TABLE OF CONTENTS Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), also known as Transport Telematics, are concerned with the application of electronic information and control in improving transport. We can already see some new systems implemented and can expect the pace of implementation to quicken. With a crystal ball, we can foresee how a typical journey to work may look in 10 years time.
Before leaving home, you check your travel arrangements over the Internet. Often you choose to travel by public transport and you can identify travel times and any interruptions affecting the service. On this occasion, you choose to travel by car as you have an appointment later in the day at one of those old-fashioned business parks that are inaccessible by public transport. There are no incidents recorded on your normal route to work so you do not bother to use your computer route model to select an optimum route for you.
Once in your car, you head for the motorway and select the cruise control, lane support and collision avoidance system allowing you to concentrate on your favourite radio service. Suddenly, this is interrupted by the radio traffic-message channel service giving you information about an incident on your route. You are not surprised when, at the next junction, the roadside variable message sign (VMS) confirms this. Motorway messages really are believable now!
You feel pleased with yourself that you have pre-coded your in-car navigation system with the co-ordinates of your final destination and soon you are obtaining instructions on your...
