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Environment, Energy and Transportation Program

Meeting of the National Associations Working Group for ITS Meeting Summary

Thursday, June 20, 2002
American Automobile Association
1440 New York Ave., NW, Suite 200
(Metro Center subway stop)
9:45 a.m. - noon
Washington, D.C.

Agenda
List of Attendees
Questions

Opening Remarks and Introductions

Matt Grizzard, APWA, welcomed everyone to the meeting. Mr. Grizzard gave the following explanation of the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). The National RTAP www.nationalrtap.org is funded by FTA and administered by APWA and the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). RTAP provides training materials and information briefs to help support the National Transit Resource Center. Meetings such as the Working Group allow RTAP to keep up with current events in transit and allow RTAP to provide top-notch education. Both Beth Denniston and Matt Grizzard work with RTAP program, using meetings such as this one to keep up with what's going on and to be able to provide top-notch education. For copies of the training materials, visit the CTAA website at www.ctaa.org/ntrc or email resource@ctaa.org.

Rural ITS

Rural Transit Intelligent Transportation System presentation

Funding for rural ITS comes from 3 different sources:

• ITS Integration Program since TEA-21 $482 M
• Rural Transit ITS Program - $6M
• FTA - $3M

The primary role of the FTA Rural Transit ITS program is to work with small urban and rural transit providers. The vision of this program is to improve the mobility and accessibility of transit services, thereby making the services more convenient, functional and operational. FTA wants to get as many people as possible using transit in rural areas. This vision differs somewhat from that of Human Services, which focuses more on reducing costs to transit riders. The goal is to bring both FTA and Human Services together to work with one common vision. ITS technologies can enhance service delivery while making it more cost efficient for organizations to provide the services.

The Rural ITS program works with the National Park Service, community transit, intercity transit and HHS transit providers. The focus is on using ITS to locate transit vehicles, getting word out to travelers through traveler information systems, and billing, tracking and accounting for rider trips through electronic fare payments and Smart Cards. The use of a Smart Card system is important as it brings cost savings to transit services by eliminating the need to count and deal with cash.

ITS works off of many platforms:

• GIS - shows where the people are that need jobs, where transit vehicle routes should be located, where jobs are for entry level workers. It is important to know where the people are so operations can be organized to best suit the needs of the people.
• LAN/WAN
• Wireless
• Internet

ITS has been deployed in Austin, TX (Capital Area Rural Transportation System -CARTS) and in Cape Cod (Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority - CCRTA). CARTS has three dispatch centers that previously could not communicate with each other. ITS has improved efficiency, allowing for better communications and sharing of resources among agencies. In a rural community, the ability to share resources is one of the key components of installing technology - if you share resources you'll get a lot more for the investment. Cape Cod had difficulty getting people to work, especially during the summer months when congestion was high. They have successfully met the goal of putting ITS on all vehicles, which has improved congestion, reduced pollution, and integrated payment systems.

New Mexico is currently trying to create a web based tracking system to track client services. The goal is to put technology on vehicles so the vehicles can track the services being used by customers.

FTA is putting out a Federal Register Notice for a $1M operational test of coordination and service integration in rural transit. Visit www.its.dot.gov for more information.

In response to a question asked about the integration of transit projects in national parks, Mr. Wiggins responded that there is some uncertainty regarding transit in national parks on whether to use criteria based on transit viability or park visitor viability. In Smoky Mountain Park, an effort is being made to bring in transit. In Acadia National Park, a great deal of progress has been made with regard to operational test. A major part of the test was the ITS technology used to enhance the Island Explorer service. AVL applications were implemented on the vehicles and are used to locate the position of a vehicle at any time. An onboard system was also implemented, and is used for announcing to passengers approaching landmarks and bus stops. Real time arrival signs have attracted the attention of the locals and any concerns that they had evaporated once they saw these signs. The system has also attracted the attention of LL Bean, which is now putting advertising on the vehicles and providing free shirts to shuttle drivers. This has cut down on some of the ITS-related costs. Since the implementation of the ITS, ridership has gone through the roof, in the first year it was 300% above what was expected and in the second year there was a 40% increase over that.

