Chapter 31: Intelligent Transport Systems

Transport technology is undergoing enormous and rapid change. The transport systems so familiar to us today will be unrecognizable within the next decade or two. New technologies, collectively known as “intelligent transport systems” (ITS) or the variants “intelligent transportation systems” or “advanced transport telematics,” are radically altering the ways in which transport systems perform. They will also fundamentally change the ways in which we provide transport infrastructure and services and the ways in which people use that infrastructure and those services.

What are ITS? There are many definitions. Some of these are shown in Table 1. They all have similar threads concerning the use of new technologies for the improvement of transport systems and the realization of economic and social benefits. Some of the definitions stress these impacts, whilst others are more concerned with identifying the relevant technologies.