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

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]

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