UPDATE Volume 3, Number 4 Articles - Fall Quarter 1999

Statewide ITS Initiatives, Dr. Hill Biography, Pioneer Press partners with ITS , Board Activities

Rural ITS – “The Challenges We Face” by Christopher J. Hill

Travel in rural America can be challenging. Consider these facts:

• Rural roads cover about 4 million miles or roughly 80% of national road miles while carrying 40% of all Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Only half of these roads are paved and 90% of them are two lanes or less. City and county governments are responsible for 95% of the unpaved rural roads and 55% of the paved rural roads. The rural setting also has more dramatic weather and terrain changes, and there is a diverse traffic mix - local residents, commercial vehicle operators, and recreational travelers. In fact, 78% of rural trips greater than 150 miles are made by tourists who are unfamiliar with the roads and conditions through which they travel.
• The average age of rural drivers is also higher than that of urban drivers - more than 18% of rural drivers are 64 years or older, compared to 8% of urban drivers.
• 95% of rural residents are dependent on vehicles for mobility and convenience. However, 66% of rural communities have little or no public transportation options, even though they have older, more transit-dependent populations. Many older residents face a quality of life issue as they must give up their family homes and move to a larger community that offers the services they require when they can no longer safely operate a vehicle. The movement of goods and products by commercial vehicles across large rural areas demands high efficiency.

Tourist areas and many small communities rely on visitor experiences, information availability and good access to support their economic productivity.

Key Areas of Concern

When talking to rural residents three key areas of concern emerge:

• Almost 60% of the nation’s fatal accidents occur on rural roads. 
• 70% of the single vehicle roadway departure accidents occur on 2-lane rural roads. When an accident does occur, there are further concerns for rural travelers, in that emergency response typically takes twice as long in rural areas. In 5% of crashes, it can take more than 30 minutes to notify the response agency. Care delivered in the so-called “golden hour” can often mean the difference between life and death.
   
• A further concern for rural travelers is the need to receive timely and accurate information. Weather and road condition information is noted as being particularly important. Rural residents indicated that they understood the implications of poor weather conditions and would delay or cancel their trip accordingly if the information was accessible. 

Travelers have expressed preferences for receiving this information at a variety of location, including at home, in hotels, rest areas, gas stations, in-vehicle, and at tourist locations.

The desire to provide rural public transportation to the elderly, disabled and non-driver has also been identified. In particular, it is important to extend the period during which a rural resident can safely operate a vehicle, and to increase the feelings of safety and security for these older drivers.

It is clear that Intelligent Transportation Systems have much to offer in this arena.  Indeed, ITS solutions are now being developed and deployed in several of the more far-sighted states; Minnesota is an excellent case in point. However, as we make strides in identifying the appropriate solutions, solving the technical and technological challenges, and identifying viable sources of funding, new obstacles are ready to present themselves.

The challenges ahead

Institutional challenges have always characterized ITS initiatives. Yet these challenges appear magnified in the rural environment. Once we get out into the rural areas we encounter a tremendous diversity of stakeholders. Particularly, we find many groups who are not traditional participants in transportation activities, but who impact or are impacted by the ITS solutions that will be deployed on the nation’s rural transportation system. Here we can include groups like emergency medical services, volunteer fire and rescue crews, local chambers of commerce, and other tourism promotion groups.

In many instances, we find that “transportation” in the way that we conventionally portray it, isn’t the hook to attract these groups to the discussions of rural ITS. We must find ways to frame the rural ITS message in a way that will be appealing to these stakeholders. Most likely, we will need to draw in some champions from each of these groups, who truly understand their needs and who can ensure that we translate the opportunities and benefits of rural ITS into their own language.

The ITS America Advanced Rural Transportation Systems (ARTS) Committee is now endeavoring to lead this institutional initiative. Now that there is a n acknowledged rural component of the national ITS program, and there are an ever-increasing number of early deployments of rural ITS solutions, the ARTS Committee’s emphasis is shifting to advocacy and awareness raising.

