted travel time and fuel, according to the Texas Transportation Institute's 2007 Urban Mobility Report. Transportation agencies monitor traffic conditions and adjust the operation of ramp meters, signal timing, and lane control systems in order to maximize the efficiency of the transportation system in responding to traffic demand. IntelliDriveSM technologies have the potential to dramatically improve the quality and quantity of real-time traffic data, which, in turn, would make it easier to manage transportation systems efficiently.
Use of Wireless Devices as Anonymous Traffic Data Probes
Leveraging wireless devices and communications networks could cut the ongoing costs of traffic monitoring, and expand coverage to thousands of miles of highways and urban arterials for which sensors are not currently a viable option. Over time, traffic data from participating wireless users could reduce the need for costly traffic surveillance equipment such as loop detectors, toll-tag readers, and cameras.
Vehicles as Anonymous Data Probes
Future IntelliDriveSM technologies are expected to provide Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) with a richer data set than current wireless devices that are not integrated into vehicles. On-Board Equipment (OBE) integrated with vehicle electronic systems will be designed to anonymously relay information on vehicle conditions such as traction control, or anti-lock braking activation, which are proxies for road surface conditions. The OBE would transmit this data anonymously to Road Side Equipment (RSE), which in turn would relay the information in aggregate form to be turned into useful data to indicate where roadway maintenance may be needed.
Ramp Metering
IntelliDriveSM technologies of the future could deliver real-time data that will be used to optimize the operation of ramp meters in response to changing conditions on the freeway and nearby surface streets. By ensuring that the ramp metering does not merely shift congestion to the arterial network, system capacity would be optimized. If IntelliDriveSM improves the operation of ramp meters by just 5 percent, it will save an estimated 1.2 million gallons of gas annually, valued at $2.8 million, plus more than 11,000 tons of CO2 emissions, at full deployment.1
Signal Timing and Adjustment
IntelliDriveSM technologies could collect and analyze actual (rather than imputed) vehicle speeds and stop-start patterns at intersections. This could enable more efficient signal timing. If IntelliDriveSM data improves signal operation by 10 percent, it would save an estimated 1.7 million gallons hours of delay, 1.1 million gallons of gasoline, and 9,600 tons of CO2 emissions a year, at full deployment.2
Corridor Management
In the future, transportation agencies could use real-time data for corridor-level traffic management, with a goal of reducing travel delay by making the most efficient use of available resources. Travel demand could be balanced across adjacent or parallel facilities, using strategies such as changing the direction of a reversible lane in response to an incident; changing the ramp metering timing plan; or using message boards to encourage motorists to divert to a different route.
Performance Measurement
IntelliDriveSM offers the potential to generate an expanded set of measures for monitoring the status and operation of the transportation system. IntelliDriveSM - generated data could provide metrics for the effectiveness of system operation, including travel time, stops, delay, and travel reliability; condition metrics, including indicators of pavement traction, pavement roughness, precipitation, visibility and air quality; and demand metrics, such as vehicle counts. .
- Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) Benefit Cost Analysis Version 2.3 (Draft) | HTML, May 8, 2008.
- Ibid