WavetronixLINDON, Utah—December 08, 2009—ITS America says federal investment in intelligent transportation systems will create jobs, reduce emissions and save lives, and the organization is making its case to Congress. In a December 2, 2009, letter addressed to leaders in the US House of Representatives, ITSA president and CEO Scott Belcher urged Congress to “invest in the modernization of our nation’s aging infrastructure through [ITS]” and other transportation projects.
Citing a recent GAO study on traffic information, Belcher writes that “an investment of $1.2 billion in a real-time transportation system information program alone would generate $30.2 billion in…benefits to the public.” According to Belcher, those benefits include job creation and economic growth; the US Department of Transportation says an average of 50 percent of ITS spending goes directly to wages, “a far greater return on investment than other comparable projects,” Belcher writes.
Additionally, Belcher says each dollar invested in ITS reduces vehicle emissions by up to 22 percent, while an estimated 31 percent of annual traffic fatalities could be prevented through the rapid deployment of ITS. A significant investment in ITS “will play a major role in helping…retain existing jobs while providing new jobs,” Belcher writes. “It will also provide lasting benefits…improving system performance and creating more livable, sustainable communities.”
For more information, visit ITSA online at www.itsa.org.