# Plan for Research on User Acceptance of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A94-29537 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Uncategorized Document - **Published:** December 1, 1994 ## Text 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A94-29537. Public record. Not legal advice.