Green benefits of ITS - PRESENTATION Research Paper

Green benefits of ITS - PRESENTATION - Research Paper Example he reduction of emissions but also to the financial support of the communities (Institute for Sustainable Communities, 2010, p.1); however, in the case of failure ITS could cause severe financial losses depending on the size of the relevant plan (Tignor et al. 1999) The studies used in this research paper are based on data of different type, depending on the mode of research employed in each case. High emphasis is given to reports published by governmental and non-governmental organizations operating in this area as these bodies are most likely to have access to critical data in regard to this subject. The advantage of these studies/ reports is that they refer to actual aspects, i.e. forms, benefits and problems, of ITS; in this way, it is easier to check the current performance but also the future risks of these systems. The benefits achieved in Syracuse through the update of the city’s signaling system are, all, related to sustainability (Halkias and Schauer 2004). The specific system is based on a computer application, appropriately tuned for covering the city’s needs in terms of transportation while fuel consumption is kept at low levels, as possible. It should be noted that the above system has been evaluated after 3 years of its establishment, a fact that denotes the need for a particular period of time before checking the effectiveness of such systems. In a study developed by the US Department of Transportation in 2013 the benefits of Automated Signal Systems were explored. The key benefits of these systems are those presented in slide 6. Among these benefits the most important seems to be the following: a) delays due to signaling problems, which represent the 10% of traffic delays, have been decreased, b) travel time can significantly increased in case of problematic signal systems; with automated signal systems the travel time can be reduced even by 10% (US Department of Transportation 2013). It should be noted that the increase of average speed, a