Transportation

figure 2: Three-dimensional maps of Time losses due to Traffic Congestion in Japan⁵³

ITS also enable transportation agencies to collect the real-time data needed to measure and improve the performance of the transportation system. For ex- ample, ITS allow transportation agencies to collect data before and after construction projects to assess their effectiveness in relieving congestion. Japan, for example, uses probe data to create three-dimensional maps showing time loss due to traffic congestion (Fig- ure 2) and fatal accident rates on each section of ma- jor highway. Such systems can also be the centerpiece of efforts to reform surface transportation funding systems to hold transportation service providers (for example, state Departments of Transportation) more accountable for providing real results.
ITS can be the centerpiece of efforts to reform surface transportation funding systems to hold transportation service providers more accountable for providing real results.