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Benefits By Program Area
Program Area/Benefit Measure Summary
Arterial Management Systems Safety Improvements

Automated enforcement of traffic signals has reduced red-light violations 20-75%.

Mobility Field studies in several cities have shown that adaptive signal control systems can reduce delay 5-42%.
Throughput Adaptive signal control integrated with freeway ramp meters in Glasgow, Scotland increased vehicle throughput 20% on arterials and 6% on freeways.
Customer Satisfaction In Michigan, 72% of surveyed drivers felt "better off" after signal control improvements. 
Productivity Transit signal priority on a Toronto Transit Line allowed same level-of-service with less rolling stock. 
Environmental Model estimates showed advanced traffic signal control systems can reduce fuel consumption 0-13%.* 
Freeway Management Systems Safety Improvements Studies of traffic management centers using ramp meters show freeway management systems reduce accidents 24-50%.
Mobility A simulation of a Detroit freeway found that HAR and DMS in combination with ramp metering could reduce vehicle delay up to 22%.
Throughput After ramp meters were experimentally turned off in the Twin Cities, MN, freeway volume declined 9% and peak period throughput decreased 14%.
Customer Satisfaction A survey of Wisconsin drivers found that 18% of respondents changed travel routes more than 5 times/mo. based on traveler information posted on DMS.
Productivity Variable speed limits with lane controls on the German Autobahn reduced injury accidents 20-29% saving approximately $4 million/year. 
Environmental In Denver, CO, dynamic message signs (DMSs) that displayed real-time vehicle emission levels motivated most motorists surveyed to consider repairs.
Transit Management Systems Safety Improvements
Mobility Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technologies improved on-time bus performance 9-23%. 
Throughput In Portland, Oregon, models of transit data showed AVL/CAD may allow same level-of-service to more travelers using the same rolling stock. 
Customer Satisfaction 84% of survey respondents indicated on-board next-stop announcements made it easier for them to get around Acadia National Park in Maine.
Productivity In Spain, remote maintenance monitoring and dynamic scheduling allowed a bus system to reduce the time to detect and correct vehicle faults 20-30%.
Environmental  
Incident Management Systems Safety Improvements In Pennsylvania, Traffic and Incident Management Systems (TIMS) decreased secondary incidents on highways 40% between 1993 and 1997.
Mobility An incident management program in Maryland reduced average incident duration by 57% in 2000 and 55% in 1999.
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction TMC staff in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania found real-time traffic information useful and noted that it improved coverage for incident management.
Productivity Studies of freeway service patrols in 3 U.S. cities resulted in delay savings equating to $1.2 to $1.8 million in annual benefits.
Environmental The freeway and incident management program in San Antonio, Texas saves an estimated 2,600 gallons of fuel per major incident.
Emergency Management Systems Safety Improvements In Erie, NY, dispatch center notification time was about 1 min. for vehicles equipped with automated collision notification, and 3 to 46 minutes without.
Mobility  
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction EMTs and doctors had mixed opinions about a telemedicine program tested on ambulances in San Antonio, expected positive impacts in rural areas.*
Productivity In New Mexico, a private ambulance company used CAD/AVL to guide ambulances to exact locations. The company increased efficiency 10-15%. 
Environmental  
Electronic Payment Safety Improvements In Florida, driver uncertainty about toll plaza configuration and traffic speeds contributed to a 48% increase in accidents at E-PASS toll stations .*
Mobility The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) E-Zpass system has reduced vehicle delay by 85%. 
Throughput Tappan Zee Bridge, New York, NY: Manual lane 400-450 vehicles/hour (vph), ETC lane 1000 vph. 
Customer Satisfaction In Europe, user acceptance and satisfaction with a multi-use smart card payment system for transit, shops, libraries, and other services was high: 71-87%.
Productivity The Ventura, CA, electronic transit fare payment saved an est. $9.5 million/yr. in fare evasion, $5M in reduced data collection and $1M in transfer slip costs.
Environmental
Traveler Information Safety Improvements IDAS models of ARTIMIS in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky estimated traveler information reduced fatalities 3.2%.
Mobility In the DC metro area, simulation estimated that regular users of traveler info. reduced their frequency of early and late arrivals by 56% and 52%, respectively.
Throughput Modeling studies in Detroit, Seattle, and Washington, DC have shown slight improvements in corridor capacity with provision of traveler information.*
Customer Satisfaction 90% of survey respondents found Virginia's 511 system useful, over half indicated they had change routes based on information received at least once.
Productivity In the DC area, models showed pre-trip departure notification can reduce early/late arrivals and save 40% of users $60 or more each year in lost time.
Environmental Models of vehicle emissions in Boston showed users of Smart Traveler generated 1.5% less NOx, 25% less VOCs, and 33% less CO.
Information Management Safety Improvements  
Mobility  
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction  
Productivity  
Environmental  
Crash Prevention & Safety Safety Improvements In Colorado, a downhill speed warning system on interstate I-70 decreased truck accidents 13% and reduced runaway ramp usage 24% in 2 years.
Mobility Models of increased traffic flow at a San Antonio rail crossing showed dynamic message signs with delay information can reduce system delay 6.7%.
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction 70% of truck drivers and 85% of car drivers surveyed in California felt curve speed warning systems were useful. 
Productivity  
Environmental An automated horn warning system in Ames, Iowa, reduced elevated noise impact areas 97% adjacent to a highway rail intersection.
Operations & Maintenance Safety Improvements In Iowa, 55% of truckers surveyed said the automated work zone CB-radio warning system first alerted them of painting crews on I-35.
Mobility Work zone surveillance and incident response at the "Big-I" interchange in Albuquerque, NM, reduced average clearance time 44% the first year.. 
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction Most people surveyed about the Minnesota Guidestar program said Smart Work Zone warning signs were accurate and useful. 
Productivity In MT, WIM scales installed in travel lanes on major truck routes can improve pavement fatigue estimates and save $4.1 M/year in construction costs.
Environmental  
Road Weather Management Safety Improvements

