The IT Project That Ate America
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Intelligent Transportation System

"Super (Information) Highways"

A brief overview of the elements of an Intelligent Highway System was provided in the IVHS Strategic Plan.  More detail on each element can be found in the document. 

"The Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) is a large umbrella program that consists of a number of different user services in the categories of travel and traffic management, public transportation management, electronic payment, commercial vehicle operations, emergency management, and advanced vehicle safety systems. These services are related in that they all involve collecting, transmitting, processing, distributing, and displaying information. Moreover, the same information may be common to different user services and system components may be designed to accommodate requirements for multiple services.

The complexity and enormity of IVHS, its numerous and byzantine interconnections, and its far-reaching applications and implications all demand that it be put together from the start in a well-thought-out manner. This up-front planning will ensure that the deployment of IVHS user services will occur within the most sensible system framework. It will also ensure that a nationally compatible system emerges, instead of having local or regional pockets of IVHS that will not accommodate intercity travel or cross-country goods movement. For all of these reasons, IVHS needs a system architecture. In addition, Section 6053 (b) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement standards and protocols that "... shall promote compatibility among intelligent vehicle-highway systems technologies implemented throughout the States."¹

Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS)

Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)

Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS)

Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO)

Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS)

"All five functional areas apply to transportation in rural areas as well as in urban areas."

Border systems, freight inspection, datalinks, traffic management command and control centers, and data collection hubs all fall under several of the above categories and are integral to IVHS concept.  

IVHS Strategic Plan Graphic⁴

"IVHS is a paradigm shift -
the transportation/
information infrastructure. "

The NHS designated on November 28, 1995, included connections to 143 intermodal passenger and freight terminals. Based on the proposals submitted by the States in cooperation with their public and private sector partners, the FHWA has identified appropriate connections for. an additional 1,251 major terminals. (Some terminals do not require connections because they are adjacent to or in close proximity to NHS routes.) ⁵
 These terminals include:

• 194 major port facilities,
• 167 major airports,
• 68 major Amtrak stations,
• 198 major rail/truck terminals,
• 96 major intercity bus terminals,
• 66 major pipeline terminals,
• 377 major public transit terminals,
• 43 major ferry terminals, and
• 42 major multi-modal passenger terminals.

The additional connections total approximately 3,208 kilometers (1,925 miles).

Applications of Intelligent Transportation Systems ⁶    

"In 1991, the Congress authorized a program exploring the use of advanced computer, communications, and sensor technologies to improve travel on highways and mass transit. Originally established under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) as the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems program, the effort has come to be known as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to reflect a broader set of concerns. The Department of Transportation manages the program." ⁷

The ITS Program

o Travel and transportation management is aimed at keeping highway traffic flowing smoothly. It uses such measures as removing accidents and broken-down vehicles from roadways, controlling traffic signals, and providing information enroute to travelers about roads and services.

o Travel demand management aims to reduce travel by single-occupancy vehicles. It provides pretrip information about traffic conditions and the availability of transit services and ridesharing opportunities.

o Public transportation operations would provide enroute information to transit users, enable transit officials to keep track of the locations of their vehicles and monitor ridership demands, and enhance the safety of transit operations.

o Electronic payment would facilitate travel by allowing travelers to pay for parking, transit fares, and tolls through "smart cards."

o Commercial vehicle operations would facilitate interstate trucking by substituting electronic clearance for paperwork that is now required to comply with state requirements, weighing trucks at highway speeds instead of requiring them to stop at weigh stations, monitoring operations to enhance safety and improve efficiency, and providing for immediate notification of authorities in case of accidents, especially if hazardous materials are involved.

o Emergency management would enable quick notification of authorities and prompt response in emergencies.

o Advanced vehicle control and safety systems would employ such devices as collision avoidance warnings, automatic braking controls, and automated highway systems on which vehicles could move without being actively operated by a driver.

In addition to those applications, the ITS program includes several other efforts:

o Corridor programs, which would integrate various applications of technology within heavily traveled transportation corridors.

o Development of a systems architecture, which provides a blueprint of the way the various pieces of intelligent transportation technologies will fit together over the next five, 10, and 20 years, and beyond.

o Deployment planning and support, which involves resolving various legal and institutional issues as well as integrating new technologies into transportation systems.

 

The following pages will examine each of the above application areas but first, it's most important to understand the legal and logistical constraints of a project such as this one.  

They are working across international, state and local jurisdictional boundaries.  By including arterials leading to transportation hubs and population centers, they were essentially federalizing city and state roads.   They included pipeline terminals and because the concept is for "smart highways", that means communications - fiber optic cabling (utilities), emergency management for quick response means connecting up with First Responders and Hospitals - the list goes on and on. 

It also involves Constitutional issues of privacy and eminent domain - the taking of private property.  And the most absurd thing is that when you consider that a big part of this project is to facilitate international commerce - which is draining our country of production, jobs and wealth; and it is increasing the price of cars substantially because of all the computer and tracking equipment that is required while at the same time, flooding the country with people - driving down wages so that the guy working at Walmart in the $7.00 hour job has to pay $15,000 for a car... AND insult to injury, the plan is to make the roads toll roads so that the poor Walmart Greeter can be billed by the mile for his use of the highway to get to work because the cost of the highways and data centers is so great they need to have on-going income from the roads to pay for it.  

You have to wonder, what were these people smoking?  And we don't even need to ask if they inhaled.   Hurry and get those goods to the market that can no longer afford to buy them!

"As the trend to globalization of the economy accelerates, our domestic industry will compete increasingly with international companies.

