(Sources: Wired; RTTNews, Associated Press, The Detroit News GM Press Release)

Image Courtesy: GM

General Motors always dreams big, no matter how much money they have in their bank account.  Now that Uncle Sam’s treasury is backing up the financial future,  GM continues its tradition of dreaming big and the latest outcome of this is a future where people navigate crowded cities in big Segways that look kinda like a Dyson vacuum cleaner and can drive you home when you’ve had one too many after a long day at work. . Seriously.

Today, GM unveiled a trio of electric “urban mobility vehicles,” built with help from the über-geeks at Segway, today in Shanghai. They’re called Electric Networked Vehicles (EN-V) and they’re designed for cities bursting at the seams with traffic.  The EN-V, pronounced “envy,” is GM’s latest effort to burnish its credentials as a future-focused, environmentally friendly company and shed its image as the bastion of the gas guzzling Hummer. The automaker is in the process of winding down Hummer after a deal collapsed to sell it to a Chinese heavy equipment maker. The helmet-shaped two-seater vehiclesunveiled today in Shanghai will be now showcased at world expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai starting May 1 through October 31. The pavilion will be shared by GM with its Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp.  There will be three models on display in Shanghai:

• Red – Jiao, or Pride – Created by designers at GM Europe, the vehicle was influenced by bullet trains and Chinese opera masks.
• Black – Miao, or Magic –  Sculpted by designers at GM’s Advanced Design Studio in California and influenced by the consumer electronics industry’s sleek, masculine looks.
• Blue –  Xiao, or Laugh –  Created by GM Holden’s designers in Australia, who took a more lighthearted approach to the vehicle’s “gumball blue” paint and nautical design.

Shanghai is the perfect place to show the funky runabouts because China is the largest automobile market on the planet. A lot of thought is going into figuring out how all those people buying all those cars will get around. Sixty percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2030 and there will be 2 billion cars on the road. Automakers are looking for ways to build cars that pollute less and take up less space.

Here are some interesting nuggets gleaned from the above sources:

• To that end, the two-seater concepts are about one-sixth the size of a conventional car.
• They’re made of lightweight materials like carbon fiber and weigh just 1,000 pounds apiece. GM says you can squeeze five of them into a single parking space.
• The 1.5 meter by 1.5 meter (about 5 foot by 5 foot) EN-V appears to build on GM’s earlier work with Segway Inc. in developing the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA) concept vehicle. It will use the same types of battery cells as the Segway and the same battery supplier, Valence Technology Inc.
• The propulsion technique employed in the prototype was, however, introduced earlier by GM on its Hy-wire concept, introduced at the Paris Motor Show 2006.  The forward-thinking concepts build upon we saw last year in New York.
• Powered by Lithium-ion batteries and enriched with capabilities like dramatically smaller turning radius, the zero-emission vehicle is designed to travel at least 40 kilometers on a single charge.
• GM notes that the operating costs are one-fifth to one-sixth the price of a conventional motor vehicle and one-third to one-fourth the operating cost of a passenger car.
• The EN-Vs are super-connected. They’ll use GPS, distance-sensing technology and vehicle-to-vehicle communications to ease congestion and reduce the risk of accidents. GM says the vehicles can “sense” what’s around them and react quickly to obstacles or changes in driving conditions.
• There’s a motor in each wheel and a lithium-ion battery. It’s got “dynamic stabilization technology” so it can balance on two wheels, and GM says it can “literally turn on a dime.” It also says the vehicles have a range of 25 miles and a top speed of 25 mph, which it says is more than adequate for daily city driving.
• There will be an estimated 1.2 billion vehicles worldwide in 2030. That’s up from 844 million three years ago, according to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
• People living in major cities will have a more difficult time commuting because in 20 years, 60 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas, according to GM.
• In major cities, 30 percent of fuel is wasted while drivers hunt for parking spots, which adds to the cost associated with operating vehicles.

