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January 2001
ITS Institute seminars
FTA official says "mobility management" is new transportation paradigm
The November 30 ITS Institute Seminar featured Ron Boenau, chief of the Advanced Public Transportation Systems Division of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), speaking on the evolution of transportation systems and transportation planning on the federal level over the last 30 years.
Boenau presented his view that Intelligent Transportation Systems today means more than just developing new technologies. Instead, ITS must focus on "changing the way that the transportation community does business," because technology is changing the way that we think about and manage the transportation systems we use.
In Boenau's view, the difference in our way of thinking about transportation is today's focus on integration between diverse modes of transportation. This new model of transportation as an integrated system is being driven by advances in information technology, telecommunications, and data processing. These are the same forces driving change in the business world as a whole, he noted.
The old paradigm of "balanced transportation" is now giving way to a new paradigm of "mobility management." Transportation planners now aim to provide a "seamless" multimodal transportation experience for the user. One key element of mobility management is the consolidation of transportation services by encouraging cooperation between diverse organizations; the goal is to avoid multiple services operating in the same area and thereby increase efficiency.
Spring semester seminars scheduled
The Institute has scheduled seven seminars for spring semester. Covering a range of topics, the seminars will be held at two University locations: Room 108 of the Mechanical Engineering Building on the Twin Cities east bank campus, and Library 173 (via videoconference) on the Duluth campus.
The seminars are open to anyone interested in learning more about technology and transportation. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and practitioners are encouraged to attend. For more information about the ITS Institute, visit the ITS Web site at www.its.umn.edu.