For a long time, businesses purchased PCs and installed networks, yet didn't benefit from any improvements in productivity until they reengineered themselves, flattening hierarchies and empowering workers. ITS started with the realization that building more highways wasn't going to solve the problem. Study after study has shown that new roads and additional lanes only relieve congestion temporarily. The country has four times as many vehicles on its roads as it did 30 years ago, and the numbers continue to grow. As a result, public officials increasingly cite congestion as a major problem in their jurisdictions.
Many metro areas rank traffic problems up there with crime and drugs.
To make the most of the existing road and highway system and to enhance public transit, the public and private sector has turned increasingly to technology for answers. One reason is cost. Traffic surveillance and signal control systems can improve traffic flow from 8 to 25 percent. Electronic toll collection increases road and bridge capacity by as much as 300 percent compared to attended lanes. Another reason is safety.