The Committee’s first new activity is to develop “The State of the ARTS,” a document that will clearly identify what rural ITS investments are being made around the country by cataloguing the various institutional approaches that have been adopted to advance rural ITS efforts in the states and localities. We will certainly looking to Minnesota to provide their insight on this topic. Once this document is published, which we hope will be in conjunction with the RATTS 2000 conference in Branson next year, we view it as a tremendous resource to support an aggressive outreach program. We consider that the ITS America State Chapters will be instrumental in that particular effort, and I shall look forward to engaging ITS Minnesota in the task.

Statewide ITS Deployment Initiatives by Betsy DiSalvo

Minnesota began its rural deployment of ITS by laying a strong ground work of research and outreach. Today many projects have been launched as direct results of these efforts.

The initial effort to move toward statewide ITS deployment was the1994 Rural IVHS (ITS) Scoping Study completed by Minnesota Guidestar.  The study identified and prioritized the needs of travelers in Greater Minnesota, and then provided strategies for meeting those needs through specific ITS technology applications.  The most common need expressed by participants in this 1994 study was roadway conditions and associated weather information.

In 1995, outreach activities for the Polaris Statewide Architecture Project confirmed and expanded upon the earlier rural study.  Traveler and transportation agency findings from Polaris described the need for both rural and urban ITS applications in Minnesota, and served as the basis for the development of a statewide ITS architecture.

In 1998, Mn/DOT launched a media awareness campaign to introduce ITS to rural Minnesota, and to provide information on new, rural ITS projects to the Media. Bob Provost, a public representative to the Minnesota Guidestar Board of Directors, carried out the campaign.  As a board member, insurance industry retiree, and former media personality, Mr. Provost presented insightful testimony to the media.

Through these efforts Minnesota Guidestar has begun implementing a statewide network of Transportation Operation and Communication Centers (TOCC) which was described in the February 1999 UPDATE. The TOCC will serve as systems for dispatching, managing traffic, and exchanging transportation information. The first operational test of TOCCs is taking place in Duluth and St. Cloud. Application of technology developed through other ITS programs and new research has gone into the tools used in the TOCCs.  One example of these applications is the Road and Weather Information System (RWIS) that will send information about road conditions to the TOCC and relay information to variable message signs and automated deicing equipment. In addition to gathering information, the TOCCs will allow for systematic and centralized distribution of information. This will result in Advanced Traveler Information Systems for the traveling public statewide. The Castle Rock TripUSA.com site on Minnesota has already integrated road condition reports from the St. Cloud and Duluth TOCCs. Through the TOCC deployment, the final application of many ITS research efforts is being realized.

Future centers will also be located in Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Mankato, Marshall, Rochester, Thief River Falls, and Virginia. Each center will include ITS applications to specifically address the needs and issues in particular areas such as RWIS in Duluth. This provides for timely information about road/weather conditions, events, and alternate routes; swift incident response; and, a central location for information on all modes of transportation in each of nine rural areas.

Other rural ATIS projects are being developed including cable television in Mn/DOT Districts 2 and 4, Scenic By-way travel kiosk located around the state, and cell phone, #7233 which provides interactive travel information for Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

An additional aspect of the TOCCs is transit companies as information partners identifying traveler needs and issues. The west-central part of the state Minnesota Transit Link is using technology to allow for more efficient use of private transit services. Through this public/private partnership rural transit users get more efficient service and government can share resources to improve other transportation services.

According to Steve Bahler, OATS Deputy Director of ITS, “By building on the rich history of ITS research and operational test we can improve ITS practices to directly benefit travelers all over Minnesota”. It is the hope of Minnesota Guidestar that these ITS practices will result in safer more efficient travel for those traveling in Thief River Falls, Rochester, or anywhere in between.

