SIMPLE SOLUTIONS TO RURAL TRANSPORTATION NEEDS: SUCCESS STORIES OF RURAL ITS IMPLEMENTATION

A recently completed study--the Simple Solutions project--documented low-cost and effective technological solutions to rural transportation problems. The project comprised two key phases. During Phase A, simple solutions were identified and categorized in accordance with the critical program areas, or clusters, developed within the U.S. Department of Transportation's Advanced Rural Transportation Systems Program: traveler safety and security, emergency services, tourism and travel information services, public traveler services/public mobility services, infrastructure operations and maintenance, fleet operations and maintenance, and commercial vehicle operations. During Phase B, a subset of the list of possible solutions was selected for further investigation. Many innovative transportation solutions were identified in the course of the project. Of 56 applications documented during Phase A, 14 were selected for further investigation and as the basis for future technology transfer activities. An overview of three of these technology applications is provided: the Colorado system that provides weather information by fax; an Oregon system that enables beacons at crossings to be activated remotely, using regular pager services and low-cost receivers on the road signs; and a location system used in Blue Earth Country, Minnesota, that involves assigning every residence to a coordinate mapping system, enabling easy navigation to specific sites.