Roads resemble systems networks. The trouble is, in most congested locales, major new roads aren't an option. Where I live, in Montgomery County, Md., it can take five years of planning, impact statements and hearings to get anything done. But local governments also must confront the growing problem of gridlock. Once mainly an urban phenomenon, traffic jams now bedevil many a suburb and even some fairly rural areas.
Information technology can mitigate some of the problems.
Computers won't reduce the number of cars on the road, but they can help improve traffic flow, as our cover story this month illustrates. Certain techniques are obvious, although too few municipalities or counties are implementing them. In Minnesota, the Transportation Department is tinkering with buses equipped with Global Positioning System devices and data transmitters coupled with timing schedules. A bus driver can, in effect, hold open an intersection with a green signal and get his bus back on schedule. Another promising application makes traffic data available to the public on the Web.