Click here for some interesting pictures and a detailed scoop.  If you are interested in reading more about the concept and have the time to enjoy some cool videos that demonstrate the technology and vision, click here.

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Date: April 15, 2010

Time: 1:00–2:30 PM ET

Cost: All T3s are free of charge

PDH: 1.5. — Webinar participants are responsible for determining eligibility of these PDHs within their profession.

Register On-line
Contact the T3 Administrator

T3 Webinars are brought to you by the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program (ITS PCB) at the U.S. Department of Transportation‘s (USDOT) ITS Joint Program Office, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Reference in this webinar to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by U.S. Department of Transportation.

Webinar Description

The Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has developed online ITS Knowledge Resources for decision making support. The major objectives on these online tools are to:

• Capture ITS costs, benefits and lessons learned from experiences of stakeholders in their planning, deployment, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of ITS.
• Provide all ITS stakeholders with convenient access to costs, benefits and lessons learned knowledge so that they can make informed decisions in their future ITS actions.

The ITS Knowledge resources include the ITS Benefits Database (www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov), the ITS Costs Database (www.itscosts.its.dot.gov), and the ITS Lessons Learned Database (www.itslessons.its.dot.gov). The U.S. DOT’s ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program is sponsoring a T3 (Talking Technology and Transportation) webinar to show ITS professionals how to use these databases to help stakeholders make better informed decisions.

This webinar will show participants how to use the databases and knowledge resources available through a “live” demonstration that features the websites. Following the demonstration of each of the ITS Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned databases, participants will engage in interactive exercises where participants will use the knowledge resources to solve test case problems and respond to polling questions.

In addition, presenters will introduce new enhancements to the unit cost database that provide sample project costs. Participants will have an opportunity to provide comments about the new features.

Audience

Anyone involved in planning, implementation, and operation of ITS systems, including Federal, State, and local transportation professionals.

Learning Outcomes

• Ability to use the ITS Knowledge Resources to find information on ITS costs, benefits and lessons learned.
• Understanding how the ITS Knowledge Resources can help stakeholders make informed decisions in planning, deployment, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of ITS.
• Provide comments on the new unit costs enhancements.

Host:

Marcia Pincus, Program Manager, Environment (AERIS) and ITS Evaluation, ITS Joint Program Office

Marcia Pincus is currently the Program Manager, Environment (AERIS) and ITS Evaluation, for the ITS Joint Program Office at USDOT. Marcia joined the ITS JPO six years ago, and has over 15 years experience as an ITS policy analyst and program manager in the public, private, and academic sectors.

Presenters:

Firoz Kabir, Principal, Noblis

Firoz Kabir is a Principal with Noblis in Washington, DC. He has over 24 years of experience in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and transportation engineering. He has been a consultant to public- and private-sector organizations for a wide range of projects that have encompassed regional transportation planning, highway design, ITS architecture, transportation knowledge resource development, and advanced technology implementation planning for traffic and transit systems. He has conducted research for U.S. DOT, the New Jersey DOT, and the Florida DOT in the areas of traffic operations and transportation safety. Firoz holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai), an MS in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University.

Cheryl Lowrance, Principal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Engineer, Noblis

Cheryl Lowrance is a Principal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Engineer with Noblis supporting the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), ITS Joint Program Office. She has 25 years of experience in traffic engineering and traffic management including project management, design and implementation of traffic signals, traffic signal systems, and freeway surveillance systems. Cheryl currently provides leadership for the ITS Program Assessment Knowledge Resources, Benefits and Costs databases. Activities include researching and writing content; leading the development of improvements to the websites; making presentations to industry leaders on the resources available for planning, design, and implementation; and responding to quick task assignments from the client pertaining to benefit and cost inquiries. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University.

