ITS America Applauds Senate Transportation Leaders for Spurring Innovation, Improving Accountability

WASHINGTON, D.C. – ITS America President and CEO Scott Belcher issued the following statement today in response to the release of the text of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee’s surface transportation reauthorization bill, MAP-21:

“ITS America applauds the leadership of Chairman Boxer, Ranking Member Inhofe, and Senators Baucus and Vitter for crafting a bipartisan bill that will put innovative technology to work addressing challenges from traffic congestion to highway fatalities, fixing and modernizing our infrastructure, and creating a more accountable, performance-based planning and funding process for transportation projects.

Not only will the traveling public benefit from a safer, more efficient and cost-effective transportation network, but investment in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) will create good jobs and make the U.S. more globally competitive by modernizing our freight network, improving supply chain efficiency, and keeping people and goods moving safely and on time.”

Belcher also applauded a new competitive grant program, the System Operations and ITS Deployment Grant Program (MAP-21 Section 2301), saying it “will spur innovation and help communities across the United States apply the latest information technology to create smarter, more integrated transportation networks that will deliver cost-effective safety and mobility benefits to the traveling public.”

Similar to the Smart Technologies for Communities Act (H.R. 995), introduced in the House by ITS Caucus co-chairs Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO), the initiative would provide new levels of accountability by requiring grant recipients to measure and improve the performance of their transportation systems while applying the latest smart technologies to reduce traffic congestion, minimize traffic fatalities, enhance transportation mobility and access, optimize existing roadway capacity, reduce costs, and provide the public with access to real-time traffic and transit information.

About the Intelligent Transportation Society of America

ITS America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association established in 1991 to foster the research, development and deployment of advanced technologies across America’s surface transportation system.  Members include private companies and industry leaders, government agencies at all levels, universities and research laboratories.  For more information, visit www.itsa.org.