The growth of urban automobile traffic has led to serious and worsening traffic congestion problems in most cities around the world. Since travel demand increases at a rate often greater than the addition of road capacity, the situation will continue to deteriorate unless better traffic management strategies are implemented.
One of the most attractive remedial measures for addressing the congestion problem is the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). A wide range of technological developments, fall under the ITS umbrella, including Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS), Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO), Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS), and Automatic Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS). Each of these systems is receiving substantial public and private attention. However, at this point in time, ITS's potential is uncertain. Decisions on whether to support the development of various systems requires data and careful analysis.