Responsibilities:

Individual will provide support to the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) contract with the US Department of Transportation. Typical activities will include technical oversight of standards development and deployment activities, reviewing literature to identify promising ITS technologies, reviewing new standards to determine their completeness, evaluating standards deployment outreach tools, reviewing project specifications and design documents to determine their conformance to ITS standards, reviewing standards based test documentation, and reviewing project documentation for vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communications projects for conformance to ITS Standards.

Requirements:

BS in a related technical area (Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Information Systems, etc.) MS preferred. 5+ years experience with developing concept of operations, system requirements specifications, or business processes; strong analytical ability required; excellent oral and written communication skills required; and experience with transportation systems desirable. An understanding of, and familiarity with, the following is desirable:

• Standards development process and the use of standards
• Wireless networks for vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communication
• International standards
• Information/communications system design and development
• Vehicle-based electronics systems

Employer Profile: Noblis is a nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization that helps clients solve complex systems, process and infrastructure problems in ways that benefit the public.  We bring the best of scientific thought and engineering know-how to find solutions that are practical, efficient and effective.  You will find Noblis at work in many fields, including national and homeland security; transportation; healthcare; criminal justice; energy and the environment; oceans, atmosphere and space; and public safety.

Noblis is consistently recognized as a “Great Place to Work” and “One of the Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For”by Washingtonian Magazine, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Great Places to Work Institute, and AARP.  Noblis was also named to the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list by the Ethisphere Institute at the Forbes, Ethisphere Joint Conference

Click here to apply for the above position and/or to view other  job opportunities at Noblis.  Good luck!

“Connecting Communities through Smart Transportation Solutions”

ITS America cordially invites you to actively participate in the national conference that will bring you a fresh look at emerging projects, products, technologies and services that are making America strong by helping to solve the Nation’s transportation challenges.

The annual meeting of America’s leading intelligent transportation systems (ITS) industry association brings you speakers, sessions, demonstrations and technical tours that will show you how technology innovations are connecting communities and transforming transportation, while fostering job creation and economic growth.

Tour Houston’s innovative ITS-enabled Houston TranStar, a national leader in freeway incident management, and the Security System of the Port of Houston, ranked second in the US in total tonnage.

Begin the ITS America Annual Meeting on Monday morning, May 3, with a Texas State Senate hearing focusing on transportation and security.  Immediately following, the Opening Plenary addresses the Texas transportation experience, featuring leading Texas state and local officials.

Tuesday’s US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Plenary brings together Presidential appointees and executives to focus on how ITS can help improve job creation and economic growth, create a more integrated, performance-based transportation system and provide Americans with safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation choices.

Monday and Tuesday afternoons you’ll want to witness the striking demonstration of the emergency response to an overturned 18-wheeler.  And headlining the Closing Plenary on Wednesday are IBM Chairman, President and CEO Sam Palmisano and USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.  From their unique perspectives, both confirmed speakers will share their vision for a smarter 21st Century transportation network founded on technological innovation.

Topic-specific briefings in the exhibition hall followed by guided tours to those topic-specific exhibits, opportunities to build your business development network at our exposition and networking events,

earning “professional development hours” and taking advantage of co-located meetings and workshops of organizations such as NASCO, AASHTO and USDOT make the ITS America Annual Meeting this year’s must-attend conference!  Be sure to register and make your hotel reservations now.

See you in May!

Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM

Venue : 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

Event Host: The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America)

From highways and transit systems to passenger vehicles and freight transportation, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are beginning to transform our nation’s transportation network and provide significant benefits to our communities, businesses and other transportation users.  ITS technologies are already being used in many parts of the U.S. to reduce traffic crashes, congestion, operating costs, and carbon emissions while helping to improve transportation efficiency and spur job growth.  But as a recent report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation highlights, the U.S. is falling behind leading Asian and European nations in deploying ITS technologies (see recent Wired News coverage here and here).

