[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 230 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29537]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 1, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[FHWA Docket No. 94-24]

 

Plan for Research on User Acceptance of Intelligent 
Transportation Systems (ITS)

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (USDOT) is requesting 
comments from interested parties on the USDOT plan for conducting 
research on acceptance of ITS products and services by users. The 
Department seeks to understand the research needs of individuals and 
organizations interested in ITS and to obtain their responses to a 
statement describing the research being planned by USDOT that focuses 
on consumers, a primary ITS user group. The Department is interested in 
receiving comments from a broad range of individuals and organizations, 
including, but not limited to, private sector firms looking to develop 
ITS products and services, State and local transportation authorities 
planning ITS programs, transit authorities, toll authorities, special 
interest groups, industry associations, academicians, and others who 
have an interest in ITS acceptance among consumers. Comments may also 
be provided on research techniques, results of previous research 
relevant to the proposed study, or other topics pertinent to consumer 
acceptance of ITS services.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 30, 1995. 
Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent 
possible.

ADDRESSES: Submit written, signed comments to FHWA Docket No. 94-24, 
room 4232, HCC-10, Office of the Chief Counsel, Federal Highway 
Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. All 
comments received will be available for examination at the above 
address from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday except 
Federal holidays. Those desiring notification of receipt of comments 
must include a self-addressed, stamped postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Elliot, Joint ITS Program 
Office, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., room 
3400, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-8707, Fax: (202) 366-8712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) 
program applies advanced and emerging technologies in such fields as 
information processing, communications, control, and electronics to 
surface transportation needs. If these technologies can be effectively 
stimulated, integrated, and deployed, the public will be able to more 
efficiently use the Nation's transportation infrastructure and energy 
resources by making more informed choices about travel and route 
alternatives. Successful deployment of ITS services and systems will 
achieve improvements in safety, mobility, and productivity, and reduce 
harmful environmental impacts, particularly those caused by traffic 
congestion.
    As described in the National ITS Program Plan, the ITS program is 
focused on the development and deployment of a collection of user 
services. The services are in various stages of maturity; some are 
available today, others will require significant research, development, 
testing, and advances in technology applications before they are ready 
for deployment.
    An initial set of user acceptance research will focus on consumers, 
the individual travelers who make personal travel decisions and toward 
whom many ITS user services are targeted. Consumers represent the 
largest potential market for ITS, yet their interest in using ITS 
services is not well understood.
    Twenty-eight ITS user services have been defined by USDOT and other 
participants in the development of the National ITS Program Plan. Not 
all of these services necessarily touch the consumer directly; 
therefore, the scope of research for this study encompassses the 
following sixteen ITS user services for which consumers are the primary 
user group. These services are described below and are grouped together 
under the headings of transportation information services, services for 
new styles of travel, and services for vehicular safety and security.

