Genesee Transportation Council

Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems

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Photo Credit: FHWA

● Introduction

● How is ITS Different in Rural Areas

● Special Considerations in Implementing Rural ITS

● Possible Funding Sources for ITS Projects

● Examples of Rural ITS Technologies

● Additional Resources

Introduction

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are information and communications technologies that are used to better manage and improve the performance of transportation facilities, services, and the system as a whole. Rural ITS involves the application of unconventional, technologically-advanced solutions to improve transportation safety and performance in rural areas. Used here, the term rural includes small urban areas with populations under 50,000.

The reasons for the specific attention now being given to the implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in rural areas include:

Approximately 60% of the nation’s fatal vehicle crashes occur on rural roads¹, yet only 40% of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are on these roads.

The average emergency response time in rural areas is 58 minutes, approximately double the time in urban areas².

The following figure further illustrates the need for rural ITS regarding safety:

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation (Graphics by GTC)

Improving safety is the main reason for considering the use of rural ITS. However, the implementation of rural ITS will also impact other areas such as:

Operations

Mobility
Tourism
Trade
Productivity
Interconnectedness

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How is ITS Different in Rural Areas?

Rural ITS is distinct from ITS in urban areas because rural roads offer a unique set of characteristics which impact traveler safety and road operations, as well as other considerations. Some of these include:

Animal/vehicle collisions

Greater distances of roadway to monitor for infrastructure and transportation operations

Relative isolation

Higher incidence of single-vehicle, run-off-the-road accidents

Generally longer trip lengths

Drivers that are often unfamiliar with their surroundings

Longer emergency response times

Lack of alternate routes

These unique features can individually or jointly have an adverse effect on traveler safety and operational efficiency in rural areas.

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Special Considerations for Implementing Rural ITS

As with an urban ITS application, it is important to account for the overall transportation plan for a region. Rural ITS projects must conform to national ITS standards and the standards required by U.S. DOT in order to receive federal funding.

Rural communities often have limited financial and human resources for transportation planning and implementation. This may hinder regional data collection and information sharing. These factors may affect the scale and cost of the application to be used. A number of small communities could pool together in a partnership to share limited resources. For instance, communities could jointly acquire programs that would otherwise be too costly for one community to purchase and operate.

The following considerations should also be taken into account²:

Because of the limited resources available to rural transportation agencies, preferred ITS applications will require little maintenance. Additionally, automated or semi-automated applications would minimize agency labor requirements.
The changing economies of rural communities from agricultural and natural resource-based industries to service and tourism-based economies require that rural ITS applications be consistent with tourism planning.
Rural transportation agencies may seek to partner with private sector organizations in exchange for access to right-of-way or a money-making opportunity.

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Possible Funding Sources for ITS Projects

According to NYSDOT, ITS activities may receive federal funding through the specific ITS Act in TEA-21 (Title 5, Subtitle C - Intelligent Transportation Systems). ITS is also eligible for most forms of regular federal-aid highway and transit funds (e.g., National Highway System, Surface Transportation Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, etc). Other sources of federal transportation funds that may be available include a variety of grant programs authorized under TEA-21, or funding appropriated for Congressionally-designated projects.

Other than federal funds, projects may use state transportation funds or attempt to establish public-private partnerships (i.e., a partnership between a transportation agency and trucking companies, seeking to attract financial or other support from the private sector).