Georgia Communities of All Sizes Benefit From Intelligent Transportation System Solutions

ATLANTA--April 4, 2005--Residents of Georgia communities of all sizes can benefit from Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), according to a broad cross-section of local officials who attended a series of state-wide workshops sponsored by the Georgia Department of Transportation.


“ITS is not just for large cities that have highly publicized rush hours,” Susan Walker of Iteris told a meeting of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia. “Communities that do not routinely experience heavy traffic congestion can benefit greatly from the efficiencies provided by ITS - from more timely emergency response to helping the traveling public avoid delays caused by traffic accidents and routine roadway construction work.”

Ms. Walker reported on the Georgia Regional ITS Architecture workshops conducted throughout the state in which local stakeholders described their current ITS-related activities, identified operational shortfalls, and prioritized future ITS projects. The workshops were attended by almost 100 individuals from a variety of organizations including public safety, public works, and transportation agencies.

ITS services ranked most highly by the participants included:

-- Traffic incident management

-- Roadway maintenance and construction activity coordination

-- Work zone safety monitoring

-- Emergency routing

-- Disaster response and recovery

-- Hazardous materials spill management

Several ITS systems are in operation or construction by local agencies in the state outside of metropolitan Atlanta including traffic control centers in Augusta, Dalton, and Valdosta. Mrs. Walker pointed out that many ITS agencies throughout the state are coordinating and cooperating on a regular basis which forms a solid basis for ITS.

ITS Georgia holds monthly meetings or workshops nine times a year at which the latest in ITS technology and future trends are presented. Dates for remaining meetings in 2005 are: April 28, May 26, June 30, July 28, September 29, and October 27. The ITS Georgia Annual Meeting will be held August 28 - 30, 2005 in Savannah at the Riverfront Marriott.

About ITS Georgia

ITS Georgia is a group of organizations that support ITS technology as a way to significantly reduce congestion and improve the performance, safety and efficiency of our transportation system. ITS Georgia provides a forum for advocacy, facilitation, integration, and for learning more about Intelligent Transportation Systems.

ITS Georgia members include federal, state and local transportation agencies, ITS technology and service providers, large private and commercial transportation system users, universities, and other interested parties with missions that involve, or are affected by, the transportation system. ITS Georgia is the state Chapter of ITS America. ITS America is the organization that provides technical advice and assistance to the U.S. Department of Transportation. For more information, visit www.itsga.org.

Contact Information

Bill Wells

Media Contact

ITS Georgia

Contact via E-mail