Transportation Information Services

    1. Pre-trip travel information provides information for selecting 
the best departure time, transportation modes, and routes. Pre-trip 
travel information allows travelers to access a complete range of 
intermodal transportation information at home, work, and other major 
sites where trips originate. For example, timely information on transit 
routes, schedules, transfers and fares, and ride matching services are 
included. Real-time information on accidents, road construction, 
alternate routes, traffic speeds along given routes, parking 
conditions, event schedules, and weather information complete the 
service. Based on this information, the traveler can select the best 
departure time, route, and modes of travel, or decide to postpone or 
not to make the trip at all.
    2. En-route driver information consists of driver advisories and 
in-vehicle signing for convenience and safety. Driver advisories are 
similar to pre-trip planning information, but are provided once travel 
begins. Driver advisories convey information about traffic conditions, 
incidents, construction, transit schedules, and weather conditions to 
drivers of personal, commercial, and public transit vehicles. This 
information allows a driver to select the best route, or shift to 
another mode mid-trip if desired.
    In-vehicle signing, the second component of en-route driver 
information, would provide the same types of information found on 
physical road signs today, directly in the vehicle. The service could 
be extended to include warnings of road conditions and safe speeds for 
specific types of vehicles (e.g., autos, buses, large trucks), but 
potential users include drivers of all types of vehicles. This service 
might be especially useful to elderly drivers, or in rural areas with 
large numbers of tourists and unusual or hazardous roadway conditions.
    3. En-route transit information provides information to travelers 
using public transportation after they begin their trips. This service 
provides information to assist the traveler once public transportation 
travel begins. Real-time, accurate transit service information on board 
the vehicle helps travelers make effective transfer decisions and 
itinerary modifications as needed while a trip is underway.
    4. Route guidance provides travelers with simple instructions on 
how to reach their destinations. The route guidance service provides a 
suggested route to reach a specified destination. Early route guidance 
systems will be based on static information about such factors as the 
roadway network and transit schedules. When fully deployed, route 
guidance systems will provide travelers with directions to their 
destinations based on real-time information about the transportation 
system. The route guidance service will consider traffic conditions, 
status and schedule of transit systems, and road closures in developing 
the best route. Directions will generally consist of simple 
instructions on turns or other upcoming maneuvers. Users of the service 
include not only drivers of all types of vehicles, but also non-
vehicular travelers, such as pedestrians or bicyclists, who could get 
specialized route guidance from hand-held devices.
    5. Traveler services information provides a reference directory, or 
``yellow pages,'' of service information. Traveler services information 
provides quick access to travel related services and facilities. 
Examples of information that might be included are the location, 
operating hours, and availability of hospitals, and food, parking, auto 
repair, and police facilities. Traveler services information would be 
accessible in the home, office, or other public locations to help plan 
trips, and might also be available en-route. When fully deployed, this 
service will connect users and providers interactively, and enable them 
to request and provide needed information. A comprehensive, integrated 
service could support financial transactions like automatic billing for 
purchases.

Services for New Styles of Travel

    1. Ride matching and reservation make ride sharing more convenient. 
This service will provide real-time ride matching information and 
reservations to users in their homes, offices, or other locations, and 
will assist transportation providers with vehicle assignments and 
scheduling. The service will also provide a clearinghouse for financial 
transactions. This will expand the market for ridesharing as an 
alternative to single occupant automobile travel, and will provide for 
enhanced alternatives for special population groups, such as the 
elderly or the handicapped.
    2. Personalized public transit provides flexibly routed transit 
vehicles which offer more convenient service to customers. Small 
publicly or privately operated vehicles provide on-demand routing to 
pick up passengers who have requested service and deliver them to their 
destinations. Route deviation schemes, where vehicles would leave a 
fixed route for a short distance to pick up or discharge passengers, is 
another way of improving service. Vehicles can include small buses, 
taxicabs, or other small, shared ride vehicles. This service can 
provide almost door-to-door service, expanding transit coverage to 
lesser populated locations and neighborhoods. This can potentially 
provide transportation at lower cost and with greater convenience than 
conventional fixed route transit.
    3. Electronic payment services allow travelers to pay for 
transportation services electronically with ``smart cards.'' These 
services will foster intermodal travel by providing a common electronic 
payment medium for all transportation modes and functions, including 
tolls, transit fares, and parking. These services provide for a common 
service fee and payment structure using ``smart cards.'' Such systems 
could be truly multi-use, allowing other personal financial 
transactions on the same card. The flexibility that electronic payment 
services offer will also facilitate travel demand management, if 
conditions warrant. They will enable relatively easy application of 
road pricing policies which could influence departure times and mode 
selection.