Dr. Christopher Hill to speak at Dec. 1^st Luncheon by Janelle Monette

Chris Hill is the President of Castle Rock Consultants, based in the company's Northern Virginia office. Dr. Hill is also the Chair of the ITS America Advanced Rural Transportation Systems Committee, and is a member of the ITS America Coordinating Council. He is the Senior Transportation Engineer on the U.S. DOT Rural ITS Support Contractor Team, and has served as a member of U.S. DOT's Rural Team Advisory Committee.  He participates as an expert in the U.S. DOT Peer-to-Peer Program, and in this role has delivered workshops and seminars on rural ITS in 14 states.  Dr. Hill is currently the Project Manager for New York State DOT's rural ITS toolbox and deployment plans, and was the Principal-in-Charge of the federally-funded rural ITS field operational test, Branson TRIP (Travel and Recreational Information Program). In 1991 Chris was the Project Manager for the initial Minnesota Guidestar Management Study.  His speaking topic is outlined in this newsletter's primary article.

The ITS Community and Saint Paul Pioneer Press Work to Educate Metro Students by Andy Brown

Public, academic and private industry have gotten together in an outreach effort to educate students regarding the future of transportation and how ITS technology plays a vital role in managing traffic issues in the years to come. Teachers from across the Twin Cities metropolitan area were invited to an Orion Model Deployment Program presentation. Using a newspaper style ‘tabloid’ as an outline, Transportation issues, ITS concepts and project descriptions were presented to the teachers, who then developed lesson plans around each Orion project. Graduation standards were addressed in each plan using ITS technology initiatives. As a whole, the 16 page education outreach tabloid features discussion on the future of transportation, defining ITS, key ITS terms and acronyms, Orion Model Deployment Program project outlines, lesson plans for teachers, and career paths for students. The “Career Path” section was developed to show students the high standard skills needed for future transportation careers.  This section features career backgrounds and interviews with transportation professionals. Individuals were asked how they chose a transportation career and what they would have to do differently (in response to technology, etc.) to reach their current career status.

The Orion educational outreach program is being promoted on the Saint Paul Pioneer Press Web site and through newspaper advertising. Four teacher workshops will be held to promote program involvement and usage. Members of ITS Minnesota have volunteered to host and participate in workshops this winter and next spring. The project is a true example of public, private, academic partnership, resulting in the education of metro area children and the promotion of ITS technology in the community. This project has opened doors with the school system and revealed new opportunities for partnerships and ITS education and promotion in the future. As a result, Mn/DOT is working with the Pioneer Press and ITS Minnesota on a follow up project involving careers in Engineering, Manufacturing and Technology. This new educational supplement has just been completed and workshops are set to begin later this winter. During the 1999/2000 school year 60,000 ITS and transportation based education supplements will reach metro area students grades 5 through 9.

Board Activities by Lowell Benson

On September 13th the board approved a new dues structure:  Annual Membership will be $250 due January 1st of each year.  For new members joining January through June, membership will be $250 due on the date of joining; new members joining July through December, membership will be $125 due on date of joining.  All memberships expire on December 31 unless renewed.  National Members selecting ITS Minnesota will have their dues reduced by the ITSA "rebate" which is $100 for January through June or $50 for July through December.

UPDATE newsletter staff changes: Editor Peter Stumme has resigned because of a re-assignment within Mn/DOT, a volunteer is needed immediately. Deanna Keltner, publication and distribution coordinator at BRW has taken a position in Mn/DOT's planning department. This UPDATE support is now being performed by Laurie Loso of BRW. Carol Nagan at BRW continues her excellent illustration work. Mike Sobolewski and Lowell Benson coordinated this issue pending a new Chief Editor volunteer.

Mn/DOT and the University of Minnesota team have received a multi-million dollar Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) contract to develop and demonstrate technologies along the Hwy 7 corridor in the southwest metro area.  A January special forum is being planned to present the general program to the public.  Marthand Nookala at Mn/DOT and Max Donath at the University's ITS Institute are the key management individuals for this program.