In Idaho, weather-related warnings on freeway dynamic message signs decreased vehicle speeds 35% compared to a 9% decrease without the signs.

Mobility Signal timing plans implemented in Minnesota to accommodate adverse winter weather resulted in an 8% reduction in delay.
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction A survey found that 94% of users felt a Washington State road weather information website made them better prepared for their trips.
Productivity In Minnesota, closing part of a freeway allowed it to be cleared of snow 4 hrs more quickly, at 18% lower cost, than a nearby highway that remained open.
Environmental  
Commercial Vehicle Operations Safety Improvements A truck inspection selection system tested in CT yielded 2% increase in the rate of out-of-service orders, nationwide deployment est. to avoid 84 crashes/yr.
Mobility Centralized route planning systems tested in Europe reduced vehicle travel distances by 18% and travel times by 14%.
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction A survey of truck and motorcoach drivers found that they held favorable opinions of electronic clearance programs.
Productivity Most truck drivers and inspectors surveyed during the CVISN model deployment felt that electronic screening saved them time.
Environmental  
Intermodal Freight Safety Improvements  
Mobility A modeling study found that an appointment system for scheduling truck arrivals at cargo transfer facilities could reduce truck's in-terminal time by 48%.
Throughput  
Customer Satisfaction Carriers surveyed indicated they were very satisfied with the ability of electronic supply chain manifest systems to duplicate paper-based systems.
Productivity Field tests showed that time spent on manifesting and processing load transfers decreased by 57-100% using an electronic supply chain manifest system.
Environmental  
Intelligent Vehicles Safety Improvements In Erie, NY, dispatch center notification time was about 1 min. for vehicles equipped with automated collision notification, and 3 to 46 minutes without.
Mobility In Turin, Italy, cars equipped with in-vehicle navigation systems experienced a travel time savings of more than 10% during the CLEOPATRA project.
Throughput A simulation study found dynamic route guidance to vehicles enabled the network to accommodate a 10% increase in demand.
Customer Satisfaction Participants overwhelmingly ranked intelligent cruise control over manual or conventional cruise control for convenience, comfort, and enjoyment.
Productivity A company's operating costs declined 10% after they installed GPS/AVL systems to eliminate miscommunication between drivers and dispatch.
Environmental Field data shows introducing an ICC vehicle into traffic with manually controlled cars can smooth traffic flow and reduce fuel consumption 0.4-3.6%.
Source:   http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov   *Database also includes negative impacts of ITS.   Date: 9/2/2005