Services for Vehicular Safety and Security

    1. Emergency notification and personal security provide immediate 
notification of an incident and an immediate request for assistance. 
This service includes two capabilities: Driver and personal security, 
and automatic collision notification. Driver and personal security 
capabilities provide for user initiated distress signals for incidents 
like mechanical breakdowns or car jackings. Automatic collision 
notification identifies a collision and automatically sends information 
regarding location, nature, and severity to emergency personnel.
    2. Longitudinal collision avoidance helps prevent head-on and rear-
end collisions between vehicles, or between vehicles and other objects 
or pedestrians. This service helps reduce the number and severity of 
collisions. It includes the sensing of potential or impending 
collisions, prompting a driver's avoidance actions, and temporarily 
controlling the vehicle.
    3. Lateral collision avoidance helps prevent collisions when 
vehicles leave their lanes of travel. This service provides crash 
warnings and controls for lane changes and road departures. It will 
help reduce the number of lateral collisions involving two or more 
vehicles, or crashes involving a single vehicle leaving the roadway.
    When a driver changes lanes, a situation display can continuously 
monitor the vehicle's blind spot, and drivers can be actively warned of 
an impending collision. If needed, a system that can automatically 
control steering can effectively respond to situations very rapidly. 
Warning systems can also alert a driver to an impending road departure, 
provide help in keeping the vehicle in the lane, and ultimately provide 
automatic control of steering and throttle in dangerous situations.
    4. Intersection collision avoidance helps prevent collisions at 
intersections. This service warns drivers of imminent collisions when 
approaching or crossing an intersection that has traffic control (e.g., 
stop signs or a traffic signal). This service also alerts the driver 
when the proper right-of-way at the intersection is unclear or 
ambiguous.
    5. Vision enhancement for crash avoidance improves the driver's 
ability to see the roadway and objects that are on or along the 
roadway. Improved visibility will allow drivers to avoid potential 
collisions with other vehicles or obstacles in the roadway, and will 
help the driver comply with traffic signs and signals. This service 
requires in-vehicle equipment for sensing potential hazards, processing 
this information, and displaying it in a way that is useful to a 
driver.
    6. Safety readiness provides warnings about the condition of the 
driver, the vehicle, and the roadway. In-vehicle equipment will 
unobtrusively monitor a driver's condition and provide a warning if he 
or she is becoming drowsy or otherwise impaired. This service could 
also internally monitor critical components of the automobile, and 
alert the driver to impending malfunctions. Equipment within the 
vehicle could also detect unsafe road conditions, such as bridge icing 
or standing water on the roadway, and provide a warning to the driver.
    7. Pre-crash restraint deployment anticipates an imminent collision 
and activates passenger safety systems before the collision occurs. 
This service identifies the velocity, mass, and direction of the 
vehicles or objects involved in a potential crash, and the number, 
location, and major physical characteristics of any occupants. 
Responses include tightening lap-shoulder belts, arming and deploying 
air bags at the optimal pressure, and deploying roll bars.
    8. Automated vehicle operation provides a fully automated, ``hands-
off'' operating environment. Deployment of automated vehicle operations 
is a long term goal of ITS which would provide vast improvements in 
safety by creating a nearly accident free driving environment. Drivers 
could buy vehicles with the necessary instrumentation or retrofit 
existing vehicles. Vehicles that are incapable of automated operation 
would, during some transition period, drive in lanes without 
automation.

The Research Need

    The USDOT seeks to learn whether the traveling public will make 
sufficient use of ITS services to have a significant impact on 
achieving USDOT's ITS goals for surface transportation. These goals 
include: improved safety; increased capacity and operational 
efficiency; enhanced personal mobility, convenience, and comfort; 
reduction in environmental and energy impacts; and enhancement of 
productivity of individuals, organizations, and the economy as a whole.
    The results of USDOT's research will be used to measure progress 
toward these goals and to support planning of the USDOT ITS program.
    Potential questions to be addressed in the research have been 
developed for the three groups of services previously described and 
they are listed below.

Questions Dealing With Transportation Information Services

    These questions deal with users' interest in obtaining and using 
information, and the impact of that information on their travel 
behavior.
    1. Do travelers want to obtain transportation-related data and base 
their travel decisions upon it? If so, what information do they need? 
What are the minimum requirements and what is optional in terms of type 
of data, frequency, reliability, etc. What decisions will be affected 
by information--time, mode choice, destination, route selection, use of 
alternatives to travel?
    2. In what manner should information be delivered, what type of 
user interface, and what level of detail?
    3. What is the monetary value of this information to consumers and 
how should it be paid for?
    4. Do responses vary significantly according to demographic or 
other characteristics of consumers? If so, what causes those 
differences? Examples include: familiarity or fear of ``high-tech,'' 
degree of control over travel decisions, and financial position. Do 
current single-mode consumers respond differently from intermodal 
consumers?
    5. What are the perceived benefits and negative consequences that 
ITS information services would bring to consumers? Are there personal 
benefits (such as savings in time and money, reduced stress, and 
greater choice of transportation alternatives) and/or societal benefits 
(such as improved air quality and reduced traffic congestion)?