As Congress and the Administration work to spur economic growth and address critical transportation and environmental challenges, this is an opportunity to engage with leading transportation, transit, automotive, and economic policy experts in a discussion about how information and communications technologies are modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, and what steps can be taken to advance the deployment of current and next generation ITS technologies to create a smarter, safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation system.  Please join ITS Caucus co-chair Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and our distinguished panelists for a discussion about the future of ITS in America, including how smart technologies can benefit your community and how policymakers can help the U.S. reclaim its role as an innovation leader.  Please RSVP to Charlie Tennyson at ITS America at ctennyson@itsa.org or 202-721-4207.

Note:  ITS America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that represents several hundred member organizations including public sector agencies, private industry leaders, and academic institutions working to advance the research, development, and deployment of technologies that improve transportation safety, mobility, economic competitiveness, and the environment.  Register here to attend ITS America’s 2010 Annual Meeting and Exposition, which will be held in Houston, Texas from May 3 – 5.  Featured speakers include U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, IBM Chairman, President and CEO Sam Palmisano, and other public sector, private industry, and academic leaders from across the country.

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• Intelligent Transportation Society of America Announces Call for Entries for “2010 Best of ITS Awards” (prweb.com)

ITS America’s 20th Annual Meeting & Exposition, scheduled forMay 3-5, 2010, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas will provide transportation professionals and policymakers the necessary tools and strategies they need to create communities that are safer, cleaner, more livable and less congested.

This year’s theme is “Connecting Communities through Smart Transportation Solutions.” We will also provide you with important policy insight from government officials and planning insights from leading transportation practitioners.

The competition, held in conjunction with the 2010 ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition and sponsored by Southwest Research Institute, provides an opportunity for today’s transportation and engineering students to apply their knowledge in a thought-provoking and enjoyable competition and to build awareness of a career path with unlimited potential in the ITS industry.  Contest guidelines are attached.

2010 Student Essay Competition Guidelines

The Student Essay Competition is designed to encourage student interest and future participation in the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and solutions. The objective of the essay competition is to provide an opportunity for today’s transportation and engineering students to apply their knowledge in a thought-provoking and enjoyable competition and to build awareness of ITS as a career path with unlimited potential.  Essays will be judged on their creativity, quality of exposition, originality, depth of knowledge, and awareness of ITS issues and challenges.

Eligibility Requirements

• Authors must be graduate or undergraduate full-time students enrolled in an accredited institution of learning in the U.S.
• Entries are limited to one paper per student and should be original, unpublished work of an individual student.

Essay Topics

Essays must be based on one of the following topics.  You may also focus the paper on the sub-topics listed:

Topic 1:  Cooperative Systems

• How cooperative systems will quantitatively improve the performance of standalone active vehicle safety systems?
• One of the challenges of implementing cooperative systems is the penetration rate required.  What are the barriers to achieving the necessary penetration rates in order to realize system level benefits of a specific cooperative system/application?
• Describe relevant research into the application of multi-agent/intelligent agent theory on current transportation challenges.

Topic 2: How will Traffic Management evolve, possible subtopics:

• What new technologies/approaches will be used for collecting traffic status data?
• How will regions integrate their data to provide consolidated views for the traveling public?
• How can the information dissemination to travelers be improved?

Essay Format Requirements

• The cover page must include the title of the essay, author’s name, name of school, mailing address, phone number, and the student’s e-mail address and phone number.  The author’s name and essay title should appear at the top of all other pages.
• Essays should be typed, double spaced, and appear on 8 ½”x11” white paper.
• A complete bibliography should be included, if appropriate.
• Essays are not to exceed 2,000 words in length, must be written by only one person, and should not have appeared in any publications other than in school publications.
• Essays will be evaluated considering: writing quality and clarity; interest of the topic and content to the broad Intelligent Transportation Systems industry; analysis and reasoning; timeliness, originality, and creativity; quality and use of research; and compliance with these rules.

