University of California Transportation Center

Intelligent transportation technologies (ITT’s) are being promoted as a means of reducing congestion delay, improving transportation safety, and also as a means of making vehicle travel "...more energy efficient and environmentally benign (USDOT, 1990)." In theory, IVHS technologies will increase the efficiency and capacity of the existing highway and roadway systems to reduce congestion (Saxton and Bridges, 1991; Conroy, 1990; Shladover, 1991; Shladover, 1989). We are not confident, however, that vehicular emissions will be reduced by the full range of proposed ITT’s.