MAINTAINING MOBILITY ELECTRONICALLY IN NEW YORK

The article describes the New York State Department of Transportation's implementation of two electronic systems that monitor and/or expedite traffic flow but do not depend on receivers in each vehicle, although one of the systems can transmit information to individual receivers. The systems are Time-Basesd Coordination (TBC) of traffic signals and the Visual Traffic Information Project (VTIP), a televised traffic congestion mapping system drawing data each minute from sensors in the pavement of 2 major Long Island highways. TBC coordinates geographically linked traffic signals with uniquely programmed software. NYSDOT has installed the Information for Motorists, or INFORM, system on the Long Island Expressway and Northern State Parkway. VTIP takes the system further, allowing the information gathered by INFORM to be depicted on TV and computer screens.