AWARDS

The 1st, 2^nd , and 3rd place winners will :

• receive $1,500, $1,000, or $500 respectively to cover expenses of their trip to the conference.
• receive a complimentary full registration to attend the conference.
• have the opportunity to present their winning essay at the dedicated Interactive Session area in the exhibit hall on Tuesday, May 4, 2010,
• have their winning essay displayed on the Student Essay Competition Web page of ITS America’s
• be featured in nationally-distributed press releases.

Application Procedure

Entries must be submitted in electronic formats.  Essays must be accompanied by a cover letter from a faculty advisor or department chair.  E-mail essays to Edgar Martinez at emartinez@itsa.org by 5 p.m. (EST) on March 15, 2010.

Selection

Entries will be reviewed and the final selections made by a selection committee comprised of ITS America members and Southwest Research Institute representatives.  The winners will be notified on March 29, 2010.

ITS America and Southwest Research Institute strongly encourage the winners to be present for the awards ceremony on Monday, May 3, 2010, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

Questions should be directed to Edgar Martinez at 800-374-8472 ext. 4223 or emartinez@itsa.org.   For more information, please visit the 2010 ITS America Annual Meeting website.

New Report: U.S. Falling Off Pace of World Leadership In Intelligent Transportation Systems

Why the U.S. is Missing the Intelligent Transportation Systems Revolution

WASHINGTON, D.C.— A new report by a leading Washington, D.C. think tank will be released on Wednesday, January 27^th, highlighting the increasing disparity between foreign industrialized nations and the United States regarding the current use of new technologies to address major transportation congestion, safety, and environmental problems.

At Wednesday’s forum, researchers from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will issue the report and discuss its findings with domestic and international transportation experts.  The report, Explaining International IT Application Leadership: Intelligent Transportation Systems, discusses why the United States has fallen behind in developing intelligent transportation technology while nations such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and others have made significant progress and advances.

Date:   Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Time:  9 AM – 10:30 AM

Place:  Information Technology and Innovations Foundation,  1101 K Street, NW, Suite 610A , Washington, DC 20005

(News media inquiries, please call ITIF at 202-449-1351)

Participants

• Robert Atkinson (moderator),  President, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
• Stephen Ezell (presenter), Senior Analyst, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Respondents:

• Scott Belcher, President and CEO, ITS America
• Riz Khaliq, Global Business Executive, Intelligent Transportation Systems and Growth Markets, IBM Global Government
• Masahiro Nishikawa, Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT)

Report Should Be “A Serious Wake Up Call” For the U.S.

“The report should be a serious wake-up call to our nation’s transportation leaders and policy makers as to why the U.S. is not staying competitive in the international market,” said Scott Belcher, President and CEO of ITS America. “Other industrialized nations have learned that a major key to transportation efficiency and economic growth is by deploying intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to allow for the safe and easy movement of goods and people.

“We have the opportunity to reverse this disparity if we don’t continue to ignore 21^st Century technology in addressing our transportation problems,” Belcher said.

According to the report: “Many think improving a country’s transportation system solely means building new roads or repairing aging infrastructure.  But the future of transportation lies not in concrete and steel, but in a network of sensors, microchips, and communication devices that collect and disseminate information about the functioning of the transportation system.”

The report also introduces specific recommendations on how the U.S. government can accelerate the deployment of ITS to remain economically competitive with other industrialized nations.

“Information Technology Is Revolutionizing Transportation”

ITS technology includes real-time, in-vehicle traffic and transit information; new types of automated road pricing; adaptive traffic signal timing; safety warning systems; and many other applications which leverage IT to enhance the safety, efficiency and convenience of transportation, including for cars, trucks and mass transit.

“What ITS do is empower actors in the transportation system—from commuters, to highway and transit authorities, even down to the actual traffic lights themselves—with actionable information, that is, intelligence, to make better-informed decisions, whether it’s choosing which route to take, when to travel, or whether to mode-shift; how to optimize traffic signals; where to build new roadways; or how to hold providers of transportation services accountable for results,” said Stephen Ezell, ITIF lead report author.

