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Advanced Technology May

CalTrans is working on innovative technology solutions to reduce traffic congestion and enhance road travel.

The bumper-to-bumper cars, the annoying wait just to move a few feet, carbon monoxide poison wafting through the air -- all part of many commuters' daily grinds. Most people would avoid this scene if they could, but that can be nearly impossible. Even leaving congested freeways for surface streets, changing work hours, taking the bus or train or forming a car pool won't necessarily end the stop-and-go nightmare. One solution may be something unexpected -- an advanced technology system.

Breaking ground in this area is the California Department of Transportation. CalTrans is experimenting with transportation information systems to reduce congestion. The department's New Technology and Research Program has a comprehensive approach to research, develop, test and evaluate transportation innovations so CalTrans can better manage the transportation infrastructure and enhance mobility options.

"Technology is evolving and changing the world we live in, and here at CalTrans, we want to improve our system by using it," said Roy Bushey, manager of the research program.

Although the program works on many other transportation-related issues, it emphasizes congestion reduction through strategies that include transportation information systems, traffic management systems and advanced vehicle-safety systems.

"Our philosophy is to apply advanced technology that has come out of computing and aerospace, to improve productivity and safety of our transportation system," explained Patrick Conroy, chief of Rural/Multimodel Research, Testing and Deployment Planning. "We want to enhance connectivity between systems, use technology to increase our ability to share information between state traffic and commercial fleet managers, reduce congestion and improve mobility for users."

Traveler Information

One of the department's first efforts involves the development of a seamless multimodel transportation system that depends on the integration of traveler information systems. CalTrans has established what it calls "Smart Traveler" to inform motorists of road and weather conditions via telephone or radio. This system relies heavily on public/private cooperation to use communication technologies that collect, process and provide a range of transportation data to travelers.

The overall plan: to provide information via cellular phones, radios, hand-held personal digital assistants, in-vehicle navigation systems and other electronic devices. They are working on putting this information online.

"What we're now trying to do is provide traffic information over the Internet so that people learn about road conditions before they ever leave their homes," Bushey said. "Then travelers can opt to chose better routes or delay their departures. We also hope to install cameras and provide realtime pictures of road conditions in places like Donner Summit (in the Sierra Nevada mountain range), where weather conditions can make traveling hazardous. After viewing the pictures, travelers can then decide for themselves if this is something they want to tackle."

Ultimately, CalTrans' services will become a kind of travel agency that delivers more than just road and weather information, but a host of travel data. This will include pre-trip information, advisories, route guidance, electronic fare and toll payment, ride-matching and reservations, and information about travel services. Additionally, CalTrans officials hope to include information about destinations, accommodations, service stations, restaurants and lodging.

Technology to Tame Traffic

The program is also working to ease congestion with a Traffic Management System that will create transportation management centers across California. These centers will perform many of the system's information-gathering and system-management functions, including forecasting conditions that would hamper traffic flows, handling electronic payment services, reporting emergencies and regulating the overall transportation system.

CalTrans has already established 12 of these systems in places like Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino and Sacramento. The systems are a cooperative effort between CalTrans, the California Highway Patrol and local agencies for traffic surveillance and management.

"We can't monitor what's going on in the state's system without working with the locals," Bushey said. "This program will demonstrate how to work together to operate the county and state highways systems in an effective way that allows for the free flow of communication."

Safety First

While it may be nice to avoid traffic jams, a bigger perk will be safer roads and fewer fatalities. Thus, CalTrans has also been working on advanced vehicle-safety systems with the nation's top automakers. "Intelligent vehicles" will be equipped to sense obstacles. Such technology may increase safety, reduce congestion, decrease emissions and conserve energy.

This has led to efforts to develop steering, brake and throttle actuators to enable vehicles to avoid crashes, employing longitudinal and lateral collision-avoidance systems. Other safety systems would be used, including blind-spot obstacle-detection systems, laser/radar/infrared interval-control detection fields, dual windshield cameras to provide stereoscopic scans and ultrasonic rear-interval backup fields.

"We've been working with the automakers for quite some time to demonstrate how an advanced highway system might work," Bushey said. "Our hope is to develop things like electronic warning systems to alert drivers when they're about to run off the road or collide with an object. The problem is, many automakers are concerned about what would happen to them if the devices failed to work. There's many liability issues we have to overcome."

Freeway Freedom

The effort's intended result is not just neat new ways to get to work, but an end to that endless congestion choking California's highways.

"We really want to work together as department to introduce new technology to operate the entire system more effectively," Bushey added. "Technology may not be the silver bullet, but it does offer a way to improve operations and add to the overall improvement of the system. If you have a toolbox, you want to utilize as many tools as possible from that box -- and technology is one of those tools."

Additional information is available online.


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Michelle Gamble-Risley is research director for Government Technology Market Navigator, a state and local government research service. Email