Copyright 2001 eMediaMillWorks, Inc.
(f/k/a Federal
Document Clearing House, Inc.)
Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
September 10, 2001, Monday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1254 words
COMMITTEE:
SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
SUBCOMMITTEE: TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HEADLINE: INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
TESTIMONY-BY: MARTY MANNING, PRESIDENT ELECT
AFFILIATION: AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION
BODY: September 10, 2001
Statement of Marty
Manning President Elect, American Public Works Association Public Works
Subcommittee U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee for the
opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Marty Manning and I am the
President-elect of the American Public Works Association. I am also the Public
Works Director for Clark County, Nevada. My comments will be brief and will
cover the views of the American Public Works Association on this topic as well
as the efforts of the local area partnership in Clark County, Nevada that is
presently working to implement intelligent
transportation
system facilities. The American Public Works Association serves more than 26,000
members concerned with the operation, maintenance, renewal and improvement of
the nation's infrastructure by promoting professional excellence and public
awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge.
APWA has a vital interest in the
reauthorization of the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). In fact, APWA
has a
reauthorization task force currently in place that is
working diligently to develop and promote APWA's priorities for
reauthorization. Additionally, APWA has teamed up with other
local organizations to comprise the Local Officials
Transportation Working Group, which is made up of organizations
representing elected county and city officials as well as development
organizations, technology and city/county managers. APWA also serves as a member
of the steering committee for the Federal Highway Administration's National
Dialogue on Operations.
We hope that you will look to APWA as a valuable
resource for you and your staff members as
reauthorization
proceeds. With so many unmet
transportation-funding needs, APWA
believes that it is imperative to maintain the basic goals of TEA-21 by
protecting the funding firewalls and allowing for as much local funding
flexibility as possible. Further, as our members deal most directly on a daily
basis with the system users, we have a strong understanding of how to best
address
transportation issues within our communities.
Recent studies show that traffic congestion costs the country
$
78 billion in wasted time and wasted fuel annually. In
addition, urban area trips take about one-third longer during rush hours and 27
percent of the nation's urban freeways are now congested. This takes a toll on
the nation's economy.
The deployment of ITS tools in conjunction with
the construction of needed improvements would assure that existing
transportation infrastructure may operate at a higher capacity
and that new improvements would also operate more efficiently and be more
economical to build.
As you know, Clark County is one of the most
rapidly growing areas in the nation. We have come to expect new residents at a
rate of 3000 to 5000 a month. We also expect to welcome the arrival of 35
million visitors this year to the Las Vegas destination resort area. This
continuing growth puts a lot of pressure on the area network of highways, roads
and streets.
In Clark County, Nevada, we are becoming advocates of the
management tool products that ITS offers and the capacity and safety benefits
that they represent. Existing intelligent
transportation
systems are being improved and integrated with new system tools that are now
being installed. The installation of ITS products in the urbanized Las Vegas
Valley has only been possible by the creation of partnerships among federal,
state and local governments as well as our private sector partners.
As
an example, the Las Vegas Area Computer Traffic System provides computerized
control for the traffic signals in all of the jurisdictions in the Las Vegas
Valley. The system, operating under an agreement among the Nevada Department of
Transportation, the Southern Nevada Regional
Transportation Commission, three incorporated cities and the
county, provides substantial travel time improvements throughout a growing
urbanized area with a population of 1.4 million people. It has also provided
real benefits in air quality. While the system was originally installed with a
federal grant and NDOT assistance, the incorporated cities and the county pay
its annual operations and maintenance costs.
The Las Vegas Area Computer
Traffic System was an initial step into ITS technology. Recently, further steps
have been taken. Additional improvements to the system have added new computer
hardware and software, high-speed telecommunications facilities from the traffic
signals to the computer, television observation at critical intersections, and
high tech local traffic signal controllers. In addition, the Nevada Department
of
Transportation is proceeding on additional ITS projects to
create a highway management system that will provide the functions of traffic
control, incident management, en-route and pre-trip traveler information and a
user service for archived data. The highway management system called FAST will
be integrated with the arterial management system under the Las Vegas Area
Computer Traffic System at a common location shared with the Nevada Highway
Patrol Dispatching Center. Each system will operate with a common staff and an
operating agreement among the Nevada Department of
Transportation, the Southern Nevada Regional
Transportation Commission, the three incorporated cities and
the county.
Construction of the initial phase of the FAST highway
management system will begin before year-end and will be completed in two years.
This construction will encompass the installation of ramp meters at select
locations; high-occupancy vehicle bypass ramps at metered locations;
arrangements with the Nevada Highway Patrol for ramp and bypass traffic
enforcement; dynamic message signage at selected locations to provide road
condition and incident information to motorists and the construction of an
arterial and highway management operations center. Upon completion of this
project, the Las Vegas urban area will be well on the way to the creation of an
integrated arterial and highway management system.
As a County public
works director, I can appreciate the value of the ITS management tools and
technologies we have already installed and the potential values that the
additions in new system improvements will provide in our urbanized area.
New technologies and tools that can be deployed to improve
transportation system management already do and can continue to
have positive results at the local government level, but primarily in
communities prepared to enter into cooperative arrangements and partnerships
with state and other local jurisdictions for the express purpose of improving
transportation system management. ITS should have a continuing
role in perfecting
transportation system management
technologies.
In conclusion, we would recommend the continued support of
the ITS Program and recognition of its value in identifying and developing
transportation system management technologies needed to improve
the capacity and efficiency of the nation's highways, roads and streets. In
addition we would recommend that the overall goals of promoting safety,
efficiency and economy; enhancing mobility; providing accessibility to
transportation; improving the productivity of travel;
safeguarding the environment and reducing energy consumption be considered a
solid basis for the development of the ITS Program of the future.
LOAD-DATE: September 12, 2001