How can we solve the problem of traffic congestions in big cities? Governments have built highways, offered public transportation, etc. However, these traditional approaches are becoming expensive. Many experts now see intelligent transportation systems (ITS) as the solution. But how does ITS work?
Using information technology (IT), intelligent vehicles and infrastructure broadcast and receive data from sensors, video cameras, radar, and satellites, etc. to improve traffic quality. Drivers receive messages on computers or mobile devices about accidents, travel times, alternative routes, and the like. These allow drivers to make better decisions. Managers of transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, train stations, traffic signals, etc.) receive ITS data, then use it to control the system by changing traffic signal timing, broadcasting radio announcements, opening and closing roads and traffic lanes, responding to accidents and the like. Computers, rather than humans, make most of the decisions that control the system.
1. What does the passage mostly do?
