Additional Examples of Specific Technologies and Applications
In addition to the six examples presented earlier, four other sites have used creative applications of ITS and other technologies in order to better serve transportation-disadvantaged populations.
RYDE: Goal Setting Using the National ITS Architecture
Although Reach Your Destination Easily (RYDE) is centered in the city of Kearney, Nebraska, it is a regional system involving several primarily rural counties. Coordination with health systems, transportation agencies, police and sheriff departments, the public schools, and others is critical.7 RYDE used the National ITS Architecture regional development process to coordinate these diverse partnerships.
RYDE personnel found that developing, implementing, and maintaining a regional ITS architecture were integral steps in the process of their ITS project. The thought processes involved in developing an architecture helped planners communicate assets, relationships, and desired outcomes. According to David Ripplinger of North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute who evaluated the Kearney system, "It is both the process that Kearney has followed and the mindset of its organization that are 'cutting-edge,' especially for a system of its size."
OmniLink: Fixed Route Flex Service Aids All Riders
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) provides transit service in the area about 25 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Developed in 1995, OmniLink uses an innovative, nontraditional approach to transit service, blending fixed-route service with demand-response flexibility. OmniLink uses ITS technologies to provide mobility for both the general public and transportation-disadvantaged populations with a near-real-time flexible route service that eliminates the need for a separate paratransit system.
OmniLink has specific routes and designated stop locations. However, buses will travel up to 3/4 of a mile from the fixed route to provide demand-response service. OmniLink's operating costs are significantly lower than is usual for systems operating separate fixed-route and paratransit services.
"It is both the process that Kearney has followed and the mindset of its organization that are 'cutting-edge,' especially for a system of its size." – David Ripplinger, North Dakota State University |
ITS technologies are used to provide the flexible service. OmniLink uses GPS-based AVL and MDTs to track vehicle location, count boardings and alightings, and provide on-time performance feedback (both real-time and predicted) to dispatchers and operators. The system automatically detects each vehicle's arrival at and departure from bus stops and transmits that information to a central dispatch location.
MUNI: Remote Infrared Audible Signs
A type of technology that can provide mobility assistance for the visually impaired is the Remote Infrared Audible Signs directional wayfinding system8 which has been deployed in key facilities of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) and other sites around the country. In contrast to signs that merely convert on-screen text into an audible message which is broadcast through speakers to the general public, the RIAS system is targeted to only those who would benefit from the system. This system provides detailed and precise directional information that allows a blind traveler to accurately and discretely navigate through areas where the system is deployed, as shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11. A Schematic of the RIAS System
Infrared transmitters, placed in strategic locations, provide audible directional information to those carrying a special hand-held receiver. The hand-held receivers are used much like a flashlight in that they must be pointed in the direction of a transmitter in order to "see" it and receive the message.
Because the coverage area for this type of system is crucial, a deployment within a transit system is most likely to be successful if it is part of a citywide installation plan which includes not just public transit vehicles and facilities, but also street signs, crosswalks, and other public buildings. As of 2005, the transmitters were installed at more than 22 sites throughout San Francisco, including transit stations, bus shelters, railway platforms, public facilities, and private facilities such as banks, hotels, and shopping centers.
In addition to reaching a critical level of deployment, there also needs to be a significant population of potential users to merit the costs of installing the transmitters. Large urban transit agencies may find the deployment costs to be within reason when measured against the benefit provided to the visually impaired or cognitively disabled communities.
SMART: Shared Resources
The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, coordinates activities within a three-county area to provide mobility on a regional basis.
SMART has a license for unlimited use of scheduling software. This license allows the agency to provide access to the software to smaller agencies in the region, many of which could not afford scheduling software on their own. SMART houses the hardware and software at a central site, which serves as a telecommunications and computational hub for the entire system. The community agencies access the software over the Internet to schedule their own or one of SMART's vehicles. In addition to facilitating scheduling, the software's reporting function has been a tremendous benefit to the smaller agencies, providing them with quantitative data on who is using paratransit services and for what kind of trips.
Detroit hospitals can use the shared software to book rides for patients. This process ensures that the patient has transportation to the doctor's appointment prior to scheduling the appointment.
With the centralization of technology in a single location for such a large area, SMART has had to consider issues such as scalability and reliability. To address these issues, SMART's system, including its telephone, bandwidth, and computational capabilities, is readily scalable to expand its capacity if needed.
7 Battelle (April 2003). Regional Transit ITS Architecture, Kearney, Nebraska. Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with Federal Highway Administration, Nebraska Department of Roads, and RYDE Transit.
8Talking Signs, Inc. (2006). Talking Signs, Infrared Communications System. http://www.talkingsigns.com.