Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative San Antonio Evaluation Report

This report presents the evaluation results of the San Antonio, Texas Metropolitan Model Deployment Initiative (MMDI). The MMDI was sponsored by the US Department of Transportation and focused on aggressive deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) at four sites, including San Antonio, Seattle, the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metro area, and Phoenix. The general focus of the deployments was on the integration of existing ITS and the deployment of innovative traveler information projects. The San Antonio MMDI sought to make improvements in six key transportation goals. The first of these goals was the expansion and strengthening of the institutional framework necessary for successful ITS deployment and integration. The second goal was to improve traffic management through the expansion of the existing TransGuide freeway management system and the integration of a portion of that expanded system with a newly deployed arterial management system. The third goal of the San Antonio MMDI was to offer improved traveler information through enhancements to the existing TransGuide Web site and the deployment of 500 public agency in vehicle navigation units and 40 information kiosks. The fourth goal involved the deployment of train-sensing capabilities to provide integrated highway rail / traveler information system. The fifth goal focused on an emergency tele-medicine system linking ambulances in the field with receiving hospitals to provide superior emergency services. The final goal was to offer an integrated, area-wide database of real-time traffic conditions. This database is intended to fuse information from multiple sources in order to provide travel speeds for freeways and major arterials. The AVI tag component, which uses probe technology, was technically sound, but failed to attain significant market penetration to provide arterial travel times. This report focuses on the impact of these improvements in terms of system efficiency, safety, fuel consumption, customer satisfaction, cost effectiveness, and institutional impacts. Based on these metrics, the report concludes that the integration of ITS can offer substantial benefits, however, these benefits are not guaranteed. In order to maximize the opportunities for success, the report recommends undertaking a strategic approach and preparing to make a long-term commitment to ensure successful ITS deployment and integration.