July 7, 2008
US DOT/Caltrans Partner to Give Drivers Access to Instant Travel Information & Safety Technologies
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have entered into a $12.4 million partnership to bring cutting edge real-time traffic, transit and road safety information to commuters in the San Fransico Bay Area. The award to Caltrans is part of DOT's new SafeTrip-21 initiative, which will test various Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology applications designed to reduce gridlock and traffic-related fatalities and injuries on America’s roadways, and improve public transportation services. The SafeTrip-21 partnership will field test GPS-equipped cellular phones from up to 10,000 volunteer commuters and transit vehicles transmitting data from roads in a 200-mile radius to traffic management centers. The additional traffic information gathered by these "probes" will help all Bay Area commuters make intelligent travel choices and avoid congestion while driving to work or using local transit systems. SafeTrip-21 is working to develop a consumer friendly platform that brings together existing technologies including trip planning and traveler information; safety advisories; on-board displays of commuter rail and transit bus connections; electronic toll collection, and parking reservation and payment services. The partnership also will establish a national "test bed" to advance the development of a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration system, which uses WiFi and Dedicated Short Range Communications to alert drivers to unsafe conditions so they can avoid crashes before they happen. Multiple consumer electronic devices will be used including personal navigation devices, mobile phones and a diverse set of communication technologies. In addition, an in-vehicle “cradle” will provide a wireless interface to the Internet for virtually any mobile electronic device. Other SafeTrip-21 partners include the University of California–Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH), California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT), Nokia, NAVTEQ, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Nissan.
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