“As we have seen technology revolutionize how we work and live, information technology is revolutionizing transportation. Other nations are already using intelligent transportation technology to reduce traffic collisions, congestion and carbon emissions,” Belcher said.

“Imagine being able to receive real-time information about traffic congestion or incidents on freeways, updates of when the next bus or train will arrive when using mass transit, or collision avoidance warnings from autonomous vehicle sensors when crashes appear imminent,” Belcher said. “In many other industrialized parts of the world, this is already happening.”

NOTE: This event will be live webcast here on the day of the event. News media inquiries, please call ITIF at 202-449-1351.

Social Media – What is it? How can my agency use it? What experience have others had?

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is hosting a webcast titled “The Use of Social Media for Travel Information” on Thursday, January 28, 2010 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (EST).

Many areas of interest regarding Social Media will be discussed during this webcast including: how it works, what information can be shared using it, how to implement it, how to get management buy-in for it, how do you know if it is working, and where is it all headed. In addition, two case studies from New York State DOT and North Carolina DOT will be highlighted.

For more information and to sign up for this no-cost webcast, please see the notice on the I-95 Corridor Coalition website athttp://www.i95coalition.org/

ITS Canada Annual Conference and General Meeting 2010
June 13 to 16, 2010 ~ Ottawa, Ontario

ITS Canada is now organizing its 2010 Annual Conference and General Meeting, to be held in Ottawa from June 13-16, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Ottawa Hotel.

The overall Conference theme is “ITS: For Efficient, Safe and Clean Transport”, recognizing the important role that intelligent transportation plays in moving people and goods safely and efficiently, with minimum environmental impact. With your help, we can build a robust and exciting technical program! The “Call for Abstracts” is attached. Please consider presenting to your peers at this prestigious event.  Included in the event will be an exhibit area to allow displays of ITS-related technologies and services, as well as technical tours and exciting social events. ITS Canada welcomes papers and presentations on how ITS can address the issues of efficient, safe and clean transport. Some suggested topic areas (not intended to be exhaustive) are:

• Changes to our operations and business models as the Networked Vehicle, IntelliDriveSM and intelligent vehicle tracking roll out
• Integration of ITS solutions across regional areas and across modes and functions
• Moving from research to products and services
• Emerging technologies
• The role of ITS in clean and sustainable transportation
• Realignment of roles between the public and private sector
• Recent application of innovative ITS solutions.

Important Dates:

• Abstract Due: January 29, 2010
• Notice of Abstract Acceptance: March 11, 2010
• Conference Registration Discounts End: April 16, 2010
• Papers/Presentation Material Due: May 28, 2010
• Conference Presentation: June 13-16, 2010

Abstract Submission:

Please submit an abstract for your paper or presentation, no longer than one page, in electronic file format (either in PDF or Microsoft WORD format), to:

Stephen Erwin, P.Eng.
Chair, Technical Program Committee
ITS Canada 2010 Annual Conference and General Meeting
Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
3rd Floor, Building B, 1201 Wilson Avenue, Downsview, ON Canada M3M 1J8
Tel (416) 235-4676 ~ Fax (416) 235-6669 ~ stephen.erwin@ontario.ca

All presenters are required to register.

ITS Canada is pleased to invite you to come and enjoy the best in Ottawa hospitality while learning about the latest updates on ITS developments in Canada and around the world. Visit the Conference website at www.itscanada.ca/ottawa2010 for timely updates regarding all events.

Click here to read/print the PDF version of call for abstracts.

(Source: USDOT Press Release)

Dallas and San Diego selected as Integrated Corridor Management Pioneer Demonstration Sites

In an historic step towards ending gridlock in urban areas across the country, the U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that the Dallas and San Diego areas will receive $14 million as the nation’s first demonstration sites for new Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies that help fight congestion and enhance travel.  The Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) initiative will help the Dallas and San Diego metro areas become “living laboratories” in the fight against congestion.