Inefficiencies in our domestic transportation system hurt U.S. industry in this competition. The importance of congestion will likewise increase as trends toward Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory systems increase. Speed and reliability of freight movement will become increasingly important as the production of high value commodities grows." ⁷

 

At the same time the planning for this "wonderful" New Economy was being planned around globalization and redesign of the American way of life to adhere to the 'new paradigm' of the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems, the education system was being redesigned as well.  The following diagram was obtained from the National Center for Education and the Economy (NCEE) report: "Tough Choices or Tough Times".  The NCEE is the organization that seems to do the central planning for the education system relative to the economy. 

The truth of economic planning associated with the central planning for transportation systems, can be found in the detail design of the education-workforce development system. The redesign of education is a conversion to hands-on vocational training, socialist conditioning for global citizenship in preparation for the breakup of the United States and the barest minimum of academic schooling to produce functionally literate workers.  Sound far-fetched?  Take a look at the (SEMCOG) Southeast Michigan Council of Governments'  Workforce Development Report that was published in July 2007.

Before doing that however, it should be known that SEMCOG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  MPO's are required by the federal government for regional transportation planning.

"SEMCOG supports local planning through its technical, data, and intergovernmental resources. SEMCOG's plans improve the quality of the region's water, make the transportation system safe and more efficient, revitalize communities, and spur economic development.

As the region's designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, SEMCOG is responsible for regional transportation planning."

Preparing Michigan's Workforce for the New Economy:  (pdf)
Recommendations of SEMCOG's Task Force on Workforce Development for the Changing Economy⁸ 

SEMCOG has responsibility for adopting regionwide plans and policies for community and economic development, water and air quality, land use, and transportation, including approval of state and federal transportation projects. Funding for SEMCOG is provided by federal and state grants, contracts, and membership fees.

SEMCOG's Task Force on Workforce Development in the Changing Economy and its Education Advisory Council are working to help Southeast Michigan communities adjust to the new economic reality caused by changes in the region's economy. The recommendations in this report provide practical ideas and assistance to help address the consequences of the economic change and move the region forward in developing a knowledge-based economy.

Preparation of this document may be financed in part through grants from and in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Transportation with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration; the Michigan Department of Natural Resources with the assistance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning; and local membership contributions.

Human Capital        (I think this was a typo... it should have been "cattle" :)

Human capital is the development of an educated and skilled workforce that will enable the region to compete with other regions and states for business investment. It requires collaboration between education, government, business, and community/nonprofits to raise educational standards, and awareness of the impact of education on quality of life and economic success. In addition, human capital development depends on ensuring that education is affordable; aligning curriculum skills with future workforce needs; and coordinating training programs so that students can build on previous educational experiences. The recommendations are:

1. Ensure coordination of all levels of education so that students can build upon previous educational experiences and prepare for lifelong learning,
2. Make education and training more affordable,
3. Align current curriculum skills with future workforce needs, and
4. Insist that early childhood education remains a priority.

Another undeniable connection was made when John Engler, CEO of NAM participated in the presentation of the NCEE report, "Tough Choices" and then referenced that report when he was presenting the National Association of Manufacturers' Agenda for 2007.  Engler is involved in both organizations.  The report and the NAM conference were described on this webpage titled "Regionalism and Education".

At this point, if the word "communism" isn't upper most in your mind, then you should review the material above from the standpoint of central planning of the economy, the linkage of education and "workplace skills" to transform the schools into a supply chain management system for work.  And it's also the time to start linking up the violent school incidents - (i.e. Columbine, Virginia Tech, police initiated terrorist "drills" at the schools).   Resistance to the agenda has a price - not for the reason of political philosophy  - but for the reason of how much money is being made by a few for implementing the police state, command and control mechanisms necessary for the communist system.   It should be obvious by now that communism is a confidence game run by a criminal government and the thugs they hire both on and off the books to restrain people while their property is being stolen and they are being abused.      

Technology - Defense Contractors and Surveillance             Click HERE to Continue

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1) U.S. DOT, Federal Highway Administration, IVHS Architechure Program: A Systematic Approach to Progress, http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/summer94/p94su8.htm 
2) Strategic Plan for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems in the United States, IVHS America, Report No: IVHS-AMER-92-3, May 20, 1992, Page I-10-11 (pdf p.17-18)  http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_PR/1823.pdf
3) Strategic Plan for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems in the United States, IVHS America, Report No: IVHS-AMER-92-3, May 20, 1992, Page II-1 (pdf p.28)  http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_PR/1823.pdf
4) Strategic Plan for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems in the United States, IVHS America, Report No: IVHS-AMER-92-3, May 20, 1992, Page II-5 (pdf p.32)  http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_PR/1823.pdf
5)  DOT-FHWA Report to Congress, "Pulling It Together: The National Highway System and Its Connections to Major Intermodal Terminals", May 24, 1996  http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nhs_connectors/nhs_its_con.htm
6)  Congressional Budget Office, High-Tech Highways: Intelligent Transportation Systems and Policy, Chapter 3, October 1995, http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=16&type=0&sequence=4  (html)   http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/0xx/doc16/Highways.pdf  (pdf)
7) Strategic Plan for Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems in the United States, IVHS America, Report No: IVHS-AMER-92-3, May 20, 1992, Page II-10 (pdf p.37)  http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_PR/1823.pdf
8) Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), "Preparing Michigan's Workforce for the New Economy: Recommendations of SEMCOG's Task Force on Workforce Development for the Changing Economy", July 2007 http://library.semcog.org/InmagicGenie/DocumentFolder/WorkforceDevelopmentReport.pdf