Author: Michael R. Martin
Publisher:
Published: 1996
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
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The Automated Highway System (AHS) program component of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is a broad national effort to provide the basis for, and transition to, the next major performance upgrade of the U.S. vehicle/highway system, through the use of automated vehicle control technology. As part of the Analysis Phase, the Precursor System Analysis (PSA) was performed to identify issues and risks associated with AHS. This contract overview report addressed part of Activity "F" for Commercial and Transit Aspects and Activity Area "O": for Institutional and Societal Issues. In Activity Area "F", many areas were researched including: European mechanical/electronic guided bus state of the art technology summarization, motor carrier market segmentation by specific AHS Cluster Map descriptions, Dual Mode Transit prototypical applications for AHS, and right of way needs for Motor Carrier/Transit vehicles at stations/mainline locations. There is a correlation between the extent of standardization on the one hand and complexity of the ASH on the other. The more the characteristics of vehicles are subjected to rules and standardized, the less the expenditure for integrating an ASH into vehicles and guiding them automatically. The recommended concept is to allow ASH Transit to be developed on a parallel path, while at the same time, ensuring that its technology development program be subset of the larger ASH research effort. In Activity Area "O", Institutional and Societal Issues of ASH, many areas were researched including: previous research, focus group research/conduction/analysis, and institutional issues. The early tasks involved the review of literature and presentations on institutional concerns as they relate to ASH. Later tasks developed focus groups that raised concerns and allowed for "trial ballooning" of potential solutions of such concerns. ASH will have significant effects upon interstate commerce. Institutional issues relating to commercial operators and those that enforce safety and economic regulations on the operators will be chief among those with critical potential problems stemming from deployment of AHS. How those costs are allocated between industry and the different levels of government, and the effect of the costs on user fee and tax programs are key institutional issues.