 
Benefits By Measure
Benefit Measure/Program Area Summary
Safety Improvements Arterial Management Automated enforcement of traffic signals has reduced red-light violations 20-75%.
Freeway Management A survey of traffic management centers in eight cities found that ramp metering reduced the accident rate by 24-50%.
Transit Management  
Incident Management In Pennsylvania, Traffic and Incident Management Systems (TIMS) decreased secondary incidents on highways 40% between 1993 and 1997.
Emergency Management
Electronic Payment In Florida, driver uncertainty about toll plaza configuration and traffic speeds contributed to a 48% increase in accidents at E-PASS toll stations.* 
Traveler Information IDAS models of ARTIMIS in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky estimated traveler information reduced fatalities 3.2%
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety In Colorado, a downhill speed warning system on interstate I-70 decreased truck accidents 13% and reduced runaway ramp usage 24% in 2 years. 
Operations & Maintenance In Iowa, 55% of truckers surveyed said the automated work zone CB-radio warning system first alerted them of painting crews on I-35.
Road Weather Management In Idaho, weather-related warnings on freeway dynamic message signs decreased vehicle speeds 35% compared to a 9% decrease without the signs. 
Commercial Vehicle Operations A truck inspection selection system tested in CT yielded 2% increase in the rate of out-of-service orders, nationwide deployment est. to avoid 84 crashes/yr.
Intermodal Freight  
Intelligent Vehicles In Erie, NY, dispatch center notification time was about 1 min. for vehicles equipped with automated collision notification, and 3 to 46 minutes without.
Mobility Arterial Management Field studies in several cities have shown that adaptive signal control systems can reduce peak period travel time 5-42%.
Freeway Management A simulation of a Detroit freeway found that HAR and DMS in combination with ramp metering could reduce vehicle delay up to 22%.
Transit Management Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technologies improved on-time bus performance 9-23%.  
Incident Management An incident management program in Maryland reduced average incident duration by 57% in 2000 and 55% in 1999.
Emergency Management  
Electronic Payment The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) E-Zpass system has reduced vehicle delay by 85%. 
Traveler Information In the DC metro area, simulation estimated that regular users of traveler info. reduced their frequency of early and late arrivals by 56% and 52%, respectively.
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety Models of increased traffic flow at a San Antonio rail crossing showed dynamic message signs with delay information can reduce system delay 6.7%.
Operations & Maintenance Work zone surveillance and incident response at the "Big-I" interchange in Albuquerque, New Mexico, reduced average clearance time 44% the first year. 
Road Weather Management Signal timing plans implemented in Minnesota to accommodate adverse winter weather resulted in an 8% reduction in delay.
Commercial Vehicle Operations Centralized route planning systems tested in Europe reduced vehicle travel distances by 18% and travel times by 14%.
Intermodal Freight A modeling study found that an appointment system for scheduling truck arrivals at cargo transfer facilities could reduce truck's in-terminal time by 48%..
Intelligent Vehicles In Turin, Italy, cars equipped with in-vehicle navigation systems experienced a travel time savings of more than 10% during the CLEOPATRA project.
Throughput Arterial Management Adaptive signal control integrated with freeway ramp meters in Glasgow, Scotland increased vehicle throughput 20% on arterials and 6% on freeways.
Freeway Management After ramp meters were experimentally turned off in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, freeway volume declined 9% and peak period throughput decreased 14%. 
Transit Management In Portland, Oregon, models of transit data showed AVL/CAD may allow same level-of-service to more travelers using the same rolling stock. 
Incident Management  
Emergency Management  
Electronic Payment Tappan Zee Bridge, New York, NY: Manual lane 400-450 vehicles/hour (vph), ETC lane 1000 vph. 
Traveler Information Modeling studies in Detroit, Seattle, and Washington, DC have shown slight improvements in corridor capacity with provision of traveler information.*
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety  
Operations & Maintenance  
Road Weather Management  
Commercial Vehicle Operations  
Intermodal Freight  
Intelligent Vehicles  
Customer Satisfaction Arterial Management

In Michigan, 72% of surveyed drivers felt "better off" after signal control improvements.

