[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28769]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 22, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[FHWA Docket No. 94-2]

 

Request for Public Participation in the Development of the 
National Program Plan for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), 
formerly called Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation solicits public comment on a 
third draft of a National Program Plan (the Plan) for Intelligent 
Transportation Systems (ITS), formerly called Intelligent Vehicle-
Highway Systems (IVHS). ITS applies advanced technologies such as 
information processing, communications, and electronics to surface 
transportation needs. The Plan is being developed based on a set of 
user services, each of which is designed to respond to the needs of 
particular users. The draft Plan attempts to integrate Federal, State, 
local government, and private sector activities in a single document to 
present a coherent picture of how the public and private sectors will 
work together to achieve ITS program goals. The Plan seeks to reflect 
the consensus view of all parties interested in the development and 
deployment of ITS.

DATES: Comments on the November 1994 draft are due December 30, 1994. 
Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent 
possible.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Docket Clerk, Docket No. 94-2, 
room 4232, United States Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20590. Commenters on the previous drafts 
will automatically receive a copy of the November 1994 draft; others 
may obtain a copy by contacting the Federal Highway Administration, 
HVH-2, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 3400, Washington, D.C. 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Euler, Deputy Director, Joint 
IVHS Program Office, Federal Highway Administration, HVH-2, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Room 3400, Washington, D.C. 20590, Ph: (202) 366-2196, 
Fax: (202) 366-8712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The objective of the ITS program is to apply advanced technology in 
the areas of information processing, communications, control, and 
electronics to improve safety, reduce congestion, increase mobility, 
reduce the energy and environmental harm caused by transportation, and 
increase economic productivity. The ITS program also incorporates the 
use of strategic planning and innovative management practices at all 
levels of government to implement those initiatives which enhance our 
national surface transportation system, strengthen our economy, and 
benefit a broad range of users.
    To that end, the third draft incorporates various of the comments 
received through the earlier notice process and the public forums, as 
well as those received from individual members of ITS AMERICA, a broad-
based, non-profit organization that also serves as a utilized Federal 
Advisory Committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App. 2). ITS AMERICA will also be distributing copies of the Plan to 
its membership and preparing consensus comments on the Plan; therefore, 
member comments to ITS AMERICA need not be duplicated in comments to 
the DOT docket.
    The Plan is intended to clearly present the ITS program to 
Congress, other government leaders, and private sector entities. It is 
intended to guide investment decisions in the development and 
deployment of ITS products and services to be made by private entities, 
the Federal government, and local governments; to facilitate 
prioritization and coordination of ITS development activities; to 
reduce duplication of effort; and to ensure ITS program activities are 
directed toward deployment of ITS services in a nationally compatible 
intermodal system.
    These services have been grouped into the following categories or 
``bundles'': Travel and Transportation Management, which would improve 
the flow of traffic and provide travel-related information to the 
public; Travel Demand Management, which would reduce vehicle demand by 
encouraging modes other than the single occupancy vehicle; Public 
Transportation Operations, which would assist in delivering improved 
public transportation systems; Commercial Vehicle Operations, which 
would improve the efficiency and safety of commercial fleet operations; 
Electronic Payment, which would allow travelers to pay for 
transportation services with electronic cards or tags; Emergency 
Management, which can be used by police, fire, and rescue authorities 
to improve their management of, and response to, emergency situations; 
and Advanced Vehicle Control and Safety Systems, which would provide 
improved vehicle safety.
    The deployment of these user services will depend on a range of 
issues that will be assessed in formulating and implementing the Plan, 
including cost, public acceptance, the maturity or availability of the 
technologies, and regulatory issues. The Plan will also serve as the 
framework for a continuing process that will assess progress and allow 
government and private sector investment decisions to be made after the 
views of all interested parties have been considered.
    Because the Plan is being developed with the user as the focus, the 
Department is interested in participation from a broad range of 
individuals and organizations including, but not limited to, public 
officials from State and local governments, consumer groups, vehicle 
manufacturers and other private sector entities, transit authorities, 
toll authorities, small businesses, academic institutions, 
associations, and individual citizens.
    This is the third notice on the Plan. The first notice, at 58 FR 
65814 (December 15, 1993), contained background information on the 
national ITS program, including a detailed description of the user 
services. The second notice, 59 FR 26552 (May 20, 1994), announced a 
series of five public forums (held around the country in June 1994) to 
obtain input on the Plan development. Comments received in response to 
both notices, and the public forums, have been utilized in preparing 
the third draft of the Program Plan that is now available.
    This draft of the Plan has been substantially revised from the 
previous draft, and edited to reduce its length and remove 
redundancies. A new chapter has been added that discusses the societal, 
economic, legislative, and other forces that led to the ITS program. 
User Service Integration and National Compatibility have been divided 
into separate chapters, and the discussion of telecommunications issues 
has been expanded. The Deployment and Deployment Support chapters have 
been substantially revised to reflect 5-, 10-, and 20-year deployment 
scenarios, provide an analysis of the potential affects of different 
levels of public and private sector participation in ITS deployment, 
and a description of program initiatives to address deployment 
barriers. A new Travel Demand Management bundle has been created that 
encompasses the Pre-Trip Travel Information, Ride Matching and 
Reservation, and Demand Management and Operations user services.
    In response to a number of comments, a Synopsis of the Plan has 
been developed and is included with the third draft. This third draft 
is intended to be the final draft before publication of the first 
edition the Plan in March, 1995. The Plan will then be updated 
periodically to reflect changes in the development and deployment of 
the ITS program.

Information Requested

    The Department is especially interested in public comment on 
Chapter 6, Deployment, and Chapter 7, Deployment Support, the 
deployment scenarios presented, the analysis of the effects of 
different levels of public and private sector participation in ITS 
deployment, and the discussion of program initiatives to address 
deployment barriers. Respondents are also asked to indicate their 
agreement with the publication of this document, following the comment 
period and with comments considered, as the first edition of the 
National ITS Program Plan.
    Any additional information, suggestions, opinions or other comments 
that would assist in further developing the Plan would be welcome.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48; Pub. L. 102-240, Secs. 
6051-6059, 105 Stat. 2189-2195.

    Issued on: November 15, 1994
Rodney E. Slater,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-28769 Filed 11-21-94; 8:45 am]
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