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New concepts

Rapid and continuous advances in communications and computer technology are spurring a host of new concepts in road traffic control. Automobiles equipped with on-board computers, driver displays, and communications devices will receive instructions about the optimal path to a destination from a traffic control centre. The vehicle also will periodically report its travel time and speed to be used as part of the information for the computer to give advice. In more advanced systems, the timing of traffic signals at intersections and ramps will be coordinated with the routing advice. Rather than simply accommodating vehicles that travel through the network, the system will cause patterns of travel to be altered. Computers and sensors within the vehicle will monitor the operation of critical safety systems (e.g., brakes, steering), warning the driver when conditions exceed nominal values.

Communications and computers also will aid the movement of trucks and other commercial vehicles in urban areas. A dispatcher will be able to alter the schedule while the driver is on the road. For these companies, this means reduced costs, and for their customers, improved service. Drivers on long-distance intercity trips can be warned of impending bad weather. They also can receive warnings if they are entering a curve too quickly or an intersection too fast. Road safety should be greatly enhanced by such systems.

Public transit users should be able to receive more accurate information concerning travel time and seat availability on buses and trains. If accurate information can be provided in the home or office, the systems can spread peak loads, making service less expensive to provide and the trip more comfortable for the traveler. Those who are informed of congestion or uncomfortable conditions can use another system to find a match for a car pool participant. Alternatively, individuals may "telecommute," staying at home and working with their office electronically.

Lastly, the ultimate system is viewed as an automatic vehicle-control system in which a driver's vehicle is checked at an authorized station, then proceeds on a highway, lane, or local street. The spacing to the vehicle ahead and lateral control within the lane are determined by on-board computers. Maximum flows are expected to increase from 2,000 vehicles per hour per lane to as many as 10,000 to 20,000. The increased flows will mean substantial reductions in congestion and, because vehicles are automatically controlled, improvements in road safety through the elimination of accidents due to driver error.

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