A national evaluation is currently being conducted for the Acadia project. There are a few documents that discuss the evaluation plan and an Acadia user needs report is being published based on discussion with stakeholders about the design of the system. This report will be published later this year.

A question was asked if safety was a priority in rural ITS. The rural program was built off of safety being a primary issue.

Rural ITS Challenges and Opportunities presentation

Rural ITS is the deployment of advanced technologies (ITS) to address needs and challenges in rural transportation settings. In a rural community, ITS means many different things and it differs across regions. Rural has a different meaning in different states (e.g., "rural" Northern Virginia is very different from rural North Dakota). It is important to ask the following questions before implementing ITS:

• What are the user needs?
• What are the challenges that need to be confronted?
• What kinds of opportunities arise from these challenges?

ITS is not solely a congestion solving problem. There is an operational concern that is encountered in rural areas. Many rural areas depend on recreational traffic. Their economies are based on things such as amusement parks or national parks, posing an operational challenge as well as a related safety problem. Weather and animals bring additional challenges, as the chance of incidents increases when there is precipitation and large animals, such as moose, that pose dangers to drivers. In rural areas there are limited emergency response services available. (Almost 60% of crash fatalities occur in rural areas.) Many people do not realize that there is still not 100% 911-service coverage in the U.S. In addition, most rural areas have limited cellular coverage and limited power availability.

FHWA worked with States to establish rural ITS user needs. Seven (7) rural ITS development tracks were identified:

• Emergency services
• Travel and tourism information
• Traffic management
• Rural transit and mobility
• Crash prevention and security
• Operation and maintenance
• Surface transportation and weather

A set of examples/case studies was compiled that speak to each of the development tracks. The case studies tell actual stories, supported with cost information, to illustrate the possibilities for being able to meet the challenges that could be resolved through these development tracks. The case studies are used as a learning tool to illustrate to communities what the possibilities are and to make them aware that rural ITS is achievable.

Rural ITS depends on careful strategic planning. A best practices guide is currently being written to document strategic planning that has been used in several States. In addition, a rural ITS conference is being held September 9-12 in Monterey, California. More information can be found on www.caats.org.

A list of questions regarding rural ITS was provided to the group. The topic of infostructure elicited some discussion. The basis of infostructure is the establishment of a statewide reporting mechanism that enables reporting of events, items, and things that constrain operations in some shape or form. There is a local component to infostructure so that it is not too prescriptive. Infostructure has a security component, as well, that involves the monitoring of key infrastructure pieces with the state. Infostructure, in terms of reauthorization, is being postured in terms of security.

On the question relating to the reporting of work zones, crashes, and other incident management, it was agreed that many states do not keep their websites up to date and real time. There is an enormous disparity in terms of what is being reported across states. One state showed nine work zones while another showed more than 100, so there might be a disparity in what is defined as a work zone.

ITS/Operations/National Security Update

• PTI held a focus group session in mid-May that looked at issues related to safety and national security. PTI invited people from public safety, transportation, and IT - telecommunications to participate.
  • The focus group included a lot of discussion about wireless communications, ITS, and operations
  • PTI is currently working with FWHA to determine what they're going to do in terms of security.
• PTI provided Laurie with the results of a survey regarding homeland security sent to 222 mayors and about 100 responded. The purpose was to look at how mayors perceive homeland security in their cities. ACTION: L. Radow agreed to obtain survey from PTI and distribute to NAWG members. (Attachment F)

• There was a session at the ITS America Conference on ITS and Homeland security. The session talked about telecommunications and more infrastructure needs, but participants did not get a good sense of what this is going to mean in the long run.
• There is currently a lot of reorganization in federal agencies and therefore a lot of confusion on how to deal with security issues.

• Many of NADO's members in rural areas are in US/Canadian and US/Mexico border areas. They are using ITS on border crossings to make things more secure on passenger and commercial vehicles. An article about this was published in latest edition of NADO's Economic Development Digest (www.nado.org/digest)

• TSA was awarded $92.3M for port security. The Maritime Administration is the lead agency for looking at proposals. 10% of the funds are going to proof of concept projects- technologies that can be applied nationwide, primarily for port projects, to include ferry transit. This was announced last Monday and the aim is to have the first several grants done within a year. More information can be found on the TSA website (www.tsa.gov)

• The annual AAA Public Affairs Conference was held in Canada this year. Mike Frietas, ITS Joint Program Office spoke at the conference on ITS. AAA operates as separate clubs and each club sent representatives to the conference. Many of the representatives were from public relations. It was a good opportunity to make these representatives better educated on deployments in ITS so that they could educate their members on how this can help them in the future.

• FTA and FHWA are going to different regions in the U.S. to talk about national security.
• In the research area, FTA has instituted a study (Washington Metro Protect Program) looking at consequence management of a chemical or biological attack on a subway system. They have done scenario-based sessions where they brainstormed a situation and tried to figure out how well they could respond to different scenarios.
• FHWA is doing tabletop exercises at workshops and will use the information to compile a report. They plan to finish the workshops by the end of the summer and the report should be available by the end of the year.

• NARC starts its annual meeting in Tucson on June 22. Visit www.narc.org for more information.
• If any good discussion occurs, please forward information to Laurie Radow or Ed Stollof for use on the National Dialogue on Transportation Operations.

• ITE is holding its annual meeting in Philadelphia on Aug. 4-7. Visit www.ite.org for more information.

National Association Working Group for ITS: Suggestions for Future Direction

The current mission statement for the Working Group and a set of questions regarding the statement to determine if it is still relevant were distributed. As noted by Ms. Radow, the Working Group has been in existence for more than six years and over time more operational language has been incorporated, so the focus has, at times, shifted somewhat from ITS. However, since funding for the group comes through the Joint Program Office, some acknowledgement to ITS is still necessary, and if possible, as part of the name.

Goals of the working group were discussed and the following comments were made:

• Put more emphasis on deployment
• Although the comment was made that it might be helpful to have Working Group provide a stronger advisory role to DOT, it was explained that this would be inappropriate under the federal rules on advisory committees. Instead, the focus (and success) of Working Group has centered on a sharing of information about ITS. Ms. Radow noted that staff at the FHWA and DOT is well aware of the Working Group, commenting that it was one the more most successful and long-lasting initiatives in the information-sharing arena.
• Preserve a strong thrust on ITS

Ms. Radow asked that comments be sent to her sometime during the summer months and she will rework the mission statement and send it out for members to review.

Ms. Radow's definition of a successful Working Group meeting is when the members of these associations attend a meeting when they are in town to talk about successful projects that have been deployed in their locality. Everyone benefits to hear what is going on elsewhere. Others around the table noted that coming to these meetings are worthwhile because attendees can pick up on new things that are going on and can find out about workshops that can be put on before annual meetings.

ACTION: Working group members are encouraged to provide additional comments to Ms. Radow.

• Only about 50% of what is discussed at meetings directly applies to IACP, but across the board it is worthwhile. It allows for picking up on lessons learned from other organizations, which can be very helpful. This sharing of information helps in teaching law enforcement staff to be less close minded and learn from, and partner with, other people.

• Many of the ideas that were brought up at a recent NARC meeting came from ideas that were discussed in the Working Group. The ideas were passed on to NARC members through an article that Ms. Tadej had written. The article may not have been written had it not been for the Working Group meeting. It was suggested that transportation groups partner more with other organizations, such as those related to economic development and the environment in order to get more ideas on the table.

• Ms. Novak has also written articles based on what was said in Working Group meetings. These articles often lead people to previously unknown resources that were heard about in the meetings.

Other members agreed that writing articles and newsletters based on Working Group discussions are common ways to convey what is heard at meetings to members of their organizations. Ms. Radow asked that members let her know of other ways that they share information. ACTION: Members are encouraged to provide comments to Ms. Radow.

ITE and FHWA hosted a National Summit on Operations and a safety conference in Milwaukee. In both conferences, it was noted that safety and operations need to be better linked. The Midwest Resource Center has published 11 briefing fact sheets on safety. These sheets can be found on the ITE website and will also be posted on the FHWA website.