“These communities are leading the way by using state-of-the-art technologies to create a commute that is safer, less congested and more convenient.” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “America can’t simply build our way to a more modern and efficient transportation infrastructure.  These projects will show the rest of the nation that bumper-to-bumper traffic doesn’t have to be the status quo.”

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will contribute $3 million for an $8.3 million project. DART will use a transportation management model to predict travel conditions 30 minutes into the future, allowing diversion of traffic to other routes during freeway incidents and special events along US-75.  Travelers will have access to real-time information about traffic, public transit and expected travel times, through wireless and web-based alerts.

The San Diego Association of Governments and its partnering agencies will contribute $2.2 million for a $10.9 million project.  San Diego will use ITS investments along I-15 to enable a “smart” traffic management system that combines road sensors, video and traveler information to take steps to reduce congestion.  It will deliver information to commuters via the internet and message signs and will enable managers to adjust traffic signals and ramp meters to direct travelers to HOV lanes, HOT lanes, bus rapid transit and other options.

Since 2005, ICM has laid the groundwork for transportation agencies to use existing roads, intersections and other elements of urban transportation networks more efficiently

The demonstrations will build on past findings about ICM to provide a first-hand evaluation of the real-world impact.  The new technology will avoid the dangers of text-messaging and other distractions behind the wheel that result in distracted driving.

The initiative is jointly sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).

Below is a summary of the ICM Pioneer sites (courtesy of the ITS JPO):

ICM Pioneer Sites–Dallas, Texas

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is currently populated by 6 million people, and is growing by 1 million every 7 years. Travel demand and congestion in this area continue to grow. Dallas’ US-75 ICM Corridor is the highest volume and most critical transportation corridor in the region. It has major employment centers and while there is no room for expansion of the corridor, it will be impacted by major construction planned in the surrounding area.

Dallas is creating an operational entity responsible for all ICM activities. In this region, transit availability and capacity is being increased, park-and-ride facilities will be improved, and intelligent transportation system elements are being deployed in the field. In addition, HOV and HOT lanes will be added, and value-pricing strategies are being explored.

The Dallas US-75 ICM corridor was chosen as a site for Analysis, Modeling and Simulation (AMS) of ICM strategies. Click here to learn more about this site’s Experimental Plans and early results.

More on Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas’ ICM Corridor:

The Dallas, Texas application proposed U.S. route 75 from downtown Dallas to SH 121 with the North Dallas Toll Way to the west and DART and various arterials to the east as their corridor. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority was the lead agency, accompanied by the City of Dallas, the City of Richardson, the City of Plano, the City of University Park, the Town of Highland Park, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the North Texas Tollway Authority, and the TxDOT Dallas District. In addition to the expected freeway and arterial capabilities, the corridor includes HOV, tolling, express bus, and light rail.

ICM Pioneer Sites–San Diego, California

San Diego experiences significant traffic congestion during peak travel periods, has limited HOV and HOT lanes, and has limited transit capacity. The strong consortium of partnering agencies in San Diego is increasing multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency collaboration on corridor management. Together, they are introducing dynamic ramp metering to reduce arterial spillover and they are looking to collect arterial data to support efficient signal timing strategies. This ICM team is implementing dynamic variable pricing along 21 miles of managed lanes and pioneering congestion avoidance awards.

The San Diego I-15 ICM corridor was chosen as a site for Analysis, Modeling and Simulation (AMS) of ICM strategies. Check back in late 2009 for updates on this site’s Experimental Plans and early results.

More on San Diego, California’s ICM Corridor:

The San Diego, California application proposed I-15 from SR 52 in San Diego to SR 78 in Escondido as their corridor. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) was the lead agency, accompanied by Caltrans, the City of San Diego, the City of Escondido, the City of Poway, the Metropolitan Transit System, and the North County Transit District. In addition to the expected freeway and arterial capabilities, the corridor includes HOV, tolling, value pricing, express bus, and BRT.

Click here to read more.