Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are usually based on the integration of information and communications technologies to transport resulting in a range of applications suitable for road managers and road users (including private, public and commercial road users). The range of ITS applications is only limited by the imagination of the system designer in development of a cost effective solution for a given customer need. Every ITS application is simply based on three basic building blocks: data, information and delivery. For example, an automatic incident detection system is based on detectors which collect the data which is then processed and transformed into information, and then this information is relayed to the traffic operations centre and to message signs on the road. Some deployments of ITS affect the entire road network while other systems are more localised in their impacts. A number of recent ITS developments will be discussed based on the perspective of local government as a road manager as well as from the viewpoint of the community of road users. (a).
Abstract