Current ITS Applications
Intelligent
Transportation Systems encompass a broad array of techniques and approaches
that can make highways, roadways, and transit systems operate more safely
and efficiently. San Bernardino County already has a number of working
ITS applications, including:
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1-800-COMMMUTE telephone line, which provides information on roadways, transit, rideshare, and many other commute alternatives;
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Closed-circuit TV cameras to help identify and respond to accidents more quickly;
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Electronic sensors in freeways, which transmit vehicle counts to a traffic management center and provide up-to-the-minute traffic conditions;
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Computerized traffic signal control systems to better monitor and respond to local traffic congestion;
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Smart call boxes, which gather traffic count data and transmit that information to traffic management centers and the California Highway Patrol;
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Changeable message signs on the freeways to alert motorists to accidents or route changes; and
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Traffic signals at freeway entrance ramps to help traffic merge more safely and attempt to keep the freeways moving.
Because congestion is projected to become worse and because
it is not possible to expand or widen the roadways enough to keep up with
congestion, it is important to make the available transportation infrastructure
operate as efficiently as possible. ITS offers one of the ways this can
be done.