Freeway Management A survey of Wisconsin drivers found that 18% of respondents changed travel routes more than 5 times/mo. based on traveler information posted on DMS.
Transit Management 84% of survey respondents indicated on-board next-stop announcements made it easier for them to get around Acadia National Park in Maine.
Incident Management TMC staff in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania found real-time traffic information useful and noted that it improved coverage for incident management.
Emergency Management EMTs and doctors had mixed opinions about a telemedicine program tested on ambulances in San Antonio, expected positive impacts in rural areas.*
Electronic Payment In Europe, user acceptance and satisfaction with a multi-use smart card payment system for transit, shops, libraries, and other services was high: 71-87%.
Traveler Information 90% of survey respondents found Virginia's 511 system useful, over half indicated they had change routes based on information received at least once.
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety 70% of truck drivers and 85% of car drivers surveyed in California felt curve speed warning systems were useful. 
Operations & Maintenance Most people surveyed about the Minnesota Guidestar program said Smart Work Zone warning signs were accurate and useful. 
Road Weather Management A survey found that 94% of users felt a Washington State road weather information website made them better prepared for their trips.
Commercial Vehicle Operations A survey of truck and motorcoach drivers found that they held favorable opinions of electronic clearance programs.
Intermodal Freight Carriers surveyed indicated they were very satisfied with the ability of electronic supply chain manifest systems to duplicate paper-based systems.
Intelligent Vehicles Participants overwhelmingly ranked intelligent cruise control over manual or conventional cruise control for convenience, comfort, and enjoyment.
Cost Savings Arterial Management

Transit signal priority on a Toronto transit line allowed same level-of-service with less rolling stock.

Freeway Management Variable speed limits with lane controls on the German Autobahn reduced injury accidents 20-29% saving approximately $4 million/year. 
Transit Management In Spain, remote maintenance monitoring and dynamic scheduling allowed a bus system to reduce the time to detect and correct vehicle faults 20-30%.
Incident Management Studies of freeway service patrols in 3 U.S. cities resulted in delay savings equating to $1.2 to $1.8 million in annual benefits.
Emergency Management In New Mexico, a private ambulance company used CAD/AVL to guide ambulances to exact locations. The company increased efficiency 10-15%. 
Electronic Payment The Ventura, CA, electronic transit fare payment saved an est. $9.5 million/yr. in fare evasion, $5M in reduced data collection and $1M in transfer slip costs.
Traveler Information In the DC area, models showed pre-trip departure notification can reduce early/late arrivals and save 40% of users $60 or more each year in lost time.
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety  
Operations & Maintenance In MT, WIM scales installed in travel lanes on major truck routes can improve pavement fatigue estimates and save $4.1 M/year in construction costs.
Road Weather Management In Minnesota, closing part of a freeway allowed it to be cleared of snow 4 hrs more quickly, at 18% lower cost, than a nearby highway that remained open.
Commercial Vehicle Operations Most truck drivers and inspectors surveyed during the CVISN model deployment felt that electronic screening saved them time.
Intermodal Freight Field tests showed that time spent on manifesting and processing load transfers decreased by 57-100% using an electronic supply chain manifest system.
Intelligent Vehicles A trucking company's operating costs declined 10% after they installed GPS/AVL systems to eliminate miscommunication between drivers and dispatch.
Environmental Arterial Management

Model estimates showed advanced traffic signal control systems can reduce fuel consumption 0-13%.*

Freeway Management In Denver, CO, dynamic message signs (DMSs) that displayed real-time vehicle emission levels motivated most motorists surveyed to consider repairs. 
Transit Management  
Incident Management The freeway and incident management program in San Antonio, Texas saves an estimated 2,600 gallons of fuel per major incident.
Emergency Management  
Electronic Payment A model of air quality at a toll station in FL showed ETC decreased CO by 7.3%, hydrocarbons by 7.2% and increased NOx by 34%.*
Traveler Information Models of vehicle emissions in Boston showed users of Smart Traveler generated 1.5% less NOx, and 25% less VOCs. 
Information Management  
Crash Prevention & Safety An automated horn warning system in Ames, Iowa, reduced noise impact areas 97% in areas adjacent to a highway rail intersection. 
Operations & Maintenance  
Road Weather Management  
Commercial Vehicle Operations  
Intermodal Freight  
Intelligent Vehicles Field data shows introducing an ICC vehicle into traffic with manually controlled cars can smooth traffic flow and reduce fuel consumption 0.4-3.6%.
Source:   http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov   *Database also includes negative impacts of ITS.   Date: 9/2/2005


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