Automated Highway System (AHS) is an advanced form of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and it aims to improve efficiency of highway operation by automating the movements of the vehicles. The objectives of AHS are: (1) improve safety; (2) increase capacity; (3) improve comfort in highway travel; (4) reduce environmental impacts; and (5) energy saving. All these effects are derived as a result of controlling the traffic flow centrally. The effectiveness and feasibility of AHS, however, are still unclear due to the uncertainty about many issues related to implementation, including technology, institution, social acceptability, and cost. This paper presents a quantitative framework to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of AHS. (A)
Abstract