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| System Operations |
Rural Issues
 | Rural Issues Points-of-Contact |
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 | Rural ITS Section of the FHWA Office of Operations Website |
| This website is a compilation of resources related to the use of ITS technologies in rural and statewide transportation. The website contains announcements of upcoming events, resource documents, presentations, and related links. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/int_its_deployment/rural/rural.htm. | |
 | Traveler Information and Tourism: Assessment of Traveler Information and 511 Impacts upon Tourist Destinations and National Parks (2004) |
| This report documents the findings of a study that examined the impact of traveler information on four tourist areas: Acadia National Park in Maine; Branson, Missouri; the I-81 Corridor in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The report examines the impacts of traveler information at each of the four sites in depth, and then concludes with cross-cutting findings and recommendations on how to improve traveler information operations in tourist areas. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the following website addresses:
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| Best Practices of Rural and Statewide ITS Strategic Planning (FHWA-OP-02-037) (2002) |
| This report documents best practices in rural and statewide ITS planning and presents an overview of the "typical" ITS strategic planning process. This report contains 30 examples of ITS rural and statewide strategic planning (12 in-depth case studies and 18 interview summaries). In addition, this report documents the benefits of rural and statewide ITS strategic planning, in order to encourage future planning efforts in other locations. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13608.pdf, EDL# 13608. | |
| Safety Applications of ITS in Rural Areas (FHWA-OP-02-038) (2002) |
| This report examines current, past, and planned infrastructure-based technology applications aimed at reducing the frequency and/or severity of crashes in rural areas. The report focuses on variable speed limit (VSL) systems and safety warning systems (SWSs), although a range of technology applications is addressed in the report. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13609.html, EDL# 13609. To order a hardcopy, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487 or itspubs@dot.gov. | |
| Small Communities Benefits: Innovative Traffic Management Practices in Small Communities (FHWA-OP-02-033) (2002) |
| This document profiles five small communities that have been adept at finding traffic management solutions that address their needs and at the same time match their financial and human resources. The five communities encompass a range of population sizes, traffic management solution types, and geographic locations. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13612.html, EDL# 13612. To order a hardcopy, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487 or itspubs@dot.gov. | |
| Rural ITS Solutions: Rural ITS Toolbox (FHWA-OP-01-030) (2001) |
| This report profiles over 50 successful rural and statewide ITS applications from across the U.S. For each application, the report provides a description, transportation needs addressed by the application, expected benefits, lessons learned from previous deployments, opportunities for integration with other ITS systems, and institutional and implementation issues that may be encountered when attempting to deploy the system. Each profile also includes a real-world example of this type of application in action. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/13477.html, EDL# 13477. | |
| Serving Rural America (FHWA-EP-01-033) (2001) |
| This guide provides information about the U.S. Department of Transportation's grant programs that are of direct interest to rural areas and small communities. Published by the FHWA Office of Planning and Environment, the guide also includes a brief discussion of programs that address transportation problems that both rural and urban areas typically face. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: To order a hardcopy, contact Elizabeth Fischer, FHWA Office of Planning, (202) 366-0349, Elizabeth.Fischer@dot.gov. For the online version, access the following website addresses:
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| National Parks: Transportation Alternatives and Advanced Technology for the 21st Century (1999) |
| This report documents the findings of the workshop on National Parks: Transportation Alternatives and Advanced Technology for the 21st Century that was held June 3-5, 1999, in Big Sky, Montana. The number of visitors to National Parks in the U.S. is expected to increase fivefold in the next 40 years. Meanwhile, the National Park Service (NPS) is expected to provide increased services with fewer resources and simultaneously protect the parks' environment for future generations. Workshop participants explored how the use of advanced transportation technologies can help the NPS meet these formidable challenges. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/proceedn/11803.pdf, EDL# 11803. | |
| Rural ITS User Needs (1999) |
| This document articulates a comprehensive list of rural ITS user needs that can be used to identify rural travel requirements to guide rural ITS deployments. The needs identified in this document serve as the basis for definition of a rural ITS infrastructure, update of the Rural ITS Program Plan, and maintenance of the National ITS Architecture. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/10063.pdf, EDL# 10063. | |
