Freedom and mobility are inseparable parts of the Western character. We can move because we have cars and the network of roads and highways. Sadly, today this freedom is challenged as never before by the daily frustration of traffic congestion, more accidents and more air pollution.
Our expanding regional economy has heightened our dependence on travel and our demands for movement. Today parts of our urban highway network are habitually places where time and fuel are wasted in traffic jams. If unchecked, this problem will cost the region dearly in lost productivity and accidents.In the past, the traditional solution has been to build more roads. The opportunities for new roads are limited. Their enormous cost, scarcity of land and the realization that new roads become congested soon after opening means that we must look for new approaches.
Our traffic problems are smaller than those of the metropolitan areas of Detroit or San Francisco. But the lessons of how these regions descended into grid-lock provide us with a warning.
There is no single solution to urban traffic congestion, which is a many headed monster. We can improve efficiency with new technology. We can reduce the proportion of single-occupancy vehicles through encouraging car pools, van pools, and public transportation. And, more radically, we can introduce clever computerized in-car toll systems, on an optional basis, to restrain (and reward) drivers from making unnecessary congesting trips.
There are several current initiatives that address the transportation future of the region. Our agencies have commissioned a study for an advanced traffic management system for the region. We look forward to a reconstructed and widened stretch of the metropolitan I-15, and a new light-rail system for Salt Lake City looks imminent.
These major schemes, should they all come to fruition, are important contributions. But they alone are not enough. Experience shows us that when a dynamic region with our demographic structure grows, the demand for transportation facilities jumps inexorably. We have the opportunity, if we act now, to supplement and complement the plans already in progress. The answer resides in "Intelligent Transportation Systems," or ITS.
ITS is bringing the latest computer, electronics and communications technologies to our transportation systems. The $155 billion Inter-modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, signed by President Bush in 1990, seeks to capitalize on the advent of cheaper electronic information technologies to address our transportation problems.
In Los Angeles, a 14-mile stretch of Santa Monica freeway has been re-engineered into the "Smart Corridor." With a set of sophisticated sensors, close-circuit television cameras and a cluster of networked computers, real-time information about traffic conditions is continuously sent to traffic managers.
Right here along the Wasatch Front, the Utah Department of Transportation is implementing an automated weather advisory system, known as "ADVISE." Poor visibility conditions are detected automatically that trigger changeable message signs to warn drivers. This system will replace the old method whereby fog warning signs were manually implemented.
There are many more examples of such low cost intelligent systems: smart traffic signals that adapt to changing traffic patterns; collision warning sensors; automatic vehicle identification; on-board displays; and pay-as-you-drive congestion toll systems. In the large metropolitan areas, there are arrays of highway mounted sensors and satellite global positioning systems helping in traffic management, vehicle tracking, electronic toll collection, automated emergency intervention and trip planning.
It may seem that our problems are so much smaller than those of the bigger cities. The improvements to the I-15 and a new light-rail system will certainly help. A new signal system will certainly smooth traffic flows on our arterial streets. The quality of life in this delightful part of the country, however, is under threat. Some 10 years from now, should the economic growth continue, spurred on by the hosting of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, then traffic congestion may well be epidemic.
Intelligent transportation studies, plans and programs are all happening today across the United States. We have the opportunity to learn from the congested metropolitan regions and to preserve the quality of our environment, but we must act now. We can capitalize on the initiative set by Congress if we embrace the intelligent transportation opportunities today. In the process, we can continue to enjoy the unique beauty of this region, and still be able to move freely from A to B.