Moving Forward with Intelligence
Introduction
Intelligent transportation systems could revolutionize transportation services. Picture these scenes:
 In Leicester, U.K., transit users can retrieve real times for all star trak buses on their cellular phones, by sending a six character bus stop code - found on all star trak routes - to an information number.  Intelligent Multimode Transit System (Toyota) combines the advantages of rail and bus transport. The buses run in automated platoons on dedicated roads, while on ordinary roads, each bus is manually driven. |
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You jump on the local transit bus, use your fare card so you don't fumble for change, and travel to the heart of the city for work without having to worry about transfers.
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You drive a commercial vehicle to the United States without delays at the border because you've been pre-cleared, verified and issued a time-slot to pass through customs.
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You approach a curve in the highway, and your car is alerted to ice ahead so you can adjust to the road conditions in time.
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You travel to an area you aren't familiar with and need gas and something to eat - so you ask your traveller information service and get directions without ever taking your hands off the wheel or looking at a map.
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On your drive home from work you relax listening to the radio - knowing your car will handle the drive for you and adjust your route as needed to get around any congestion.
Sound too good to be true? It's a lot closer than you might imagine!
The tremendous evolution in computing and telecommunications capabilities is opening up new service models previously unheard of. It is now up to us to decide which ones we want to take advantage of - and to begin preparing for the future.
This ITS strategy will help the ministry of transportation move forward with intelligence. It will identify the opportunities we can use now, and set directions that will allow us to take advantage of opportunities as they arise in the future.
