Designing a traffic management communication system to accommodate intelligent vehicle highway systems

The types of communication required for the implementation of an intelligent vehicle highway system (IVHS) are discussed. The focus is on the use of the existing and planned communication infrastructure, particularly optic cable plant, to meet some of the IVHS communication requirements. Existing communication systems for urban control traffic systems, freeway traffic management systems, transit and other government services are described, drawing on the authors' experience in the design and implementation of these communication systems. Potential methods to utilize the existing infrastructure, including the use of spare data and video channels, the use of spare optical fibers, conduits, and existing radio links to vehicles are explored. There a number of special requirements and technical issues relating to communication systems for IVHS. These include requirements for the integration of control centers and control center functions, as well as more distributed communication requirements. New design requirements include more flexibility, increased use of standards, and careful consideration of future requirements.