Real Time Traffic Advisory System Tests in Atlanta

08/13/96

This summer has 200 vehicles testing a real-time traffic advisory system in and around Atlanta. The experiment tests a system which should alert drivers to current road and traffic conditions. The tests are funded by a $7.2 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration and directed by Scientific-Atlanta.

Atlantic-Scientific spokesperson Scott Wood described the Atlanta Driver Advisory System (ADAS): "ADAS is a cost-effective, but sophisticated, radio-controlled driver advisory system. Real-time advisories of traffic congestion, highway incidents, and traveler service information will be featured on dash-mounted panel displays in 200 test vehicles traveling Atlanta's busiest sections of Interstate Highways I75, I85, and I285."

The system is being tested on 100 delivery vehicles supplied by Federal Express and 100 road-side assistance and other vehicles supplied by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

"Each vehicle is equipped with 220 megahertz (MHz) narrowband transceivers and FM subcarrier radios to receive and transmit information," Wood said. "They also include global positioning system (GPS) receivers provided by Motorola's Position and Navigation Systems Business to provide precise location data of each vehicle, and electroluminescent panel displays mounted on the dashboards which will receive and display information to the driver," he said.

Wood said he expects that dash-mounted system will be "as expensive as a CD player in your car," Wood said.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel