The Need for Intelligent
Transportation Systems
in Rural America

With advances being made in telecommunications and electronics, it was only a matter of time before these technologies would be used to enhance the rural transportation system. Using advanced communications, information and electronics technology, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) make the most of the transportation infrastructure (highways, streets and transit systems) in an effort to solve transportation problems.

With 83 percent of the land area and approximately 21 percent of the population, rural areas have different transportation issues than metropolitan areas.

With 83 percent of the land area and approximately 21 percent of the population, rural areas have different transportation issues than metropolitan areas. Rural roads comprise 40 percent of national road miles, approximately four million miles of roads, and carry 40 percent of vehicle miles traveled. Only 50 percent are paved and 90 percent are two lanes or less. City and county governments are responsible for 95 percent of unpaved roads and 55 percent of paved roads.

Rural roads and highways support the nation’s movement of goods and are fundamental to local vitality through residents and tourists. Rural transportation problems result from a challenging geography (steep grades and mountain passes), more dramatic weather events and their effects on road conditions, a sparse and patchy telecommunications infrastructure, and a dispersed system with high unit costs for service delivery, operations and maintenance.

ITS Advancements Help the Trucking Industry

Rural transportation results in a higher frequency of crashes and a greater proportion of deaths — 58 percent of fatalities and 55 percent of work zone fatalities; slower emergency response-(rural response is one and a half times urban response and five percent of crashes go unreported for more than 30 minutes). Approximately 68.4 percent of crash fatalities occur on rural highways. Another rural transportation problem is limited or nonexistent public transportation. Approximately 38 percent of rural residents have no public transportation and a further 28 percent live in areas with negligible service. And 95 percent of rural residents depend on personal vehicles.

Rural ITS has the potential to enhance safety; improve emergency response; provide information — especially road and weather conditions; make public transportation more available and accessible; and enhance the tourism/recreational travel experience. However, no one size fits all, especially with respect to ITS.

Rural intelligent transportation systems are different from urban systems:

• Traveler safety and security technologies that alert drivers to hazardous conditions and dangers, and include wide-area information dissemination of site-specific safety advisories and warnings.

• Emergency services technologies that automatically mobilize the closest police, ambulances or firefighters in cases of collisions or other emergencies, even in the most remote locations.

• Fleet operations and maintenance systems that improve the efficiency of rural transit and other rural fleets, such as snowplows and law enforcement vehicles, through advanced vehicle tracking and on-board equipment monitoring systems.

• Public traveler and mobility services that improve the efficiency of transit services and their accessibility to rural residents. Better scheduling, improved dispatching, smart card payment transactions, and advanced ride-sharing and ride-matching systems can be achieved through advanced vehicle-locating devices and communications systems.

• Roadway operations and maintenance technologies that improve the ability of highway workers to maintain and operate rural roads. These include severe weather information systems, early detection of pavement and bridge failures, and immediate detection of dangers to work zone crews.

• Tourism and travel information services that provide information to travelers who are unfamiliar with the local rural area. These services can be provided at specific locations en route or even well in advance of the destination.

• Commercial vehicle systems that manage the movement and logistics of commercial vehicles, and locate vehicles during emergencies and breakdowns. They can also monitor driver performance—a critical concern particularly on long-haul night trips.

There are many benefits to rural ITS. For example, widespread use of emergency notification devices could reduce the time it takes to discover a rural crash from an average of 9.6 minutes to one minute. In addition, advanced lane-keeping and collision-avoidance technologies could prevent 19,000 crashes in rural areas every year due to vehicles running off the road.n

By Melissa Levy, Digest Managing Editor

Note: This article is the first in a series of articles funded under an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. Look for other articles in the Economic Development Digest and Regional Transportation Connector.

Link to Additional NADO Information on ITS.

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