EVALUATING BENEFITS AND COSTS OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ELEMENTS FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE

In spite of a number of before-and-after evaluation studies of ITS field operational tests and other deployments that have substantiated the favorable payoff of investments in ITS technology, ITS benefits assessment is not a straightforward matter and continues to pose significant challenges. The scarcity of good tools for benefits and costs evaluation of ITS elements for use at the program development and update stage is a known hindrance for ready programming and deployment of new ITS user services. This article assesses the functionality that methodologies fitting this purpose must exhibit. It also discusses the possible contribution of other decision systems in this area. The rest of the paper examines the design and development of a computer-based decision system for New York State Department of Transportation's capital planning and programming efforts. The methodology is transposable to transportation agencies in other states and in other countries.