Transport technology is undergoing enormous and rapid change. The transport systems today will be unrecognisable within the next decade or two. New technologies, collectively known as "intelligent transport systems" (ITS) or the variants "intelligent transportation systems" or "advanced transport telematics", are radically altering the ways in which transport systems perform. They will also fundamentally change the ways in which we provide transport infrastructure and services and the ways in which people use that infrastructure and those services. Overall, the aim of using ITS should be to improve the links between the infrastructure, the vehicles, and users to make individual components, modes, and the transport system as a whole work more efficiently and effectively within the context of wider transport, urban and regional development, economic, and environmental policies. Potential benefits from applications of ITS include: (1) better utilisation of infrastructure; (2) improved traffic flow; (3) better service from public transport; (4) enhanced safety; (5) lower-cost freight transport; and (6) reduced environmental impact. In addition, technology is changing the nature of work and having an impact on the locations of homes and workplaces, on the pattern of trips made on a regional network, on the information requirements of intending travellers and ultimately on the need to travel itself. As travel habits change, there are direct implications for the role of the road system and the way that it should evolve to best serve community needs (Taylor and D'Este, 1997). This chapter attempts to link the impacts of new technology to policy and planning concerns in the transport sphere, such as travel demand management (TDM), road safety, environmental impacts (especially air pollutant emissions), and road pricing. Table 2 lists some ITS applications with the potential for profound impacts on transport policy, planning, and operations.
Abstract