01099798

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2041-08

http://scholar.google.com...lyer&publication_year=2008

The rapid advance of technology has presented authorities with many new tools that they can use to monitor and control roadways for their safe, efficient, and convenient use by motorists, working toward an intelligent transportation system that adapts to dynamic situations that best serve motorists. Recent natural and human-caused disasters have demonstrated that there are significant challenges yet to be overcome by the advancing technology of transportation systems. A significant problem is a lack of clear, efficient communication during emergencies. The public requires timely information and guidance during and after a catastrophic event. This research investigated the feasibility of enhancing transportation system preparedness by creating messages to aid motorists during natural or human-caused disasters by supplementing the existing message display libraries for variable message signs (VMSs) and dynamic message signs (DMSs). This investigation considered the current transportation emergency communication environment and attempts to enhance communication and preparedness by improving the design and display of messages on VMSs and DMSs. The study examined 465 Rhode Island drivers by using a computer survey and 157 Rhode Island drivers by using driving simulation to research important factors in the design and deployment of message displays. The results indicated that the supplementation of communication through the use of VMSs and DMSs is a viable alternative and that there are design factors that can be used to help develop new and improve existing messages through further testing and implementation.

01106141

English

pp 68-79

2008

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309113083

Print

References (25) ; Tables (8)

Automobile drivers; Communication; Disaster preparedness; Disasters and emergency operations; Emergency management; Highway safety; Intelligent transportation systems; Messages (Communications); Simulation; Variable message signs

Rhode Island

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 29 2008 4:46PM

• Assessment of I-4 Contraflow Plans: Microscopic Versus Mesoscopic Simulation
• Corridor-Based Emergency Evacuation System for Washington, D.C.: System Development and Case Study
• Empirical Characterization of Mass Evacuation Traffic Flow
• Integrated Urban Evacuation Planning Framework for Responding to Human-Caused Disasters over a Surface Transportation Network
• Intergovernmental Cooperation in Benchmarking a Local Government Continuity-of-Operations Exercise
• Investing for Reliability and Security in Transportation Networks
• Simulation-Based Framework for Transportation Network Management in Emergencies
• Transportation Network Risk Profile for an Origin–Destination Pair: Security Measures, Terrorism, and Target and Attack Method Substitution
• Understanding the Impact of a Recent Hurricane on Mobilization Time During a Subsequent Hurricane