| Technology in Rural Transportation: "Simple Solutions" (FHWA-RD-97-108) (1997) |
| This report profiles more than 50 proven, cost-effective, "low-tech" solutions to problems in rural transportation. For each solution, the report provides a description of the "low-tech" approach, the goals of the system and whether or not these goals have been achieved, current status and projected schedule for the future, location or geographic scope, agencies involved, project costs (if available), and contact information. Cost: Free To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/jpodocs/redirect/repts_te/3144.pdf, EDL# 3144. To order a hardcopy, contact the Operations/ITS HelpLine, (866) 367-7487 or itspubs@dot.gov. | |
 | Rural ITS Toolbox (NHI Course# 137007) |
| This course describes many ITS-related practices and techniques that have been applied successfully to rural transportation problems, which are described in the Rural ITS Toolbox document. The training course goes into further detail by including problem solving techniques and training for the course participant to describe ITS technologies to their stakeholders. This course will help participants identify cost-effective ITS technologies that can address rural transportation problems. Skill Level: Core learning. Target Audience: County, municipal, and town executives; traffic engineers; state, Federal, and local transportation planners and operations personnel; motor carrier managers; environmental groups; information technology (IT) personnel; academia; consultants; and contractors. Course Length: Eight hours. Cost: $200 per participant To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/brows_catalog.aspx and search for course number "137007." | |
| Integrated Transportation Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Communities (NHI Course# 137043) |
| This course introduces the use of Advanced Transportation Management Systems (ATMS) and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) when deployed in small and medium-sized communities. This course provides participants with the basic knowledge and resources needed to begin the process of planning for ATMS and ATIS in small and medium sized communities. Target Audience: Transportation professionals involved in the planning, design, implementation, and operation of ITS in small and medium sized communities. Course Length: One day. Cost: $200 per participant To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/brows_catalog.aspx and search for course number "137043." | |
| Rural ITS |
| The purpose of this course is to provide transit, and health and human service agencies with an overview of ITS as well as the costs and benefits of applying ITS to transit operations. This course emphasizes the use of technologies to improve operations, customer service, maintenance and management for agencies with small fleets, agencies that operate over wide geographic areas and agencies that have challenges in coordinating their services with other transportation providers. Providing transit agencies with this information is crucial as agencies search for cost-effective and innovative ways to provide better service and administer services more efficiently. Agencies armed with this knowledge can successfully determine whether the deployment of new technologies is needed and can then pursue the procurement and deployment. Target Audience: Agency managers, lead maintenance staff, customer service staff and others interested in learning about useful technologies. Course Length: One day. Cost: Free for Federal, state, and local government employees; $150 for contractors and consultants. To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ntionline.com/CourseInfo.asp?CourseNumber=ID035 or contact Myrna Sirleaf, National Transit Institute, (723) 932-1700 x228, MSirleaf@nti.rutgers.edu. | |
| Flexible Community Transit Services: Planning, Design, and Technology |
| Transit operators increasingly need to serve markets for which conventional bus and rail modes can be too expensive, inefficient, or inflexible. Many operators are finding that flexible services such as route deviation have an important role to play in serving low-density areas, dispersed trip patterns, and travel by seniors and people with disabilities. This course presents the wide variety of innovative services now in use at transit systems in North America and Europe and examines and how ITS technologies can help implement flexible services. Other topics covered in the course include current efforts in Europe to use technology to create better flexible transit services, coordination of conventional transit service and paratransit to reduce the cost of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the benefits of technology as applied to flexible services, and the use of market research and performance data to determine where flexible services are appropriate. The course will also explore implementation issues, such as contracting, community relations, and technology procurement. Target Audience: Transit and paratransit managers, service planners, transportation planners from metropolitan planning organizations, social service agencies, and others concerned with effective and efficient service delivery. Course Length: Two days. Cost: Free for Federal, state, and local government employees; $300 for contractors and consultants. To Access This Resource: Access the website address http://www.ntionline.com/CourseInfo.asp?CourseNumber=ID008 or contact Myrna Sirleaf, National Transit Institute, (723) 932-1700 x228, MSirleaf@nti.rutgers.edu. | |