It was suggested that a NAWG ITS electronic bulletin board be created to inform others of what each organization is doing, such as workshops, publications or the availability of other resources. Other suggestions included setting up a mailing list of members of this group and allowing members to post information to it. It is also possible to post this information on the ICDN calendar of events.

Members were asked if they found the fact sheets useful. It was suggested that the fact sheets give some focus to other things that are important to other associations, such as economic development. Another possible topic was how ITS can play a role in the solving congestion problems.

Robert Hicks asked if there is a list available of FHWA/FTA staff (a "speakers' bureau") that could make presentations at meetings. Ms. Radow noted that there is currently a list on the FHWA's Internet site of who is responsible for each of the ITS topics. In addition, Ms. Radow can give contact information. The 2002 Operations "Orange Book" lists resources and points of contact as well.

Ms. Radow asked that members send her any other comments regarding the future direction of the Working Group. ACTION: Members are asked to forward ideas for themes for future meetings to Ms. Radow.

511 Update

The original five existing deployments are still standing. Systems will be launched in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Seattle around Labor Day. Other states have indicated that they will be launching systems around the last quarter of this year. 37 of 52 states (includes Washington, DC and Puerto Rico) have applied for grants. The application deadline for the grants has passed.

The solicitation for the 511 model deployment initiative went out in January. FHWA has made a decision, and it will probably be announced around July 4.

National Dialogue on Operations

A CD-ROM has been produced that includes four presentations on the following Operations topics:

• Congestion
• Security
• Public safety
• Weather

The CD also includes a presentation on the ITE M&O committee's National Dialogue. Contact Scott Johnson to receive a copy of the CD.

On a side note, a 1-page questionnaire was provided at the last Working Group meeting to get an idea of what different associations around the table are doing in the area of operations. ACTION: Members are requested to complete questionnaire and return to Mr. Johnson.

ICDN Update

Interest in the ICDN continues to grow. Currently there are 7,566 subscribers; with 23,000 page views during the month of May. This is down slightly from 24,000 in April. There are many interesting topics covered in the ICDN Newsletter, currently available on the website: http://www.nawgits.com/icdn/. See attached handout for details on articles, tools, and information contained in the newsletter.

For more information on joining the ICDN and making ITS deployment resources available to your own members through your web site, contact:

Ed Stollof (ITE) at (202) 289-0222 Ext. 132 or estollof@ite.org

Jerry Werner (ICDN Editor) at (512) 295-6768 or jerrycw@attglobal.net

Business Meeting

The Federal Register Notice for the MUTCD went out May 21. There were some proposed changes and details of these changes will be sent out electronically.

Ms. Radow thanked all who have hosted or have offered to host future meetings.

Next Meeting

Rural ITS Agenda

Next Meeting

Attendees

Matt Grizzard, American Public Works Association (APWA)
Melissa Merrell, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO)
Chris Plaushin, Automobile Association of America (AAA)
Dave Mulholland, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
Jennifer Folta, International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
Ed Stollof, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
Peggy Tadej, National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
Elizabeth Hamilton, National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
Robert Hicks, Public Technology, Inc. (PTI)
Russell Houston, Transportation Research Board (TRB)
Kelly Novak, National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
Laurie Holmes, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
William Wiggins, FTA
Amy Houser, FMCSA
Fernando Bird-Loustaunau, FMCSA
Evie Chitwood, MARAD
James Pol, ITS JPO
Al Stern, ITS JPO/JPL
Scott Johnson, FHWA
Laurie Radow, FHWA
John Mason, SAIC
Jennifer Seplow, SAIC
Jerry Werner, ICDN via telephone

Questions: Rural ITS

1. How does your group perceive the "Infostructure"?
2. Is reporting of work zones, crashes, and other incident management performed on a statewide basis a priority among your constituents?
3. In what efforts are your groups participating to promote statewide availability of communications?

1. What types of transit services are your members most supportive?
2. Does rural transit or some form of it have a priority with your members?
3. Do your members have concerns about how to solve continuing roadway congestion?
4. Are community-based transit services championed in any type of forum you know?

NAWG page

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