Questions Dealing With New Styles of Travel

    These services represent new ``styles'' in the sense that they 
require consumers to perform travel-related tasks in fundamentally 
different ways.
    1. What portion of travelers would be attracted to ridematching or 
reservation services, for what types of trips, how often, and what type 
of mode would be displaced? What are the demographic characteristics of 
potential users and nonusers? What are the perceived benefits of such a 
service? What are the major concerns or barriers to use (e.g., stranger 
anxiety, including concern for personal safety)? What would travelers 
be willing to pay for such a service? What incentives or disincentives 
would stimulate usage (e.g., use of HOV lane, loss of free parking)?
    2. Do travelers want to pay for travel costs electronically? If so, 
are they interested in a single, integrated electronic payment device? 
What parts of travel should be covered (e.g., tolls, transit, or 
parking)? What is the value of electronic payment? Does it warrant a 
premium, or a discount? What are the perceived benefits and 
disadvantages of electronic payment (e.g., convenience, loss of 
privacy)? How do responses vary across demographic or other user 
characteristics?
    3. Will personalized public transit attract additional travelers to 
transit? If so, what types of trips would they use it for and how often 
would they use it? What are the demographic characteristics of 
potential users? What would travelers be willing to pay for such a 
service? What service attributes (e.g., response time, time-of-day 
availability) do travelers desire from personalized public transit?

Questions Dealing With Vehicular Safety and Security

    These questions deal with consumers' interest in having vehicles 
equipped with vehicular safety and security technology.
    1. What are consumers' perceptions of the seriousness of the 
following potential safety problems in vehicular travel: Longitudinal 
collisions (rear-end, head-on, backing); lateral collisions (lane 
changes, blind spots); intersection collisions; collisions from poor 
visibility (e.g., fog or darkness); driver impairments creating 
potential for collisions (e.g., drug/alcohol impairment, fatigue); 
vehicle equipment failure creating potential for collisions (e.g., tire 
and brakes); infrastructure hazards creating potential for collision 
(e.g., slippery roads); limitations of current crash restraint systems 
(e.g., seat belts, airbags) in all types of collisions; potential for 
injury or danger from slowness of response by emergency service 
providers?
    2. Are proposed ITS safety and security services viewed as 
effective in reducing the frequency and seriousness of safety problems? 
Does the perception of effectiveness vary by user service?
    3. Will vehicle users be willing to pay for ITS technological 
solutions to these safety problems? Does willingness to pay vary by 
safety problem? How do vehicle users balance paying for safety measures 
against vehicle attributes, such as comfort, convenience, or 
entertainment?
    4. What minimum design requirements would have to be implemented 
before these ITS services would be acceptable to vehicle users? What 
about levels of reliability or accuracy or the ability of the user to 
disengage an ITS service? Are potential maintenance costs an important 
factor to consumers?
    5. What ratio of automatic versus manual control of these ITS 
services will be acceptable? Should safety systems provide information 
only about safety problem or threat (e.g., ``vehicle in blind spot'')? 
Should they also provide instructions on how to avoid that problem or 
threat (e.g., ``please brake immediately'')? Or should automatic 
controls take over if the driver is not responding in time?
    6. How do responses vary by demographic and other characteristics 
of vehicle users?
    The Department welcomes comments on any or all of the questions 
posed here and encourages commenters to pose additional questions for 
consideration by the USDOT. USDOT invites commenters to share 
information from research on subjects similar to those covered in this 
request that would be of use to the USDOT program on ITS user 
acceptance.

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

    Issued on: November 22, 1994.
Rodney E. Slater,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-29537 Filed 11-30-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P